Italian Phrase
Tieni copie dei tuoi documenti importanti.
Meaning
The sentence is a friendly piece of advice: ‘Keep copies of your important documents.’ It stresses the habit of making backups, whether on paper or digitally, to avoid losing essential paperwork.
When to use
Use this phrase when reminding a friend, colleague, or family member to safeguard passports, tax forms, contracts, or any paperwork that could be needed later. It’s common in conversations about travel preparation, moving house, or setting up a new job.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Tienicopiedeituoidocumentiimportanti
Imperative (tu) of tenere
‘Tieni’ is the informal singular imperative form of the verb ‘tenere’ (to keep, to hold).
Plural noun ‘copie’
‘Copie’ is the plural of ‘copia’; it agrees with the plural verb form and the rest of the sentence.
Contraction ‘dei’
‘dei’ = ‘di’ + ‘i’, meaning ‘of the’. It introduces the noun phrase that follows.
Possessive adjective ‘tuoi’
‘tuoi’ agrees in gender and number with the noun ‘documenti’ (masculine plural).
Adjective agreement ‘importanti’
Adjectives follow the noun in Italian and must match its gender and number; here ‘importanti’ is masculine plural.
🗨In Conversation
Tieni copie dei tuoi documenti importanti.
Keep copies of your important documents.
Sì, li ho già salvati su cloud e ho una cartella cartacea a casa.
Yes, I’ve already saved them to the cloud and I have a paper folder at home.
✕Common Mistakes
Tieni copie dei tuo documenti importanti.
‘tuo’ is singular; it must agree with the plural noun ‘documenti’, so use ‘tuoi’.
Tieni copia dei tuoi documenti importanti.
If you refer to multiple documents, the noun should be plural ‘copie’.
Tenere copie dei tuoi documenti importanti.
In the imperative you drop the infinitive ending; use ‘Tieni’, not ‘Tenere’.
↔Alternatives
Fai delle copie dei tuoi documenti importanti.
Make copies of your important documents.
Conserva delle copie dei tuoi documenti importanti.
Store copies of your important documents.
Assicurati di avere copie dei tuoi documenti importanti.
Make sure you have copies of your important documents.
Cultural Tip
In Italy, many official procedures (e.g., applying for a ‘carta d'identità’, renewing a driver’s license, or filing taxes) require you to present original documents and sometimes a photocopy. Italians often keep a physical ‘fascicolo’ (folder) at home for these papers, but increasingly they also back them up on cloud services like Google Drive or iCloud. When you say this phrase, a polite tone and a slight hand gesture indicating ‘keep’ can make the advice feel more personal.