Identification: giving personal information - Giving and seeking factual informatio - Functions - A Practical Guide - Modern Italian Grammar

Modern Italian Grammar: A Practical Guide, Third Edition (2013)

Part B. Functions

I. Giving and seeking factual informatio

8. Identification: giving personal information

8.1 Introduction

In Italian, as in other languages, one of the simplest ways of giving or eliciting information about yourself or others is by using the verb essere ‘to be’ (see 2.2.3), as shown in this simple dialogue:

ABuongiorno, io sono Monica. Sono la nuova assistente di marketing. E voi?

BIo sono Carlo, sono il direttore tecnico. E questo è il mio collega, Gerardo. Siamo colleghi da più di dieci anni!

CPiacere, Monica.

APiacere, Gerardo. Di dove sei?

CSono napoletano. E tu?

AIo sono di Milano.

AGood morning. I'm Monica. I'm the new marketing assistant. What about you?

BI'm Carlo. I'm the technical director. And this is my colleague Gerardo. We've been colleagues for more than ten years!

CPleased to meet you, Monica.

APleased to meet you, Gerardo. Where are you from?

CI'm from Naples. And you?

AI'm from Milan.

8.2 Tu or Lei?

There are two forms of address in Italian: the Lei (formal) form and the tu (informal) form. The Lei form is used when addressing someone you don't know well, or don't know at all, although young people meeting each other often use the tu form straightaway, as in the conversation above. You may at some point be invited to use the tu form with the words: Diamoci del tu.

When using Lei to address someone, the verb form used is the third person form (Lei) parla inglese? rather than the second person form (Tu) parli inglese? which you would normally use to address someone. In our examples, we have shown both ‘you’ forms.

8.3 Giving different kinds of personal information

The verb essere ‘to be’ is used in most of the functions illustrated below to supply the kind of personal information you might want to exchange when meeting someone for the first time. (For introductions, see also 20.2.)

In Italian the verb endings indicate which person is being referred to (see 2.1.34); this means you don't need to use the subject pronouns io, tu, lui, etc. to indicate the person, so in our examples they are shown in brackets. The pronouns are also used in grammar books or textbooks to refer to the verb forms, for example the tu form, the Lei form, the noi form, the loro form.

8.3.1 Giving one's name

(Io) sono Anna.

I am Anna.

(Lui) è Franco.

He is Franco.

(Loro) sono Monica e Gerardo.

They're Monica and Gerardo.

To introduce yourself, you can also use the verb chiamarsi (see 2.1.10) ‘to be called’:

(Io) mi chiamo Anna.

My name is Anna.

(Lui) si chiama Franco.

His name is Franco.

(Loro) si chiamano Monica e Gerardo.

They are called Monica and Gerardo.

Come si chiama?

What's his name?

8.3.2 Indicating relationship to speaker

Introducing friends or colleagues

Lei è Giancarla. È una collega.

This is Giancarla. She is a colleague.

Lui è Franco. È un amico.

This is Franco. He is a friend.

You can also use the possessives mio, tuo, suo, etc.:

È un mio amico.

He's a friend of mine.

Sono i miei colleghi.

They are colleagues of mine/my colleagues.

Introducing family

When you talk about your family, you will often need to use the possessives mio, tuo, etc. (see 3.7). With relatives, you don't use the definite article il, la, etc. with the possessive, except with the plural forms (see 3.7.1):

È mio fratello.

He is my brother.

È suo marito.

It's her husband.

Sono i suoi figli.

They're her children.

Here is a list of close relations, with English translations:

il padre

father

la madre

mother

il fratello

brother

la sorella

sister

il cugino

cousin

la cugina

cousin (f.)

il marito

husband

la moglie

wife

il figlio

son

la figlia

daughter

lo zio

uncle

la zia

aunt

il suocero

father-in-law

la suocera

mother-in-law

il genero

son-in-law

la nuora

daughter-in-law

il cognato

brother-in-law

la cognata

sister-in-law

il nonno

grandfather

la nonna

grandmother

il nipote

grandson, nephew

la nipote

granddaughter, niece

NOTE that certain words do need the definite article:

la mia famiglia

my family

il mio / la mia parente

my relative (m./f.)

il mio fidanzato / la mia fidanzata

my fiancé (m./f.)

Avoid confusing the following:

i miei parenti

my relatives

i miei genitori

my parents

8.3.3 Indicating profession

In Italian, when using essere to talk about one's profession, the indefinite article un, una (see 1.3.2, 1.3.5) is not needed:

(Io) sono insegnante.

I am a teacher.

(Lui) è ingegnere.

He is an engineer.

(Loro) sono medici.

They're doctors.

When, on the other hand, you use the verb fare, you do need to use the definite article il, la (see 1.3.3, 1.3.5), etc.:

Faccio l'insegnante.

I'm a teacher.

We have listed below some trades and professions you may come into contact with in Italy.

Professionals:

il medico

doctor

il/la dentista

dentist

il ragioniere

accountant

il/la pediatra

paediatrician

l'ingegnere

engineer

l'architetto

architect

l'insegnante

teacher (masculine or feminine)

il professore/la professoressa

lecturer, secondary school teacher

il maestro/la maestra

teacher (elementary school)

Builders and workmen:

il muratore

builder

l'operaio

workman

l'idraulico

plumber

l'elettricista

electrician

Shops, trades:

il pescivendolo

fish seller

il macellaio

butcher

il fruttivendolo

greengrocer

il droghiere

grocer

il salumiere

delicatessen shopkeeper

il fotografo

photographer

il bagnino/la bagnina

beach attendant

General:

l'impiegato/a

office employee

il/la dipendente statale

state employee

il/la giornalista

journalist

il commesso/la commessa

shop assistant


NOTE Lo statale can also be used but only in the masculine form; la statale means a state highway. For more on the masculine/feminine forms of professions, see 1.2.2 and 20.9.


8.3.4 Indicating role or position

Where a specific individual post is referred to, the definite article il, la (see 1.3.3) is normally used, but see the last example:

Sono il direttore commerciale dell'agenzia di viaggio.

I'm the commercial director of the travel agency.

È la nuova insegnante d'italiano.

She's the new Italian teacher.

Sono capo della sezione di Risorse Umane.

I'm head of Human Resources.

8.3.5 Indicating nationality

Generally, nationality is indicated by using essere with the appropriate adjective (see 1.4.2, 1.4.5):

(Io) sono scozzese.

I am Scottish.

Mia madre è italiana.

My mother is Italian.

(Loro) sono francesi.

They're French.

Here are some common nationalities:

africano

African

irlandese

Irish

albanese

Albanian

italiano

Italian

americano

American

libanese

Lebanese

australiano

Australian

libico

Libyan

austriaco

Austrian

lussemburghese

Luxembourgeois

belga

Belgian

neozelandese

New Zealander

britannico

British

norvegese

Norwegian

canadese

Canadian

olandese

Dutch

ceco

Czech

polacco

Polish

cinese

Chinese

portoghese

Portuguese

croato

Croatian

russo

Russian

danese

Danish

slovacco

Slovak

finlandese

Finnish

sloveno

Slovenian

francese

French

spagnolo

Spanish

gallese

Welsh

sudafricano

South African

giapponese

Japanese

svedese

Swedish

greco

Greek

svizzero

Swiss

indiano

Indian

tedesco

German

inglese

English

turco

Turkish

iracheno

Iraqui

ucraino

Ukrainian

Notes:

(a)In Italian, capital letters are generally not used either for adjectives denoting nationality or for people of that nationality:

un collega italiano

an Italian colleague

un francese

a French man

gli inglesi

the English

(b)The singular form of the adjective belga ‘Belgian’ is the same for masculine and feminine, but the plural form has different endings for masculine and feminine:

degli amici belgi

Belgian friends (m.)

delle amiche belghe

Belgian friends (f.)

(c)Inglese (‘English’) is often incorrectly used by Italians to denote ‘British’.

8.3.6 Indicating marital status

Essere is used with an adjective to indicate marital status (see also 10.2). As past participles with the function of an adjective, sposato and divorziato have to agree with the person they refer to (masculine/feminine, singular/plural):

(Io) sono sposato/a.

I am married.

(Lui) è divorziato.

He's divorced.

(Noi) siamo sposati da venti anni.

We've been married for twenty years.

‘Single’ is usually expressed informally as non sposato. In the media, the English term ‘single’ (invariable) is often used. In more formal written contexts, such as CVs, passports, police documents, celibe ‘an unmarried man’ and nubile ‘an unmarried woman’ are used.

Ma i single sono felici?

But are singles happy?

(http://www.lastampa.it/_web/CMSTP/tmplrubriche/giornalisti/grubrica.asp?ID_blog=124&ID_articolo=105&ID_sezione=412, retrieved 23 February 20l2)

I single italiani sono giovani e con le idee chiare.

Italian singles are young and have clear ideas.

(http://www.retailwatch.it/Consumatore/Scenari/Settembre-2011/I-single-italiani-sono-giovani-e-con-le-idee-chiar.aspx?feed=blogs)

Giorgio non è sposato.

Giorgio is single/not married.

I miei fratelli non sono sposati; mia sorella invece è sposata e ha due figli.

My brothers are not married; my sister however is married and has two children.

8.3.7 Indicating religion

cattolico

Catholic

protestante

Protestant

buddista

Buddhist

musulmano

Muslim

anglicano

Anglican

ortodosso

Orthodox

ebreo

Jewish

La mia amica Fatima è musulmana.

My friend Fatima is Muslim.

Religione: cattolica (on a form)

Religion: Catholic

Details of other adjectives, for example those that describe physical appearance (age, shape, size, etc.), are found in 10.2.

8.3.8 Indicating place of origin

Note that while English uses ‘from’, Italian uses di (see 4.3.4) when referring to the city or town of origin:

(Io) sono di Napoli.

I'm from Naples.

(Lui) è di Firenze.

He's from Florence.

I miei colleghi sono di Londra.

My colleagues are from London.

To talk about the place where you come from, rather than the place where you were born, use the verb venire, along with the preposition da (see 4.3.3):

Vengo da Londra.

I come from London.

Gli attori vengono dalla Sicilia.

The actors come from Sicily.

8.4 Emphasising the person referred to

8.4.1 Stressed subject pronouns

In Italian, the verb endings change or inflect; this means it is not necessary to use the subject pronouns io, tu, lui, etc. (see 3.3.1) to indicate who you are referring to. But the subject pronouns are sometimes used to contrast or emphasise the person or persons spoken about:

Io sono inglese.

I am English.

Lui è italiano.

He is Italian.

They are also used, particularly when using the polite Lei form of address (see 8.2 above), to make a question sound less abrupt:

Lei è inglese?

Are you English?

Lei è di Londra?

Are you from London?

8.4.2 With questo

You can use the demonstrative pronoun questo ‘this’ (see 3.8) to introduce someone, although it is preferable to use the subject pronouns and sounds more polite:

Questi sono i miei studenti.

These are my students.

Queste sono le mie amiche.

These are my friends.

Lui è Franco.

He (This) is Franco.

Lei è una mia collega.

She is a colleague of mine.

8.5 Eliciting personal information

Essere is also used to elicit information, sometimes with a question word, as shown below (see also 3.6 and 15.3):

Chi è lui?

Who is he?

Di dove sei / è?

Where are you from?

Di dov'è Franco?

Where is Franco from?

Di dove sono gli studenti?

Where are the students from?

Normally the form of the sentence and the word order are exactly the same, whether statement or question. In spoken Italian, to turn a statement into a question, you need only alter the intonation of the sentence, usually by raising your voice towards the end of the sentence (see 15.2):

Lei è sposata?

Are you married?

Tu sei insegnante?

Are you a teacher?

È un collega?

Is he a colleague?

The following examples use quale (see 3.6.4) where English would use the question word ‘what’. Quale can be abbreviated to qual but must never be followed by an apostrophe:

Qual è il Suo cognome?

What is your surname?

Qual è il Suo indirizzo?

What is your address?

8.6 Dialoghi

Informal:

Un incontro con amici

ACiao, Mariella!

BCiao, Gianna. Che sorpresa!

AQuesto è mio cugino, Aurelio. È siciliano. Aurelio, questa è la mia amica, Sara.

BCiao, Aurelio. Benvenuto a Pisa. Di dove sei?

CSono di Catania, ma mia madre è di Pisa.

BAh, anche il mio fidanzato è di Catania. Si chiama Carmelo. È ragioniere. I suoi sono di Messina, ma sono a Catania da molto tempo.

Meeting friends

AHi Mariella!

BHi, Gianna. What a surprise!

AThis is my cousin, Aurelio. He's Sicilian. Aurelio, this is my friend Sara.

BHi, Aurelio. Welcome to Pisa. Where are you from?

CI'm from Catania, but my mother is from Pisa.

BAh, my boyfriend's from Catania too. He's called Carmelo. He's an accountant. His parents are from Messina, but they've been in Catania for some time.

In the following dialogue several legal/bureaucratic terms are used: residenza ‘residence’ or ‘home address’, domicilio ‘the place where you are presently living’, stato civile ‘married status’. Note too how the polite form Suo(‘yours’) is generally written with a capital letter.

Formal:

All'ufficio di Polizia

APrego si accomodi. Dobbiamo compilare questo modulo con le Suegeneralità. Le farò alcune domande. Il Suo cognome?

BSmith

AMi scusi. Come si scrive?

BEsse-emme-i-ti-acca (Savona, Mantova, Imola, Taranto, Hotel)

AE il nome?

BRichard

ALa nazionalità?

BAustraliana

AResidenza?

B56 Ramsay Street, Sydney, Australia

AQual è il Suo domicilio in Italia?

BHotel Miramare, Napoli

ANumero di telefono?

B081-271638

AE il Suo stato civile?

BConiugato

AQual è il numero del Suo passaporto?

B0044998245

AChe professione fa?

BCommerciante

AVa bene, grazie. Per ora basta. Le telefoneremo non appena avremo notizie della Sua pratica di permesso di soggiorno.

At the Police station

APlease sit down. We have to fill in this form with your particulars. I have to ask you some questions. Your surname?

BSmith

ASorry, how is that written?

BS for Savona, M for Mantova, I for Imola, T for Taranto, H for Hotel

AAnd your name?

BRichard

ANationality?

BAustralian

AHome address?

B56 Ramsay Street, Sydney, Australia

AWhat is your address in Italy?

BHotel Miramare, Naples

AAnd the telephone number?

B081-271638

AAnd your marital status?

BMarried

AWhat's the number of your passport?

B0044998245

AWhat is your profession?

BBusinessman/salesman

AThat's fine, thanks. That's enough for now. We'll call you as soon as we have some news of your application for a residence permit.