A1.1 - Greetings and Farewells

Personal pronouns

I pronomi personali

I pronomi personali in italiano sono io, tu, lui, lei, noi, voi, loro.

(Italian personal pronouns are io, tu, lui, lei, noi, voi, loro.)

Personal pronouns: choose the right “person”

Italian personal subject pronouns tell you who is doing the action.

Person Singular Plural
1st (me / us) io = I noi = we
2nd (you) tu = you (informal, 1 person) voi = you (plural)
3rd (he/she/they) lui / lei = he / she loro = they
  • Tu is for one person you know well.
  • Voi is always plural (“you all”).
  • Loro is plural (“they”), for people.

Gender & groups: how “lui/lei” and “loro” work

  • lui = a male person: Marco è in riunione. Lui è in riunione.
  • lei = a female person: Maria lavora in banca. Lei lavora in banca.

For a group (plural), Italian often uses the masculine as the default when the group is mixed.

  • All men: loro (masc. group)
  • Mixed men + women: loro (still treated as masculine in agreement)

Key point: the pronoun itself is loro either way, but other words may show agreement (later in the course).

The big trap: “Lei” (formal you) vs “lei” (she)

Lei (capital L) is the polite way to say you to one person (client, manager, stranger).

  • Informal: Tu sei pronta? = Are you ready? (to a colleague you’re on first-name terms with)
  • Formal: Lei è pronta? = Are you ready? (to a client / professor)

Important: even though it means “you”, Lei uses 3rd person singular verb forms.

  • Lei è la professoressa? (not Lei sei)
  • Lei ha tempo oggi? (not Lei hai)

Pronoun drop: when Italian omits “io/tu/noi…”

Italian often doesn’t say the subject pronoun, because the verb ending already tells you who it is.

With pronoun More natural in Italian Meaning
Io ho fame. Ho fame. I’m hungry.
Tu sei in ufficio? Sei in ufficio? Are you in the office?
Noi andiamo in riunione. Andiamo in riunione. We’re going to a meeting.

Use the pronoun when you need clarity or emphasis:

  • Contrast: Io lavoro da casa, lui lavora in ufficio.
  • Clarify who: Loro parlano italiano, noi no.

Quick self-check: pick the pronoun in 3 steps

  1. How many people? one → io/tu/lui/lei/Lei | more than one → noi/voi/loro
  2. What relationship? informal “you” → tu | formal “you” → Lei
  3. If 3rd person singular: male → lui | female → lei

Mini test: “Signor Rossi, come sta?” → subject is formal “you” (one person) → Lei.

  1. Pronouns must agree with the subject’s gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).
  2. Use masculine pronouns for a group of only men or a mixed group.
Persona (Person)Singolare (Singular)Plurale (Plural)
Prima (First)Io (I)Noi (We)
Seconda (Second)Tu (You)Voi (You (plural))
Terza (Third)Lui / Lei (He / She)Loro (They)

Exceptions!

  1. Lei is also used for the formal singular.
  2. The pronoun can be omitted: Ho fame (instead of Io ho fame).

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

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1. Buongiorno, ___ sono Anna, la segretaria.

Good morning, ___ am Anna, the secretary.

2. Ciao, ___ andiamo in riunione, a dopo!

Hi, ___ are going to a meeting, see you later!

3. Scusi, ___ è la professoressa di italiano?

Excuse me, ___ are the Italian teacher?

4. Ragazzi, ___ avete domande sulla lezione di oggi?

Guys, ___ have questions about today's lesson?

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences by replacing the subject with the correct personal pronoun (I, you, he, she, we, you, they) and, if necessary, adjust the verb; use 'Lei' for the formal singular.

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  1. Hint Hint (Lei) Maria lavora in banca.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Lei lavora in banca.
    (She works in a bank.)
  2. Hint Hint (Noi) Io e Luca abitiamo a Milano.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Noi abitiamo a Milano.
    (We live in Milan.)
  3. Hint Hint (Lui) Il direttore scrive una email ai clienti.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Lui scrive una email ai clienti.
    (He writes an email to the clients.)
  4. Hint Hint (Voi) Tu e Sara siete in ufficio oggi.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Voi siete in ufficio oggi.
    (You are in the office today.)
  5. Hint Hint (Loro) I colleghi parlano con il capo.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Loro parlano con il capo.
    (They talk with the boss.)
  6. Hint Hint (Lei) Signor Rossi, come sta?
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Lei come sta?
    (How are you?)

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Fabio Pirioni

Bachelor in Humanities

University of Udine

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Last Updated:

Wednesday, 22/04/2026 16:29