I'm JUST beginning to try to learn a tiny bit of Italian using Duolingo'S neat iPhone app. I'm doing ok on lessons 1-3! But I have one simple grammar question arising from my knowledge of German which is a bit more well along. In G you usually do not use the 2nd person singular du (you) when addressing a single person who is not closely related to you. You usually use the 2nd person plural Sie. Is the use of tu in Italian used the same way or do I always use tu whenever I'm addressing any single person even one I'm not close to?
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Well, this is a travel forum, not a language forum, so you might have better luck looking elsewhere if you have additional questions. Italian is not like German. Generally, tu is used only with those you're close to, or with small children. Use Lei for someone you've just met, or an older person. But in Italian you almost always do without using the actual pronoun, because the conjugation shows which one you're using.
Here's a good website that answers your specific question:
Italian pronouns
Posted by
Sarasota
73 posts
True, this is for travel questions but I too have been studying Italiano. I just would like to extend a very useful site for prepositions, verbs etc. I use: http://italian.about.com/library/fare/blfareindex05.htm
Happy learning.