Tu, Lei and Voi: being polite
When to switch to the formal “you” — and why it uses the third person.
Tu vs. Lei
Use tu with friends, family, children and peers. Use Lei with strangers, older people, shop staff, and in professional settings. When in doubt, start with Lei and let the other person suggest switching (Diamoci del tu!).
Lei is conjugated like the third person singular (lui/lei), regardless of the gender of the person you're addressing.
- Come sta? / Come stai?How are you? (formal / informal)
- Lei è di qui?Are you from here? (formal)
- Scusi, sa dov'è il museo?Excuse me, do you know where the museum is?
Voi for groups
For more than one person, modern Italian simply uses voi, both formally and informally. The formal plural Loro survives mainly in very elegant hospitality settings.
Common mistakes
Addressing a stranger formally uses the Lei form, scusi.
Lei takes the third-person verb form.
Test yourself
0 / 4 answered1. Signora, come ___?
2. ___, dov'è il museo? (to a stranger)
3. Posso aiutar___? (formal)
4. Signori, cosa ___ ordinare?