Who’s who: io, tu, lui, lei

One person: io, tu, lui, lei

Io is I, tu is you, lui is he and lei is she. Unlike English I, io has no capital letter unless it starts a sentence: Marco e io.

Lui and lei look alike, so say them aloud to keep them apart: lui sounds like loo-ee, lei like lay.

Groups: noi, voi, loro

Noi is we, voi is you all and loro is they. If you are in the group, it’s always noi: Marco e io is noi, and so is io e la mamma.

Loro covers any group of people: all men, all women or a mix.

Quick test: if I is in the group, say noi. If you is in it but not I, say voi. If neither, say loro.

Talking to someone, or about them

The pronouns split by role. Tu and voi are for the people you’re talking to. Lui, lei and loro are for the people you’re talking about.

So with Anna and Sara in front of you, you say voi. Telling a friend about them later, you say loro. Same two people, different pronoun.

Lei: the polite you

Italian has a polite way to say you to one person: Lei. It’s the same word as lei (she), and in writing it often gets a capital L to tell them apart, as it does in this course.

Lei works for a man or a woman: Buongiorno, signore. E Lei? and Buongiorno, signora. E Lei? are both right. Remember it’s only for talking to someone. Talking about Mr Rossi, you still say lui.

When verbs arrive, you’ll see that Lei takes the same form as lei (she). It’s a bit like the old-fashioned English Would madam like a coffee?

Tu or Lei? Reading the situation

Use tu with friends, family, children and people your age in relaxed places, like other students or guests at a party. Use Lei with strangers, older people, shop and office staff, teachers and doctors: anyone you’d call signore or signora.

Listen for clues. Ciao and a first name point to tu. Buongiorno, Buonasera, signore and signora point to Lei. If you’re unsure, start with Lei. It’s never rude to be polite, and Italians will happily suggest switching to tu.

Signore and signora are a sure sign of Lei. Ciao plus a first name almost always means tu.

More than one you: voi

For two or more people, use voi, whether they’re friends or strangers. A waiter greeting a couple says voi, and so does a teacher talking to the whole class.

You may hear Loro used as a very formal plural you in old-style hotels, but you don’t need it. Voi is right for any group.

Dropping the pronoun, and keeping it

In everyday Italian the pronoun is often left out, because the verb ending already shows who it is. Mi chiamo Anna means my name is Anna, with no io needed. You’ll see this with every verb from the next lesson on.

Keep the pronoun to stress or contrast (Io mi chiamo Anna. E tu?) and when it stands alone (E Lei?). Where English uses me on its own, Italian says io: Anch’io! (Me too!). And when a pair does something, I is io: lei e io.

Common mistakes

• Ciao, Marco! E Lei?Ciao, Marco! E tu?A friend gets the friendly tu; Lei is for strangers and older people.
• Buongiorno, professore. E tu?Buongiorno, professore. E Lei?A teacher you’ve just met gets the polite Lei.
• Marco e io → voiMarco e io → noiIf you’re in the group, it’s noi.
• tu e Sara → lorotu e Sara → voiYou’re talking to them, so it’s voi; loro is for people you talk about.
• il signor Rossi → Leiil signor Rossi → luiPolite Lei is only for talking to someone; about him, it’s lui.
• lei e melei e ioWhen the pair is doing something, I is io.
• Marco e IoMarco e ioIo only takes a capital at the start of a sentence.

The full table

Six people, plus the polite you.

Io has no capital letter, unlike English I. Polite Lei usually does.

The verb ending already shows who it is, so Italians often drop the pronoun: Mi chiamo Anna.