L'Imperativo

The imperativo is the mood you use to give an order, make a request, suggest something, or warn. Vai! (Go!). Non toccare! (Don’t touch!). Andiamo! (Let’s go!).

It has four forms — tu, Lei, noi, voi — and they’re partly the present indicative and partly the subjunctive, depending on the verb and the person. The conjugation isn’t difficult, but learners often trip on the Lei-form (which uses the subjunctive) and on what happens with pronouns.

How to form it

-are verbs (parlare — to speak)

Note: the tu-form of -are verbs uses the same ending as the third-person singular of the present indicative. Tu parli (present) becomes parla! (imperative) — drop the -i, add nothing.

-ere and -ire verbs (credere, finire)

For -ere and -ire verbs, the tu-form is the same as the present indicative tu-form.

The Lei-form is always the subjunctive — parli, creda, finisca — because Italian uses subjunctive forms for the formal-respectful command.

Common irregular imperatives

The va’, da’, di’, fa’, sta’ with apostrophe are the traditional one-syllable forms. Vai, dai, fai, stai are the modern alternatives that have become equally accepted.

Pronoun placement: the rule everyone trips on

When the imperative is affirmative (positive), pronouns attach to the end of the verb:

Dimmi tutto. — Tell me everything. (di’ + mi → dimmi, with doubling of m) Aspettami! — Wait for me! Parlagli! — Speak to him!

With the short tu-forms (va’, da’, di’, fa’, sta’), the initial consonant of the pronoun doubles when attached. The five doubling verbs and the doubled forms:

Va’ + ci → vacci (go there) Da’ + mi → dammi (give me) Di’ + mi → dimmi (tell me) Fa’ + lo → fallo (do it) Sta’ + ci → stacci (stay there)

This consonant doubling is unique to these five irregular tu-imperatives. With regular tu-imperatives, no doubling occurs: Aspettami, guardami, parlami.

When the imperative is negative, the structure changes entirely:

• For the tu-form negative, Italian uses non + infinitive:

  Non parlare! — Don’t speak! Non andare! — Don’t go!

• For other persons, negative imperative is just non + the affirmative form:

  Non parli! (Lei, formal) — Don’t speak! Non parliamo! (noi) — Let’s not speak! Non parlate! (voi) — Don’t speak!

Pronouns in negative imperatives can sit either before the verb or attached to the end (with infinitive in tu-form):

Non lo guardare! OR Non guardarlo! — Don’t look at it!

Both are correct, both are common.

The four forms in social use

• tu form: informal singular. Used with friends, family, children, intimates.
• Lei form: formal singular. Used with strangers, older people, in professional contexts.
• noi form: collective (“let’s…”). Used in writing and casual speech.
• voi form: plural (formal or informal) or formal singular in some regional dialects.

The Lei vs. tu choice is a constant social decision in Italian. Getting it wrong is a real mistake. Default to Lei with anyone you don’t know.

Combined imperatives with multiple pronouns

When you have an indirect-object pronoun and a direct-object pronoun, they combine and attach:

Dammelo! — Give it to me! (da’ + me + lo) Diglielo! — Tell it to him! (di’ + glie + lo) Portatemela! — Bring it to me! (portate + me + la)

The pronoun-stacking rules from pronomi-personali apply: mi/ti/ci/vi become me/te/ce/ve before a second pronoun; gli/le become glie- attached to the direct object.

Polite alternatives

Italian, like French, often softens commands with the conditional or with per favore:

Potresti chiudere la porta? — Could you close the door? (much politer than chiudi la porta) Mi daresti il sale, per favore? — Would you pass me the salt, please?

The conditional is the polite tool of choice for adult social interactions. The imperative is more direct.

Imperatives without imperative form

A few common functional imperatives use other tenses:

• Bisogna + infinitive: Bisogna partire. (We must leave.)
• Bisogna che + subjunctive: Bisogna che tu venga. (You must come.)
• Infinitive in signs and instructions: Non fumare. (No smoking.) Aprire con cautela. (Open with care.)
• Future tense as command: Tornerai presto! (You’ll come back soon!) — used by parents.

How writers use it

The imperative is the tense of dialogue. Every conversation between characters contains commands, requests, warnings, suggestions.

In Pinocchio, the imperative is the grammar of parental love. Geppetto, the Fairy, and even the Talking Cricket constantly issue imperatives at Pinocchio. Vai a scuola, ascoltami, non mentire, studia, torna a casa. The puppet’s failure to obey any of these is the structural engine of the book.

In Boccaccio, the imperatives are collective and conspiratorial. The frame-story narrators tell each other where to go and what to do (andiamo, raccontiamo). The inset tales’ characters issue commands of all registers — lovers begging, kings ordering, fools demanding.

What you don’t need to do

You don’t need to use tu with everyone. The tu-imperative is for close relationships. Default to Lei with strangers.

You don’t need to memorise the irregular doubling on day one. Dammi, dimmi, fammi will appear constantly in dialogue and stick through exposure.

You don’t need to handle every nuance of pronoun placement. The basic rules — pronouns attach in affirmative imperatives, separate in negative — cover most usage.

Common confusions

• Negative tu-imperative is the infinitive. Non parlare! (Don’t speak!). Not non parla! This is one of the most surprising features of Italian for learners.
• Pronoun doubling only happens with the short tu-forms. Dammi (da’ + mi). Aspettami (no doubling, because aspetta doesn’t shorten).
• The Lei-imperative is subjunctive. Parli! (formal speak!) is the same form as che lei parli in a subjunctive clause. Don’t confuse it with the tu-form parla!
• Imperatives can be softened. Use per favore, gentilmente, or the conditional for politeness. Bare imperatives can sound abrupt.

Where you’ll meet it in the library

The imperative is everywhere in dialogue. Especially clean exposure in:

• Pinocchio (A1) — parental imperatives saturate the book. Every chapter contains multiple commands to Pinocchio.
• Il Decameron (A2) — the storytellers’ frame narrative uses the noi-imperative (andiamo, raccontiamo) constantly. The inset tales contain commands at every social register.