Imperativo – The command form

Grammatica

In this lesson we will learn the imperative (it. imperativo) in Italian.

L'imperativo - the command form in Italian

The imperative is used for commands or requests. Because of its use, this tense is used only in direct speech, so only the forms for tu (informal), Lei (formal), noi and voi exist.

(tu)	Mangia!	Eat! (informal)
(Lei)	Mangi!	Eat! (formal)
(noi)	Mangiamo!	Let’s eat!
(voi)	Mangiate!	Eat! (you all)

The formation

To conjugate a verb in the imperative, you have to separate the ending are, ere or ire from the infinitive as usual and add the imperative ending (see table).

	SCUSARE	SCRIVERE	SENTIRE
(tu)	Scusa	Scriv i	Senti
(Lei)	Scus i	Scriva	Senta
(noi)	Scusiamo	Scriviamo	Sentiamo
(voi)	Scus ate	Scrivete	Sentite

Notes:

The endings for tu and Lei are always exactly reversed.
Noi and voi are very simple, as they are just like the present tense.

A little mnemonic:

Take a starting point, namely ARE: ARE has tu same as the ending: A. Lei has accordingly the other ending: I. ERE and IRE are exactly reversed.

Other mnemonic:

Scusa or scusi? Scusi ends with i like Lei.

The negation

When we add NON, something peculiar happens with tu: the verb is not conjugated, but remains in the infinitive.

Mangia!	Eat!
Non mangiare!	Don’t eat!

This only happens with tu. The other persons are conjugated normally.

Non mangi!	Do not eat! (formal)
Non mangiamo!	Let’s not eat!
Non mangiate!	Don’t eat! (you all)

Irregular verbs

The following is a list of the most important irregular verbs. Some verbs have two forms with tu, like andare: vai and va’.

essere	sii, sia, siamo, siate
avere	abbi, abbia, abbiamo, abbiate
fare	fai/fa’, faccia, facciamo, fate
andare	vai/va’, vada, andiamo, andate
venire	vieni, venga, veniamo, venite
dire	di’, dica, diciamo, dite
dare	dai/da’, dia, diamo, date
stare	stai/sta’, stia, stiamo, state

Examples

Fa molto caldo, apri la finestra, per favore.	It is very hot, please open the window.
Prenda pure quello che vuole, offro io.	Take whatever you want, it’s on me.
Andate pure a casa, per oggi abbiamo finito.	Go on home, we are done for today.
Scusi? – Si, mi dica.	Excuse me? – Yes, please (tell me).
Non spegnere la radio, sto ascoltando.	Don’t turn off the radio, I’m listening.
Abbassa la TV per favore, devo fare una telefonata.	Turn down the TV please, I need to make a phone call.
Signore, non stia lì sulla porta, entri pure.	Sir, don’t just stand there at the door, come in.