dare del tu

Italian for travellers: Making friends. PODCAST

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Addressingpeopleformallyandinformally,greetingsandintroductions.Listentothepodcast.

ThePodcastisaboutmakingfriendsandstartingaconversation.
“LEI”AND”TU”

InItalian,wehavetwodifferentlevels ofcommunication:formalandinformal.Whenwewantto addresssomeoneinformally,weusethepronounTU(you).OntheotherhandtheformalpronounisLEI(she)usedforbothmenandwomen.ThefirstoneisequivalenttotheEnglishYOU,sothere’snoproblemhere.TheLEI isaformofrespectthat createsdistancebetweenspeakers.Forexample:

  • Cometichiami(tu)?
  • Comesichiama(lei)?

Theybothmeanwhat’syourname,butthelatterismoreappropriateifyouspeaktoanadultyoudon’tknow,orneedtopayrespecttosomeone. Forexample,IknowmanypeopleusingtheLeiwiththeirparentsinlaw,theirbossesandcolleaguesatwork,theircustomers.Itdependsonthesituation.

SometimestheLeiis notnecessarybecause thenature oftherelationshipisinformal.Italiansarefriendly,somostprobablytheLeiwillbe necessaryonlywhenyouintroduceyourself.YouwillsoonusetheinformalTu.

Sinceyouareaforeigner,people willunderstandit’sdifficultforyoutousetheLei.Inanycase,it’srecommendedtoshowsomepolitenessandlearngreetingsandintroductionsusing Lei.Then,youcanasktoswitchtotheinformalTusaying:

  • Diamocideltu.
  • Possiamodarcideltu?

Let’sproceedwithorder:
TITLES

ItaliansusetitlesmorethanEnglishspeakers.Thefollowingisthebasics:

  • Signore-Sir
  • Signora-Ma’am
  • Signorina-Miss
  • SignorRossi-Mr.Rossi
  • SignoraBianchi-Mrs.Bianchi
  • SignorinaFerrari-MissFerrari

Ontopofit,people tendtogivealotofimportancetograduatedprofessionals.EveryItalianholdingauniversitydegreeisadottore ifmaleordottoressa if femaleandthetitleis usedinsteadofsignororsignorabeforethelastname,evenoutsidetheworkingenvironment.Themostcommonare:

  • DottorRossi
  • DottoressaBianchi
  • AvvocatoMartini
  • ProfessorArmani
  • ProfessoressaLamborghini
  • IngegnerCampari

Youcanseethattitlesformalesendingin”e”,dropthe”e”beforethelastname.SignorebecomesSignorRossi,DottorebecomesDottorRossiandsoon.
GREETINGS

GreetingsinItalianfollowthesamesimplerulesyouhaveinEnglish.Theycanbeformal,informal,commonorlesscommondependingonthesituation.Downbelowthemostcommon.

  • Buongiorno-Goodmorning,butalsogoodafternoonuntildusk
  • Buonpomeriggio-Goodafternoon,notascommonasBuongiorno
  • Buonasera-Goodevening
  • Buonanotte-Goodnight
  • Buonagiornata-Haveagoodday
  • Buonaserata-Haveagoodevening

These canbeusedinformalandinformalsituationsand areallratherpolite.I’drarely saybuonasera toaclosefriend.

  • Ciao-Hi
  • Salve-Hello

Ciao iswhatIwouldsaytoafriendorarelative.It’dbevery rudetosayciaotoapersonwho deservestheformalLei.

Salve istheformal versionofciao. Useitwhennecessary.

  • Arrivederci-Seeyou.
  • Civediamo-Seeyou.
  • Cisivede-We’llseeeachother.
  • Cisentiamo-Speaktoyousoon.
  • Apresto-Seeyousoon.
  • Adomani-Seeyoutomorrow.
  • Allaprossima-Seeyounexttime.
  • Adopo-Seeyoulater.
  • Benvenuto/Benvenuta/Benvenuti-Welcome.

Arrivederciisquiteformal.It’soktouseitwiththeLeiform.SamewithApresto.Alltheothersareratherconversationalandinformal.Cisentiamo ismorelike”we’llhearfromeachother”.
INTRODUCTIONS

Youprobablylearnedthat”Michiamo…”means”Mynameis…”.Right,buttheliteraltranslationis “Icallmyself…”.Chiamarsiisaverboriflessivo,areflexiveverb.Visitthelinkedpageifyouwanttolearnmore.So,what’syournameis”Cometichiami?-Howdoyoucallyourself?”.Thecompleteconjugationoftheverbchiamarsiisthefollowing:

  • Iomichiamo-
  • Tutichiami-
  • Lui/Leisichiama-
  • Noicichiamiamo-
  • Voivichiamate-
  • Lorosichiamano-

Ifyouwanttoask”what’syourname”youhavetwooptions

  • Cometichiami(tu)?Informal
  • Comesichiama(lei)?Formal

Rememberthatwecanomitthesubject,soit’snotnecessarytosayTuorLeilikeinEnglish.Thepersonwouldanswer”Michiamo…”orsimplysayhisorhername.

Wecansay”nicetomeetyou”indifferentways:

  • Piacerediconoscerla-“Pleasure toknowyou”-Lei,formal
  • Ciao,piacere-Hi,pleasure-Tu,informal
  • Moltopiacere-Muchpleasure-Verypolite,impersonal

Ifyouintroducesomeoneelsetosomepeople,therearetheusualtwooptions:

  • LepresentoilDottorBianchi-Iintroducetoyou(Lei)Dr.Bianchi
  • TipresentolamiaamicaLucia-Iintroducetoyou(Tu)myfriendLucia
  • VipresentoIlsignorMartini-IintroducetoyouMr.Martini(voi,youplural)

Thepodcastandexamplesabovearebasic.Itwouldbeenoughtogetyoustarted.Downbelow,moreexamples.

LEI&TU

  • Buongiornodottore,comesta?
  • Miscusi, sacheoresono?
  • Doveabita?
  • Dov’èilsuoalbergo?
  • Chelavorofa?
  • Laringrazio.
  • Leihafigli?
  • Possoaiutarla?

  • Buongiorno Marco,comestai?
  • Scusami, saicheoresono?
  • Doveabiti?
  • Dov’èiltuoalbergo?
  • Chelavorofai?
  • Ti ringrazio.
  • Tu haifigli?
  • Possoaiutarti?
ENGLISH
  • Goodmorning,howareyou?
  • Excuseme,whattimeisit?
  • Wheredoyoulive?
  • Whereisyourhotel?
  • What’syourjob?
  • Thankyou.
  • Doyouhavechildren?
  • CanIhelpyou?

Inred,theLEIversion,inbluetheTUversion.ThesearejustafewexamplesandshowhowafewwordsinItaliancanchangethetoneandthelevelofrespect in aconversation.Thesesentencesmaybeuseful asice-breakersforstartingaconversation.

TITLES

Allthefollowingexamplesarewiththecourtesyform”Lei”.

  • BuonNataleSignorRossi.
  • AvvocatoBerlusconi,acheoraciincontriamo?
  • Chiedoscusasignorina,habisognodiaiuto?
  • SignoraMartini,sacheoresono?
  • Ingegnere,hacompletato quelprogetto?
  • Miscusisignore,hapersolechiavi.
  • VorreiparlareconilprofessorCampari. Èdisponibile?
  • DottoressaBianchi,ammiromoltoilsuolavoro.
  • LepresentoilsignorBonaventura.
ENGLISH
  • MerryChristmas,Mr.Rossi.
  • AvvocatoBerlusconi,whattimeshallwemeet?
  • IbegyourpardonMiss,doyouneedanyhelp?
  • MrsMartini,doyouknowwhattimeisit?
  • Ingegnere,haveyoufinishedthatproject?
  • ExcusemeSir,youhavelostyourkeys.
  • IwouldliketotalktoProfessorCampari,isheavailable?
  • DottoressaBianchi,Iadmireverymuchyourwork.
  • LetmeintroduceMr.Bonaventura.
GREETINGS

  • Buongiornoatutti!
  • Buonpomeriggiosignora,possoaiutarla?
  • Buonasera Franco,comeva?
  • Buonanotteesognid’oro.
  • Buonagiornata ebuonlavoro.
  • Buonaserataebuondivertimento.
  • CiaoLuca,daquantotempo!
  • SalvesignoraRossi,imieisalutiasuomarito.
  • Arrivederci eapresto.
  • Civediamolasettimanaprossima.
  • GraziemilleMichela,cisivede.
  • CiaoGiulia,apresto.
  • Graziemilleperlabellaserata.Cisivede.
  • BenvenutiinItalia!
ENGLISH
  • Goodmorningeveryone.
  • GoodafternoonMa’am,canIhelpyou?
  • GoodeveningFranco,howisitgoing?
  • Goodnightandsweetdreams
  • Haveagooddayandagoodtimeatwork.
  • Goodeveningandhavefun.
  • CiaoLuca, longtimenosee!
  • SalvesignoraRossi,myregardstoyourhusband.
  • Seeyousoon.
  • Seeyounextweek.
  • ThanksalotMichela,I’llseeyou.
  • Bye Giulia,seeyousoon.
  • Thanksalotforthelovelyevening.We’llseeagain.
  • WelcometoItaly!

Theseareformalandinformalgreetingsandfarewells.Theexpression”buonlavoro”doesn’treallyhaveanequivalent inEnglish.It’safarewell,inthiscaseitdoesn’tmean”goodjob!”.

INTRODUCTIONS

  • MichiamoLuca,piacere.
  • TichiamiFabio,vero?
  • LuisichiamaStefano,èunmioamico
  • Comesichiama latuaamica?
  • Piacerediconoscerla dottoressaFerrari.
  • Piacerediconoscerti,michiamoDario.
  • Piaceremio.
  • PossopresentarleilprofessorBianchi?
  • PossopresentartiLaura,lamiaragazza?
  • Viconoscetegià?
ENGLISH
  • MynameisLuca,nicetomeetyou.
  • YournameisFabio,right?
  • He’sStefano,afriendofmine.
  • What’sthenameofyourgirlfriend?
  • PleasedtomeetyoudoctorFerrari(woman)
  • Nicetomeetyou,mynameisDario
  • Mypleasure.
  • MayIintroduceprofessorBianchi?
  • CanIintroduce Gianni,myboyfriend?
  • Doyoualreadyknoweachother?

Thanksforreading!

photocredit

Giving personal information in Italian – Audio lesson

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LearntoaskandgivepersonalinformationinItalian.Talkaboutwork,relationships,nationality.Understandwhenitisappropriatetuusetheformal”lei”insteadofthefriendly”tu”.Audiolesson. LearningtoaskandgivepersonalinformationinItalianisquiteeasy.Youneedtolearnsomebasicsentencesandvocabulary.Allbasicinformation,asithappensinmanylanguages,isprovidedusingtheimportantverbsessere (tobe)andavere (tohave).Incaseyoudon’tknowthem,hereyoucanseetheir presenteindicativo conjugation.Havealookbeforeproceedingfurther.

  • TuorLei?

  YoucanaddresssomeoneinItalianusingtheinformal”Tu”ortheformal”Lei”.WealreadysaidthatthechoiceofdaredelLei,addressingsomeoneinformally,dependsoncommonsense.Whenyoudon’tknowthepersonyouarearegoingtotalkwith,orwhenthispersonisseniorbyageorstatus,youshoulduseLei. Forexample,”What’syourname”is:

Cometichiami?(Tu)/Comesichiama(Lei?) Michiamo…

Mind,”Lei”inthiscaseisnotsynonymof”she”,butjustaformalwaytoreplace”tu”,you.Whenyouwillknowpeoplewellorwon’tbethecasetousetheformalLei,youwillbeinvitedtoswitchfrom”Lei”to”Tu”.
“Diamocideltu”or”Possiamodarcideltu”

Normally,youngpeoplewillskipthe”lei”andusedirectlytheinformal”tu”.

  • ChièMario?
Whenwetalkaboutourrelationshipwithsomeone,weoftenuseItalianpossessiveadjectives.So,ifItalktoyouabout”Mario”,youmayask:”ChièMario?”

Marioèunmio…(Mariaèunamia…) amico/amica(friend)
collega(colleague)
conoscente(acquaintance)
parente(relative)

  SeMario(Maria)èunparente,ifMarioisarelative,wecandescribeourdegreeofkinship.Inthiscasewehavetoomitthearticle.Wedon’tsay”Marioèil/unmiofratello”.Wesay”Marioèmiofratello”Marioismybrother.Havealookandlistentotheaudiolesson”Lamiafamiglia”,myItalianfamily foracompleteoverview.SomenounsaboutthefamilyinItalian:

Marioèmio…(Mariaèmia…)

Ifyouwanttosay”Ihaveabrother,sisteretc”,inItalianwesay”Ioho/Lui-Leiha- un/una…fratello/sorella/marito/moglieetc.withtheverbAVERE.

  • Didovesei(tu)?Didov’e(lui/lei)?

  InordertoprovidecompletepersonalinformationinItalian,youmustknowyournationality.Peopleusuallywantto knowwhereyoucomefromandwhereyoulive.

Whenweask”Didovesei?”whereareyoufrom,wemeanthenationalityforforeignersandtheregionofItalyorcityoforiginforItalians.JustlikeinEnglish,wehavetwomaingroups:

Iosono…- Lui/Leiè…
  • -ESE(Giapponese,Francese,Inglese-andMilanese)
  • -ANO(Italiano,Americano,Australiano-andRomano).
ThereisnoautomaticcorrespondancebetweenItalianandEnglishnamesofNationality.Forexample,wesayCanadeseandnot”Canadiano”,OlandeseandnotDutch,Tedescoandnot”Germano”.LikealltheotherItalianadjectives,theonesendingin-Edon’tvaryaccordingtothegender,theonesendingin-Ochangewiththegender.Sowesay:

  • IosonoGiapponese,MikeèAmericanoeLucyèAustraliana.

Ifyouwanttonameyourcityoforigin,youcanofcoursedothatsaying:
Sonodi…(Roma,Tokyo,NewYorketc…) Literally,Iamof…Historically,Europeancitiesandsomeothersaroundtheworldhaveanitalianizedname.Forexample:Parigi,Londra,Lisbona,Barcellona,Berna,Vienna,Berlino,Varsavia,Stoccolma,Atene,Belgrado,Dublino,CittàdelMessico,Pechino,NuovaDelhi,CittàdelCapoandmanyothers.WeusedtosayNuovaYork,butit’sobsoletenow.

  • Chelavorofai(tu)-Chelavorofa(Lui/Lei)?

  Nowadays,therearesomanyjobtitlesthatthemattercan’tbeliquidatewiththeusualdoctor/nurse/clerkbasicvocabulary. Wewilldedicateaposttojobsandworking-relatedItalianlanguage.YourjobisofcoursesomethingyouwanttosayorknowaspersonalinformationinItalian.WewillhelpyoutoidentifythenameofyourjobinItalian,justaskinthecomments.Thequestionis:”Chelavorofai?”,Whatisyourjob:

Io Faccioil/la…dottore/dottoressa
Sonoun/una… dentista Lui/Lei Fail/la…dottore/dottoressa
È un/una… dentist

  The”formula”thenis:

 Fareil/lo/la+jobtitle=Essereun/uno/una +jobtitle WeexplainedHOWyoushouldaskorprovidepersonalinformationinItalian.IfyouwanttofindoutWHATandlearnnewwords,pleaseexplorethisblogandfindyouranswers.Ifyouneedsomehelpindescribingyourjob,nationalityorotherinformationinItalian,pleaseleaveacommentandwe’llansweryourquestions.Subscribetoourmailinglistformorearticles!

WithDanteLearningyoucan learnItalianon-line withanativeteacher,studyingatyourownpacefromhome.Savetimeandmoney, subscribeforFREE todayandenjoyafreetriallesson,alevelcheckandaccesstointeractiveexercises.Alllive,one-one-one,invideoconferencewithanativeItalianteacher.ThenyoucandecideifyouwanttojoinusandbepartofourOn-lineItalianLanguageSchool.

 

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