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.
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 🔊 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.