Yo Kass answered
The Italian phrase for ladies and gentlemen is signore e signori, pronounced [sin-yo-reh eh sin-yo-ree] and is used in much the same way that its English translation is. You'll most often hear the phrase when someone is addressing a public audience in an oratory fashion.
The titles signora and signore have particular importance placed on them in Italian. It's considered polite to use a title when addressing someone, and the Italian terms probably enjoy more use than the equivalent sir or ma'am do in contemporary English.
When addressing a woman, special attention is needed as the different female titles denote a woman's marital status.
The word signore is the Italian word for both gentleman and lord; it can also be the equivalent of the title 'mister'. The female counterpart is signora which also doubles to mean lady.
An unmarried woman would be referred to as signorina whilst a male bachelor simply uses signore both before and after marriage. Whilst it's not expected of you to know whether a woman is married or not, referring to an older woman as signorina might seem disrespectful.
The plural form of signore is signori, and if you're not confused already, the plural of the female signora is the same spelling of signore that is used for the masculine singular form. That is why, in essence, its impossible to distinguish between someone saying 'ladies and gentlemen' and 'gentleman and gentlemen' in Italian.
The titles signora and signore have particular importance placed on them in Italian. It's considered polite to use a title when addressing someone, and the Italian terms probably enjoy more use than the equivalent sir or ma'am do in contemporary English.
When addressing a woman, special attention is needed as the different female titles denote a woman's marital status.
The word signore is the Italian word for both gentleman and lord; it can also be the equivalent of the title 'mister'. The female counterpart is signora which also doubles to mean lady.
An unmarried woman would be referred to as signorina whilst a male bachelor simply uses signore both before and after marriage. Whilst it's not expected of you to know whether a woman is married or not, referring to an older woman as signorina might seem disrespectful.
The plural form of signore is signori, and if you're not confused already, the plural of the female signora is the same spelling of signore that is used for the masculine singular form. That is why, in essence, its impossible to distinguish between someone saying 'ladies and gentlemen' and 'gentleman and gentlemen' in Italian.
