In Italian, when speaking to strangers, professionals, elders, or anyone in a formal setting, you do not use the casual tu. Instead, you use the formal register, known as dare del Lei. This shows respect and creates polite, professional distance.
Titles and Greetings
Polite interactions often start with a respectful greeting like buongiorno alongside a formal title, such as signore (sir/Mr.) or signora (madam/Mrs.).
To say "you" formally, use the pronoun Lei. It is frequently capitalized in writing to distinguish it from the identical word lei (meaning "she").
Because Lei is grammatically a third-person pronoun, it requires third-person singular verb forms. This means you will use verbs like è (is/are) and ha (has/have) instead of the tu forms.
To say "excuse me" formally to get someone's attention, use scusi.
Professional Titles
In Italy, professional titles are used heavily in everyday life. Anyone who has graduated from a university is commonly addressed as dottore (male) or dottoressa (female), even if they are not a medical doctor.
Just as "you" shifts to the third-person Lei, saying "your" in formal Italian requires the third-person possessive adjectives: Suo, Sua, Suoi, or Sue (which normally mean his/hers/its). Like Lei, these are often capitalized to indicate formal address.
Polite Responses
When someone says grazie (thank you), the standard and polite way to reply "you're welcome" is prego. Prego can also be used to mean "please" when inviting someone to do something, like offering them a seat or holding a door open.
