Who you write to sets the register: Register is how formal or informal your Italian is — and it's set by who reads it and the text type. Two registers matter for Paper 1: informal, built on tu/voi (a friend, a classmate — Ciao, Un caro saluto), and formal, built on Lei (a company, a teacher, an official — Gentile … / Egregio …, Cordiali saluti). Choosing the right register and holding it consistently is what earns Criterion C.
- il registro
- the register — how formal or informal the language is
- il destinatario
- the audience / addressee — the reader you write to
- informale (tu/voi)
- informal register, using tu (or voi in the plural) — for friends and peers
- formale (Lei)
- formal register, using Lei — for officials, teachers, companies
- la formula di apertura
- the greeting / salutation (Ciao vs Gentile … / Egregio …)
- la formula di chiusura
- the sign-off (Un caro saluto vs Cordiali saluti)
Ask: who is reading this?: Before writing, ask who the reader is. A friend → tu (or voi for a group); a company, teacher or stranger → Lei. Decide once, at the planning stage, and every greeting, verb and sign-off follows from it. Get this right and Criterion C is half-won.
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Reader → register → markers: Match the reader to a register, and the register to its markers — the greeting, pronoun and sign-off that signal it. The table below maps the most common readers you'll meet in Paper 1.
| Destinatario | Registro | Segnali |
|---|---|---|
| Un amico / un'amica | informale | tu · Ciao / Caro/a … · Un caro saluto |
| Un'azienda / un professore | formale | Lei · Gentile … / Egregio … · Cordiali saluti |
| Il pubblico di un blog | semiformale | tu/voi corretto · titolo · chiusura amichevole |
Three readers, three registers: Amico → informale (tu, Ciao, Un caro saluto) · azienda o professore → formale (Lei, Gentile …, Cordiali saluti) · pubblico di un blog → semiformale. Lock the reader to its markers and you won't drift mid-answer.
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Choose once, hold throughout: The skill is not just choosing the register but holding it from first word to last. The four moves: identify the reader, choose tu/voi or Lei, match the greeting, sign-off and vocabulary, and keep it consistent throughout.
Choose and hold the register
1
Identify the reader
Work out who the prompt asks you to write to — a friend, a teacher, a company, a blog audience.
2
Choose tu/voi or Lei
A friend or peer → tu (or voi for a group); a company, teacher or official → Lei. This single choice drives everything else.
3
Match greeting, sign-off & vocab
Line up the greeting (Ciao vs Gentile … / Egregio …), the sign-off (Un caro saluto vs Cordiali saluti) and the vocabulary with your choice.
4
Keep it consistent throughout
Use the same pronoun and verb forms from start to finish — never slip from Lei into tu halfway through.
Identify → Choose → Match → Keep
Consistency is the marked thing: Criterion C rewards a register that's consistent, not just chosen. The classic slip is opening with Lei and drifting into tu by the third paragraph. Re-read your verb endings and possessives at the end to catch any drift.
The same request, two registers: Here's one request written twice — once informal (tu) to a friend, once formal (Lei) to a college — so you can see the greeting, verb and possessive shift while the message stays the same. Tap Mostra traduzione to see the English explanation, or the audio button to hear the Italian.
One request, tu vs Lei
Watching the register shift
- La stessa richiesta in due modi: chiedere a qualcuno di mandarti informazioni su un corso estivo. Cambia solo il registro — il messaggio resta lo stesso.
- Informale (tu), a un'amica: «Ciao Marta! Puoi mandarmi le info sul tuo corso estivo? Grazie per il tuo aiuto. Un caro saluto, Lucia»
- Formale (Lei), alla direttrice di una scuola di lingue: «Gentile Dottoressa Bruni, potrebbe inviarmi le informazioni sul Suo corso estivo? La ringrazio per il Suo aiuto. Cordiali saluti, Lucia Garzoni»
- I cambiamenti principali: Ciao → Gentile Dottoressa Bruni · puoi → potrebbe · tuo → Suo · Un caro saluto → Cordiali saluti.
Four markers move together: Notice the greeting, verb, possessive and sign-off all change together — Ciao→Gentile Dottoressa Bruni, puoi→potrebbe, tuo→Suo, Un caro saluto→Cordiali saluti. They're a set: switch all four or none. Mixing them is the fastest way to lose Criterion C.
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Consistent register vs costly slips: Register marks are usually lost to mixing tu and Lei, being too casual for a formal reader, or a greeting and sign-off that clash with the register. Here's the contrast.
Registro coerente
- Scegli tu o Lei e mantienilo per tutto il testo.
- Usa il Lei con un'azienda o un professore.
- Apertura e chiusura coerenti con il registro.
- Adatta il lessico al destinatario.
Errori tipici
- Mescolare tu e Lei nello stesso testo.
- Essere troppo confidenziale con un destinatario formale.
- Usare un'apertura o chiusura che stona con il registro.
- Cambiare registro a metà testo senza accorgersene.
Re-read your verb endings: The mixing error hides in verb endings and possessives — you greet with Gentile … but write puoi and tuo later. At the end, scan every verb and possessive against your chosen register. One consistent register protects Criterion C.