Quando Lei parla, tutti la ascoltano con attenzione.

When you speak, everyone listens to you attentively.

Breakdown of Quando Lei parla, tutti la ascoltano con attenzione.

• con: with
• quando: when
• l'attenzione: the attention
• ascoltare: to listen
• parlare: to speak
• tutti: everyone
• Lei: you

Questions & Answers about Quando Lei parla, tutti la ascoltano con attenzione.

Why is Lei capitalized in the sentence, and what does it signify?

In Italian, Lei is used as the formal second-person singular pronoun (equivalent to the formal “you” in English). It is typically capitalized when addressing someone respectfully. Although Lei can also mean “she” in other contexts, here it clearly stands for a formal way of addressing an individual.

What is the role of the pronoun la in “tutti la ascoltano con attenzione”?

The pronoun la is a direct object pronoun that refers back to the person addressed by Lei. It indicates that everyone listens to that person attentively. Note that in Italian, direct object pronouns are positioned before the conjugated verb, following the grammar conventions even though in English a similar pronoun would almost always come after the verb.

How would the sentence change if I wanted to address someone informally?

For an informal context, you would replace the formal subject and object pronouns with their informal counterparts. The sentence would become: “Quando tu parli, tutti ti ascoltano con attenzione.” Here, tu is the informal subject pronoun for “you,” and ti is the corresponding informal object pronoun.

Why does the sentence use two different pronouns (Lei and la) for the same person, and what distinguishes their use?

The sentence uses Lei as the subject pronoun in the clause “Quando Lei parla” because it denotes the person who is speaking, while la is used as the direct object in “tutti la ascoltano con attenzione” to indicate the person being listened to. This distinction aligns with Italian grammatical rules where the pronoun form changes based on its function (subject vs. object) within the sentence.

What is the overall grammatical structure of the sentence, and what tense are the verbs in?

The sentence is composed of two clauses: a subordinate clause (“Quando Lei parla”) and a main clause (“tutti la ascoltano con attenzione”). Both verbs, parla (“speaks”) and ascoltano (“listen”), are in the present tense. This structure implies a general or habitual situation, meaning that whenever the addressee speaks, everyone listens attentively.