Italian Phrase
Cosa è davvero importante per te?
Meaning
The sentence asks the listener to reflect on what truly matters to them. It goes beyond a simple 'what is important' by adding the adverb 'davvero', which stresses sincerity and depth of the question.
When to use
Use this question in personal conversations when you want to get to know someone's core values, such as during a first‑date chat, a coaching session, or a deep‑talk with a friend. It works best in informal settings; for formal contexts you could replace 'te' with 'lei' and say 'per Lei'.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Cosaèdavveroimportanteperte
Cosa (interrogative pronoun)
Used to ask 'what' in questions; can appear at the start of a sentence.
è (verb essere, 3rd person singular)
The present tense of 'to be' used here to link the subject 'cosa' with its description.
davvero (adverb)
Means 'really' or 'truly', adding emphasis to the adjective that follows.
importante (adjective)
Describes something of significance; agrees in gender and number with the implied noun.
per (preposition)
Introduces the beneficiary or the person for whom something matters.
te (personal pronoun, object form)
Second‑person singular informal pronoun meaning 'you'.
🗨In Conversation
Cosa è davvero importante per te?
What is truly important to you?
Per me, la famiglia è la cosa più importante.
For me, family is the most important thing.
✕Common Mistakes
Cosa è davvero importante a te?
The correct preposition after 'importante' is 'per', not 'a'.
Cosa è davveramente importante per te?
Use the adverb 'davvero' here; 'davveramente' is more formal and sounds odd in casual speech.
È importante per te?
Missing the interrogative pronoun 'cosa' makes the sentence incomplete.
↔Alternatives
Che cosa conta davvero per te?
What really counts for you?
Qual è la cosa più importante per te?
What is the most important thing for you?
Cosa è importante per te?
What is important to you?
Cultural Tip
Italians value personal relationships and often discuss values openly, especially in relaxed settings. Using 'davvero' signals genuine curiosity and can deepen the conversation. Remember to match the level of formality: 'per te' is informal, while 'per Lei' is polite and used with strangers or older people.