Italian imperative mood

The imperative is the mood of commands, requests and advice: come here, listen, don’t worry, take the second street on the left. You need it to ask for directions, to understand recipes, and to survive an Italian family dinner (“Mangia! Mangia!”).

The forms

Good news: you almost know them already. For NOI and VOI, the imperative is identical to the present tense. Only the TU form needs attention:

Parlare Prendere Sentire
(tu) parla! prendi! senti!
(noi) parliamo! prendiamo! sentiamo!
(voi) parlate! prendete! sentite!

Watch the TU form of -ARE verbs: it ends in -A (parla!), while the present tense ends in -I (tu parli). For -ERE and -IRE verbs the imperative matches the present.

Ascolta! – Listen!

Prendi la prima a destra – Take the first street on the right

Andiamo! – Let’s go! (NOI imperative = “let’s…”)

Ragazzi, aprite i libri – Guys, open your books

Negative commands

For NOI and VOI, just add NON. For TU there is a surprise: NON + the infinitive:

Non parlare! – Don’t talk! (not “non parla”)

Non aprire la porta! – Don’t open the door!

Non mangiate tutto! – Don’t eat everything! (voi)

Non perdiamo tempo! – Let’s not waste time!

Irregular imperatives

The usual suspects have irregular TU forms:

essere sii! (siate! for voi) Sii gentile! – Be kind!
avere abbi! (abbiate! for voi) Abbi pazienza! – Have patience!
andare va’ / vai! Va’ a casa! – Go home!
fare fa’ / fai! Fa’ presto! – Hurry up!
dare da’ / dai! Da’ una mano! – Give a hand!
stare sta’ / stai! Sta’ attento! – Be careful!
dire di’! Di’ la verità! – Tell the truth!

Imperative with pronouns

Pronouns (mi, ti, lo, la, ci, ne…) attach to the end of the imperative and form one word:

Ascoltami! – Listen to me!

Prendilo! – Take it!

Alzati! – Get up! (reflexive)

Sedetevi, prego – Sit down, please (voi)

Parliamone – Let’s talk about it (ne)

With the short forms va’, fa’, da’, sta’, di’, the pronoun doubles its first consonant: Dimmi! (tell me!), Fallo! (do it!), Dacci! (give us!). The only exception is GLI: digli (tell him).

The polite imperative (Lei)

With people you address formally, Italian uses different forms (they come from the subjunctive, which we will meet in a later lesson). The pattern flips the endings: -ARE verbs take -I, -ERE and -IRE verbs take -A:

Scusi! – Excuse me!

Senta! – Listen! (a classic way to get a waiter’s attention)

Prenda la seconda a sinistra – Take the second street on the left

Mi dica – Tell me (a shopkeeper’s “how can I help you?”)

Si accomodi – Take a seat, make yourself comfortable

With Lei, pronouns go before the verb, not attached: Mi dica (formal) vs Dimmi (informal).

Examples

Scusa, dov’è la stazione? Vai dritto e gira a destra – Excuse me (informal), where is the station? Go straight and turn right

Aspettami, arrivo subito! – Wait for me, I’m coming right away!

Non ti preoccupare! – Don’t worry!

Fate silenzio, per favore – Be quiet, please (voi)

Dammi il tuo numero – Give me your number

Guardi, Le mostro la strada – Look (formal), I’ll show you the way

Compra il pane e non dimenticare il latte! – Buy bread and don’t forget the milk!

Vocabulary

girare – to turn

destra – right

sinistra – left

dritto – straight

subito – right away, immediately

 dimenticare – to forget

perdere – to lose, to waste

pazienza – patience

attento / attenta – careful

silenzio – silence

Exercises

1. Give the command (informal TU)

  1. ______________ la finestra! (APRIRE) – Open the window!
  2. ______________ più lentamente! (PARLARE) – Speak more slowly!
  3. Non ______________ il treno! (PERDERE) – Don’t miss the train!
  4. ______________ la verità! (DIRE) – Tell the truth!
  5. ______________ attento! (STARE) – Be careful!
  6. Non ______________ tardi! (TORNARE) – Don’t come back late!

2. Attach the pronoun

  1. (Ascoltare + mi) ______________! – Listen to me!
  2. (Prendere + la) ______________! – Take it! (the bag)
  3. (Alzarsi, tu) ______________! – Get up!
  4. (Dare + mi) ______________ il libro! – Give me the book!
  5. (Fare + lo) ______________ subito! – Do it right away!

Answers:

Exercise 1 – 1: Apri; 2: Parla; 3: perdere; 4: Di’; 5: Sta’ (or Stai); 6: tornare

Exercise 2 – 1: Ascoltami; 2: Prendila; 3: Alzati; 4: Dammi; 5: Fallo