How to Say ‘To address someone informally (with 'tu')’ in Italian
Dare del tu
DAH-reh del too
[DAH-reh del too]
💬 Usage Tip: The opposite is dare del Lei "to use the polite form". You're literally "giving" someone a way of being addressed.
🇮🇹 In Italy: With in-laws, the older person usually offers the switch to tu. Once they have, carrying on with Lei can come across as cold.
Phrase Breakdown
Dare
[DAH-reh]
to give
Verb 'to give'; 'dare del tu' means to address someone informally.
Puoi darmi il libro?
Can you give me the book?
del
[del]
Of the
Used to indicate belonging or the nature of something.
Il re del mondo.
The king of the world.
tu
[too]
you
Informal singular pronoun used when speaking directly to one person.
E tu, in che settore lavori?
And you, what field do you work in?
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