## Negative form 

4 The negative is formed by putting non  (i.e. ‘not’) before the verb: 

Claudio non è mio fratello. 

Non siamo italiani. 

Non siete stranieri? 

Non hai il mio indirizzo? 

Non hanno un esame. 

Non abbiamo amici italiani. 

Non ho la minima idea di cosa regalare a Paola. 

## Formal form 

Claudio is not my brother. 

We’re not Italian. 

Aren’t you foreigners? 

Haven’t you got my address? 

They don’t have an exam. 

We haven’t got any Italian friends. 

I haven’t the slightest idea what to give Paola. 

5 In Italian there is a formal way of addressing people which is used with people we do not know, or when some degree of formality is required. When the formal form is required, the pronoun used for the singular, for both men and women, is Lei  (third person singular); the pronoun used for the plural is normally Voi , but in situations when a high degree of formality is required Loro  can be used: 

Lei è molto gentile, Signore. 

Lei non è troppo alta, Signora! 

Signora Belli, (Lei) ha la patente? 

Professore, (Lei) ha tempo? 

Signor Neri, (Lei) è pronto? 

Signori Conti, (Voi) siete italiani? 

(Signori Conti, Loro sono italiani?) 

Yo u ’re very kind(, Sir). 

Yo u ’re not too tall(, Madam)! 

Mrs Belli, have you got a driving licence? 

Have you got time(, Professor/Sir)? 

Mr Neri, are you ready? 

Mr and Mrs Conti, are you Italian? 

6 There are some spelling mistakes involving essere  and avere  which are commonly made by learners; be careful to remember the following di ff erences: 

è  (he/she/it is) 

ho (I have) 

hai  (you have) 

ha  (he/she/it has) 

hanno  (they have) 

e  (and) 

o  (or) 

ai  (to the) 

a  (to) 

anno  (year) 

