Politeness that lives in the verb
English has one you for everybody and adds politeness with modals: could you sign here, would you mind waiting. Italian has a second, respectful way of addressing one person, Lei, and the choice reaches into the verb. In a hotel, at the doctor's or in a shop you hear Venga!, Scriva qui!, Si accomodi! – the imperativo formale. The familiar forms like vieni or aspetta do not fit here.
Three sentences you will hear at once
Venga pure, l'aspetto.
Do come in, I'll wait for you.
Scriva il suo nome qui, per favore.
Please write your name here.
Non si preoccupi, c'è tempo.
Don't worry, there is time.
Nothing in Scriva means could or please; the respect is in the ending. And you do not add a pronoun: English needs you, Italian does not, because the form already says who is addressed. Scriva qui, not Scriva Lei qui.
The forms of the three verb groups
-are verbs take -i, -ere and -ire verbs take -a, and the -isc- verbs take -isca. That is exactly the reverse of the present: lei parla becomes parli!, lei prende becomes prenda!
Regular Lei forms
| Group | Infinitive | Lei form |
|---|---|---|
| -are | parlare | parli! |
| -ere | prendere | prenda! |
| -ire | sentire | senta! |
| -ire with -isc- | finire | finisca! |
Regular forms in context
Aspetti un attimo, controllo subito.
Wait a moment, I'll check right away.
Prenda pure un biscotto.
Do have a biscuit.
Senta, scusi, dov'è la posta?
Excuse me, where is the post office?
Finisca con calma, non ho fretta.
Take your time finishing, I'm in no hurry.
The irregular forms
Almost every irregular Lei form follows one rule of thumb: take the io form of the present, drop the -o and add -a.
Common irregular verbs
| Infinitive | io form | Lei form |
|---|---|---|
| venire | vengo | venga! |
| fare | faccio | faccia! |
| dire | dico | dica! |
| andare | vado | vada! |
| uscire | esco | esca! |
Four forms outside the rule
sia!
Sia gentile! – Be so kind!
abbia!
Abbia pazienza! – Be patient!
dia!
Mi dia due etti di prosciutto. – Give me 200 grams of ham.
stia!
Stia tranquillo! – Don't worry!
Irregular forms in context
Vada sempre dritto e poi giri a destra.
Go straight on and then turn right.
Faccia pure con comodo.
Take all the time you need.
Abbia pazienza, il dottore è ancora in visita.
Please be patient, the doctor is still with a patient.
The negative looks exactly the same
You put non in front of the Lei form and change nothing else: Venga! – Non venga! English needs a helper (do not wait); Italian needs only non. With tu the negative command uses the infinitive instead (Non venire!).
Polite refusals and reassurance
Non si preoccupi, ci penso io.
Don't worry, I'll take care of it.
Non esca senza ombrello, sta per piovere.
Don't go out without an umbrella, it's about to rain.
Non faccia caso al disordine.
Don't mind the mess.
Pronouns come before the verb
English pronouns follow the verb (tell me), and with tu Italian attaches them (dimmi). With the Lei form the pronoun stands before the verb as a separate word: Mi dica. Two pronouns stay together in front, indirect first, then direct, the opposite of English give it to me.
The order
Pronouns in a polite conversation
Mi dica tutto.
Tell me everything.
Si sieda pure, l'ingegnere arriva tra poco.
Do sit down, the engineer will be here shortly.
Me lo dia, per favore.
Please give it to me.
Non ci pensi più, è tutto sistemato.
Don't think about it any more, everything is sorted.
Set phrases for everyday use
Many courtesy phrases are Lei imperatives: Scusi, Senta, Mi dica, Si accomodi, Non si preoccupi, Guardi. The Lei form is often followed by pure, which takes the edge off the command, much like go ahead and…: Entri pure is “do come in”.
At the counter
Impiegata
Buongiorno, mi dica.
Good morning, how can I help you?
Signor Neri
Senta, vorrei rinnovare l'abbonamento.
Excuse me, I'd like to renew my subscription.
Impiegata
Certo. Mi dia la tessera e si accomodi un attimo.
Of course. Give me your card and take a seat for a moment.
Signor Neri
Ho solo la fotocopia, va bene lo stesso?
I only have the photocopy, is that all right?
Impiegata
Non si preoccupi, firmi qui e ha finito.
Don't worry, sign here and you're done.
