176
Unit 11: Che cosa ha visto? in their own right, for example telefonino is the usual everyday word for a ‘cellular telephone’, spago is ‘string’, spaghetti are long pieces of pasta in the shape of strings.
Letters and emails Letter-writing is being eclipsed by emails and telephone calls. However, much of what follows applies equally to emails and to letters. When writing to a friend, use caro, cara and the friend’s name. If you start your emails ‘Hi, Guido!’ you will probably use Ciao, Guido! in Italian. The salutation at the end depends on the intimacy of the relationship. Possible endings are: affettuosamente saluti affettuosi cari saluti un abbraccio
yours affectionately affectionate greetings warm (lit. ‘dear’) greetings much love (lit. ‘a hug, an embrace’)
When writing to someone you know fairly well but with whom you have a fairly formal relationship, using Lei, you may start Caro signor Rossi, and end Cordialmente or Cordiali saluti. It is considered a courtesy to use a capital letter for Lei and related words, e.g: La ringrazio della Sua gentile ospitalità. When writing to someone you do not know or with whom your relationship is very formal, you write: Egregio Signore (to a man)
Gentile Signora (to a woman)
When the surname is not used, a capital letter for the title is customary. You can still end with cordiali saluti, or use distinti saluti which is more formal. Emails tend to be less formal but that will depend on the circumstances. The word for email is una email or, more commonly, una mail. The Italian name for the system is posta elettronica.
Exercise 6 Write a letter or an email to an imaginary Italian friend telling him/her what you did last weekend. You should try to use some of the expressions in this unit but of course you are free to try to say whatever you like.