Imperative in Italian
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The modo imperativo (imperative mood) is one of the finite moods of the Italian grammar.
The imperativo is used with verbs expressing commands, orders, indications, advice and when a person tells another one what to do.
In its negative form the imperativo refers to a prohibition, thus meaning that something is forbidden.
Examples:
This mood can only be found in main clauses.
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It is the only mood which possesses only one tense: the present.
The imperative can only be found in the 2nd person singular (tu) and 2nd person plural (voi).
For all the other persons it is necessary to use the present tense of the subjunctive mood.
The first person singular (io) of this tense does not exist!
Regular verbs are conjugated as follows:
Example parlare (to speak)
Root | Ending | Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Io | / | / | / | / |
Tu | parl | a | Parla con loro | Talk to them |
Egli/Ella | parl | i | Parli con loro | Talk to them |
Noi | parl | iamo | Parliamo con loro | Let's talk to them |
Voi | parl | ate | Parlate con loro | Talk to them |
Essi/Esse | parl | ino | Parlino con loro | Talk to them |
Example credere (to believe)
Root | Ending | Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Io | / | / | / | / |
Tu | cred | i | Credici | Believe in it |
Egli/Ella | cred | a | Ci creda | Believe in it |
Noi | cred | iamo | Crediamoci | Let's believe in it |
Voi | cred | ete | Credeteci | Believe in it |
Essi/Esse | cred | ano | Ci credano | Believe in it |
Example dormire (to sleep)
Root | Ending | Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Io | / | / | / | / |
Tu | dorm | i | Adesso dormi | Sleep now |
Egli/Ella | dorm | a | Dorma adesso | Sleep now |
Noi | dorm | iamo | Adesso dormiamo | Let's sleep now |
Voi | dorm | ite | Adesso dormite | Sleep now |
Essi/Esse | dorm | ano | Dormano adesso | Sleep now |
Irregular verbs have to be studied by heart because they do not follow any grammatical rules.
Here you can find a table with the conjugation of the main irregular verbs in the imperativo:
Sapere (to know) | Andare (to go) | Dire (to say) | Fare (to do/make) | Dare (to give) | Stare (to stay) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Io | / | / | / | / | / | / |
Tu | sappi | va' (vai)* | di' | fa' (fai)* | da' (dai)* | sta' (stai)* |
Egli/Ella | sappia | vada | dica | faccia | dia | stia |
Noi | sappiamo | andiamo | diciamo | facciamo | diamo | stiamo |
Voi | sappiate | andate | dite | fate | date | state |
Essi/Esse | sappiano | vadano | dicano | facciano | diano | stiano |
*The verbs stare, fare, andare and dare have two possible forms in the second person singular. Both these forms are correct.
Example: Vai a casa! (Go home)
Va' a casa! (Go home)
The auxiliary verbs essere and avere form the imperativo in an irregular way. Therefore, their conjugation has to be studied by heart.
Essere (to be) | Avere (to have) | |
---|---|---|
Io | / | / |
Tu | sii | abbi |
Egli/Ella | sia | abbia |
Noi | siamo | abbiamo |
Voi | siate | abbiate |
Essi/Esse | siano | abbiano |
The negative form of the imperative (imperativo negativo italiano) is formed quite easily:
1) For the second person singular (tu) it is necessary to add the negation non before the verb in the infinitive.
2) For all the other persons, it is necessary to add the negation non to the verb in the imperative or in the subjunctive.
In order to express a command or a request in a more polite way, it is possible to use certain sayings and expressions. These expressions are:
Expression | Translation |
---|---|
Per favore/per piacere | Please |
Se non ti/le/vi dispiace | If you don't mind |
Ti/la/vi prego... | I beg/ask you to... |
These expressions can be found either before or after the verb:
Example: Apri la porta, per favore (Open the door, please)
Ti dispiace aprire* la porta? (Do you mind opening the door?)
*Remember that when the polite expression comes before the verb, the verb is used in the infinitive form.
The position of the pronouns depends on a series of characteristics of the imperative verb:
Examples | Translation | |
---|---|---|
Informal affirmative imperative |
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Informal negative imperative |
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Formal affirmative imperative |
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Formal negative imperative |
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|
*Keep in mind that in this case the second person singular loses the final e of the infinitive form.
Example: Non mangiare (Don't eat)
Non mangiarlo (Don't eat it)
Now don't forget to check out our exercises on the Italian imperative tense to practise your knowledge!
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I am Chiara an I am a native italian teacher. I hold a degree in linguistic and teaching italian as a second language.
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Above all, Chiara is very resourceful. She can talk to you on any subject, that is, if you are interested in speaking Italian. She is patient, assists you with every little step. I could not expect anything better!
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
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Daniela is a wonderful teacher and a pleasure to talk to. Any student would be lucky to have her as a teacher. Thank you Daniela for your help with my Italian!!!
Daniela V.Ciao Robbie, thanks a lot for your feedback. I'm very happy you like the classes together and I'll do my best to keep them as fun and interesting as possible :-)
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Amazing teacher , always on time and the more I took lessons the more I understood Italian , I am still not speaking well but I can understand 75% of what people on the street are saying to me compared to the beginning when I only understood 20-30% , that really helped me a lot specially since it is hard to find English speaking places around me , the lesson is always on time and the teacher is flexible and the teaching materials are great with Italian culture and everyday life mixed in recommended
Deborah M.Thank you!! You have an always positive attitude, you work hard to do a great job!
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Buongiorno gente!
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I've now had 2 lessons with Mojra and I can warmly recommend her. We keep the lessons in Italian, which I really enjoy. Mojra is a kind and patient teacher who listens to you and your wishes in regards to what you want to focus on during the classes. Mi piacciono molto le mie lezioni con Mojra e non vedo l'ora per le nostre lezioni in futuro!
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Do you want to learn Italian to know better the Italian culture and enjoy a trip in Italy? Do you need it for your business or to speak with your relatives?
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Louise is a very kind teacher with materials based on what you want to learn. I totally recommend her.
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Ciao! My name is Mauro, I am native Italian from Calabria! I am a very passionate teacher, I love to share my language and my knowledge about Italy, and its culture, films, music, literature, arts, food!!! I firmly believe that learning is based on trust between teacher and student, and the first objective of my classes is to individuate student's objectives and preferences. My teaching methodology is integrated: I think that it is important to work on all of linguistic abilities: oral and writing comprehension and production. I also think that lessons must be as much as fun as possible, and I use a lot of authentic material: songs, films, cooking recipes, newspapers, advertising and so on...
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So far, I have studied with Mauro four times a week for a month. As a retired university professor, I find Mauro to be a thoughtful and deliberate teacher of Italian as a second language. He exercises care in preparing lessons and yet remains flexible to take opportunity of teachable moments. I highly recommend Mauro to anyone who is serious about learning Italian. Bravo Mauro! I look forward to continuing my studies with you.
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Daniela is super nice! Super professional and lessons delivered in a informal and enjoyable way! Thanks Daniela :)
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My name is Luisa and I teach Italian for foreign students, English, French and German for Italian students
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Luisa is very patient and personable. I tend to want to understand the rules that underlie the conversation and she takes the time to explain them to me (as well as all the deviations from the rules of which there are a few in Italian). Working with her got me through living in Italy for 3+ months and I look forward to continuing our lessons well into the future.
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