Italian has both a formal and informal way of addressing people. This makes asking the simple question "How are you?" slightly more complicated than in English. You need to know which "you" to use:

• tu the informal, which takes the second-person singular verb tense, or

• lei the formal, with a uppercase L, which with a lowercase is the third-person feminine pronoun, equivalent to "she".

Tu is used among close friends, family, and people younger than you. Lei is used for strangers - or even acquaintances - and people older than you.

It is very important to use which level of formality to use. It can be very insulting to someone to address them incorrectly.

To learn more about tu, Lei and similar words, check out the subject pronouns lesson.