In Italian, you can address people in two ways, formally or informally, and it’s very important to know when to pick the right one. 

In this lesson, we’ll look at the main differences between formal and informal Italian and when should you use one rather than the other.

Keep reading and you’ll know everything you need about formal and informal Italian. You can also find some practical examples to help you out.

What’s the Difference between Formal & Informal Italian?  

In essence, the main differences between formal and informal Italian are the tone of voice and the pronoun used to address your speaker.

Let’s see them more in detail.

 1. TONE OF VOICE

The way you sound to people depends a lot on the way of talking you decide to use. 

The formal Italian is generally more serious and polite. It keeps a certain distance between the parts and can also show a kind of respect for your speaker.

On the opposite, the informal speech is more friendly and casual and it often implies there’s already a level of knowledge or intimacy with the other person. 

2. PRONOUN 

This is a very important thing to remember: the pronoun that you use is different whether you address people formally or informally. In English, you always use “you” when you talk to someone but in Italian, you must use one of the following pronouns:

1. Tu for informal talk 
2. Lei for formal speech

Note that the pronoun “lei” is the third person singular “she”, but in the formal Italian, means “you” and can refer to both men and women. Hence, the verb conjugation will follow the one of the pronoun “lei” (remember that in Italian you always need to conjugate the verb based on the subject). 

Let’s have a look at an example to clarify.

Below you can see how we ask “How are you?” in Italian. In the informal context you use the pronoun “tu”, while in the formal one, you say “lei”; as a result also the verb changes from “stai” (2nd person singular) to “sta” (3rd person singular). 

1. (Tu) come stai? (Informal) 
2. (Lei) come sta? (Formal) – this question also means “How is she?”

Note that the subject is in brackets as it can be left out.

When to Use the Informal or Formal Italian

We’ve seen what’s different between these ways of talking, but now you’re probably wondering when to use the informal or formal Italian. 

These 3 simple rules will help you to decide: 

1. AGE

Generally, you address with the pronoun “lei” people that are older than you (as a form of respect), while you use “tu” with kids or people that are the same age as you. 

2. AUTHORITY (OF YOUR SPEAKER)

In a professional environment, you tempt to use formal speech, especially if the person you’re addressing is in a position of authority. So for example with your teacher, your manager, a lawyer, or your doctor. 

3. LEVEL OF KNOWING

Usually, you address strangers with the pronoun “lei”, unless they’re a child or a peer; for example, when you go to a shop or ask information you typically use the formal way of talking.

Exceptions on the Uses of Informal/Formal Italian 

A rule has always exceptions, right?

So in the following cases, you can forget about the previous rules and always use the informal way of talking. 

1. FAMILY MEMBERS

The rule about the age doesn’t apply with family members, so you don’t need to address your parents or grandparents in the formal way.

2. SOMEONE ASKS YOU TO 

You’re always allowed to use the informal way if someone asks you to do so. In that case they will tell you: “Dammi del tu” or “mi puoi dare del tu”.

Note that once you’ve switched to the informal way, you don’t go back to the formal.

3. KIDS/PEERS 

You never address kids formally even if you don’t know them. Also with peers, e.g. classmates or colleagues, you’re allowed to use the informal way of talking.

Formal/Informal Italian: their Uses in Summary

So based on what we’ve seen so far, you generally use the formal way of talking with:

• Elderly people
• Professionals (in a position of authority)
• Strangers
  

On the other hand, you use the informal Italian with:

• kids
• peers
• friends/mates 
• family members
• people that ask you to do so

Real-Life Examples: Formal & Informal Italian 

Now let’s have a look at some examples and how the same sentence changes from formal to informal:

1. Apologies

When you apologize to someone, you say: 

• Scusa (Informal) = Sorry
• Scusi (Formal) = Apologies

2. Introductions

When you introduce yourself:

• (Tu) come ti chiami? (Informal) = What’s your name?
• (Lei) come si chiama? (Formal) = What’s your name?

3. Where you live

If you want to ask someone where they live:

• (Tu) dove vivi? (Informal) = Where do you live?
• (Lei) dove vive? (Formal) = Where do you live?

Let’s Recap

In this lesson, we’ve seen that in Italian you can address people in two ways: a formal and an informal one.

These ways of talking are pretty different from one another and it can be confusing at the beginning.

So let’s see what are the key things to remember.

Difference between Formal & Informal Italian

The major differences between formal and informal Italian are the way you sound to people and the pronoun that you use.

1. Tone of Voice: the formal speech is more polite and keeps distance between the parts, while the informal Italian sounds casual and friendly.
2. Pronoun: in a formal talk you use the pronoun “lei” instead of “tu” which is for informal conversations. As a consequence, also the verb conjugation changes based on the subject.

When to Use the Formal or Informal Italian

In general, you use the formal Italian in the following situations:

• When the speaker is older than you (but not a family member)
• In a professional environment, if that person is in a position of authority, for example, your teacher, your manager, or your doctor.
• With strangers (with the exception of kids and peers).

And this is all for this lesson, I hope you found it useful to clarify the uses of the formal and informal Italian. 

You can also read:

HOW TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF IN ITALIAN IN 3 EASY STEPS

HOW TO SAY HELLO AND GOODBYE IN FORMAL ITALIAN