Italians use
formal language
in polite situations.
This is called:
dare del Lei->
literally
to give the Lei.
It means using a
formal way
to say you
when speaking to someone
with respect.
It is common in situations like:

• talking to adults you don’t know well
• speaking to someone older than you
• addressing someone with a higher
social or professional status
• in formal or professional settings
• when you want to be polite or respectful

Formal pronouns
Lei and Loro
are usually written
with a capital letter.

In Southern Italy,
the form Voi
is also used
instead of
Lei and Loro.
In advertisements,
Voi is used
as a formal plural.
We’ll learn more about
using Voi in Lesson 9.

Subject pronouns
are often left out
in conversation
because
the verb form
already shows
who’s being
talked about.
But you can include them
for emphasis or clarity.

Loro sono …….
They are ……….

Chi? – Who? Whom?

(Singular and plural)
The Italian question word chi? can mean:
chi? – who? (subject)
chi? – whom? (object)

It can refer to one person
(who? / whom?) or
more than one
(who(pl)? / whom(pl)?),
depending on the context.

We will cover question words
in Lesson 10.

(A magyarban a szó első szótagján van a hangsúly.
A negyedik leckében tanulunk a szóhangsúlyról,
miután átvettük a kiejtést.)