Easy Learning Italian Grammar (2011)

VERBS

6. The imperative

What is the imperative?

An imperative is the form of the verb used to give orders and instructions, for example, Sit down!; Don’t go!; Let’s start!

1 Using the imperative

In Italian, you use a different form of the imperative depending on whether you are:

telling someone to do something

telling someone not to do something

speaking to one person or more than one person

speaking to someone you call tu

speaking formally

The pronouns tu, lei (the formal way of saying you) and voi all have their own forms of the imperative, although you don’t actually use these pronouns when giving orders and instructions. There is also a formal plural form of the imperative.

you can also use a form of the imperative to make suggestions. This form is like let’s in English.

2 How to tell someone to do something

You make the imperative of regular verbs by adding endings to the verb stem, which is what is left when you take away the –are, –ere or –ire. There are different endings for –are, –ere and –ire verbs:

The endings for –are verb imperatives are –a (tu form), –i (lei form), –iamo (let’s), –ate (voi form) and –ino (polite plural). For example, aspettare → aspett- → aspetta.

The endings for –ere verb imperatives are –i (tu form), –a (lei form), –iamo (let’s), –ete (voi form) and –ano (polite plural). For example, prendere → prend- → prendi.

The endings for most –ire verb imperatives are –isci (tu form), –isca (lei form), –iamo (let’s), –ite (voi form) and –iscano (polite plural). For example, finire→ fin- → finisci.

Note that sci is pronounced like she; sca is pronounced ska.

The endings for verbs that do not add –isc to the stem, such as partire (meaning to leave), dormire (meaning to sleep), aprire (meaning to open) and sentire(meaning to listen) are –i, –a, –iamo, –ite and –ano.

For more information on Regular –ire verbs, see page 72.

Some of the commonest verbs in Italian have irregular imperative forms. Here are the forms for some important verbs:

For more information on the imperatives of Irregular verbs, see Verb tables.

Key points

There are familiar and polite forms of the imperative.

The –iamo form is used to translate let’s.

3 Where do pronouns go?

In English, pronouns such as me, it and them always come after the imperative, for example Watch me!; Take it!; Give them to me!

In Italian, pronouns come AFTER the imperative in the tu and voi forms:

The pronoun joins with the imperative to make one word.

When the imperative is only one syllable mi becomes –mmi, ti becomes –tti, lo becomes –llo and so on.

When the pronouns mi, ti, ci and vi are followed by another pronoun they become me-, te-, ce- and ve-, and gli and le become glie-.

Tip

In Italian you always put the indirect object pronoun first.

For more information on Indirect object pronouns, see page 46.

Pronouns also come AFTER the –iamo form of the imperative, joining onto it to make one word.

Pronouns come BEFORE the lei form of the imperative and the polite plural form.

For more information on Reflexive verbs, see page 87.

Key points

Pronouns come after the tu, voi and –iamo forms of the imperative.

Pronouns which come after the imperative join onto it to make one word.

Pronouns come before the polite imperative, and do not join onto it.

4 How to tell someone NOT to do something

When you are telling someone you call tu NOT to do something:

use non with the infinitive (the –are, –ere, –ire form) of the verb

For more information on the Infinitive, see page 138.

if there is also a pronoun, join it onto the infinitive, or put it in front

Note that the infinitive usually drops the final e when the pronoun joins onto it.

In all other cases, to tell someone not to do something:

use non with the imperative

join pronouns onto the end of the voi and –iamo forms of the imperative

put pronouns in front of the lei and polite plural forms of the imperative

Key points

To tell a person you call tu not to do something, use non with the infinitive.

To tell all other people not to do something use non with the imperative.

To say Let’s not use non with the –iamo form.