Italian Phrase
Lei ha sentito una voce.
Meaning
The sentence means “She heard a voice.” It uses the third‑person singular formal pronoun “Lei” and the passato prossimo of the verb “sentire”. The focus is on the act of hearing a specific voice, not necessarily identifying who spoke.
When to use
Use this phrase when describing a past event in which a woman (or someone addressed formally) heard a voice, such as in a story, a news report, or a personal anecdote.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Leihasentitounavoce
Formal pronoun Lei
Capitalized “Lei” is the polite second‑person singular; it triggers third‑person verb conjugation.
Passato prossimo with avere
The verb “sentire” uses “avere” as its auxiliary, so the past tense is formed as “ha sentito”.
Indefinite article una
“Una” introduces a non‑specific feminine singular noun, here “voce”.
Verb “sentire” vs “udire”
Both mean “to hear”, but “sentire” is everyday speech; “udire” is more formal or literary.
🗨In Conversation
Che cosa è successo ieri sera?
What happened last night?
Lei ha sentito una voce nel corridoio, ma non ha visto nessuno.
She heard a voice in the hallway, but she didn’t see anyone.
✕Common Mistakes
Lei è sentito una voce.
Do not use “è sentito” because “sentire” is a transitive verb and forms the passato prossimo with “avere”.
lei ha sentito una voce.
Using capitalized “Lei” with a verb that is not capitalized can be confusing; remember the formal pronoun is capitalized only at the start of a sentence.
↔Alternatives
Ha sentito una voce.
She heard a voice.
Lei ha udito una voce.
She heard a voice.
Sentì una voce.
She heard a voice.
Cultural Tip
In Italian, the formal “Lei” is used in polite or professional contexts, especially when speaking to strangers, elders, or authority figures. If you’re talking about a specific woman you know well, you would normally use “lei” (lowercase) or “ella”. Also, “sentire” is the most common verb for “to hear”, while “udire” sounds more literary.