Grammar: How to Use The Imperative in Italian

Learn about the imperative

Lesson Transcript

Hello everyone, welcome back to italianpod101.com.

My name is Desy, mi chiamo Desy, and in this video, we're going to learn together the imperative form.

L'imperativo, in Italian of course.

L'imperativo.

As in English, in Italian too, you use the imperative form to give orders, exhortations,

give advice or invite someone to do something in a more or less polite way.

I think you're going to like this form in Italian because it's rather regular,

okay, so there are not many exceptions, and most importantly, it only has three subjects.

So it's not about all the six pronouns that you're used to, but just about to, so you,

about us, noi, noi, and about voi, so you all, you all, voi.

Also, it only has the present tense and its forms are basically the same as the present.

Let's look at that together.

Do you remember there are three groups for verbs, right?

In Italian are, ere, and ire.

So we use the same form as I said before, as in the present tense, only the group with are

changes a bit and it adds an A at the end.

Easier done than said, if you say for the present tense, tu mangi, okay,

instead of letting it end with the I, so mangi, for the imperative form you add an A

and it becomes mangia, mangia.

Also, important thing, for the imperative form you don't have to say the subject.

Actually, we don't say it.

It's not just like you don't have to, you just don't say it.

So if I say mangia, it means eat, you, of course.

mangia, tu.

While for us, same as present, mangiamo, right?

Noi mangiamo la pizza.

If we're about to eat and I want to say, hey, let's eat, I just say mangiamo, exclamation mark.

mangia, tu, mangiamo, noi, mangiate, voi, mangiate, eat.

Eat kids, mangiate, bambini.

When you add the object, you put that after the verb, just as in a regular sentence.

Tu mangi la mela, you eat the apple, mangia la mela, eat the apple.

And this was about are group, so the first group of Italian verbs.

But are and ire are just the same, actually even better because nothing changes.

You don't even have to add the A, so scrivere, for example,

it was tu scrivi una lettera, present tense.

You write a letter, if I want to tell you, if I want to give you the order to write the letter,

I just say scrivi la lettera.

It's just about intonation basically.

And when you're writing, you just put this, right?

Scrivi la lettera, scriviamo la lettera, scrivete la lettera.

Just the same as the present.

Third group, ire, finire, finisci i compiti.

Finish your homework, finite i compiti, you all.

Or noi, let's finiamo i compiti, finiamo i compiti.

Come on guys, let's do this, let's do the homework, let's finish the homework.

Finiamo i compiti.

If you want to sound more polite, if you want to be more polite,

you can add the expression per favore, per favore, so please.

Or per piacere, per piacere, please.

Chiudi la porta, per favore.

Close the door, please.

Telefonate a Paola, per piacere.

Please call Paola.

When there is a particle in the sentence,

it just gets incorporated actually to the verb.

So if you want to say Dai il libro a me, so you give me the book, dammi,

give me, dammi il libro, give me the book.

Or for example, scriviamola la lettera.

If we are already talking about the letter and I just want to say,

okay, come on, let's write it, scriviamola, facciamolo, let's do it.

If it's a negative sentence, then you just put non before the verb, non mangiarla.

I know I said you would like this because it doesn't have many exceptions,

but it still has some, okay.

It's actually just three and it's about the verbs essere, so to be, avere, to have,

and sapere, to know.

So instead of saying, tu sei, if I want to give you an order, I say,

while for us is, siamo gentili, so same as present, and for you all is, siate gentili.

While avere goes like,

pazienza, be patient.

You all, please be patient.

Abbiate pazienza.

For sapere, to know.

So noi is always the same.

The ones that change are, tu and voi.

Just know that, blah, blah, blah.

You all, know that.

Or, sappiatelo, just know it.

Just know that this time, it's the last one I'm saying this.

It's not true, you can come to me if you have any doubts, I'll tell you again.

This is the last time I'm saying this.

Also, I want you to know that you may encounter some forms with the apostrophe.

Those are not actually exceptions, they're just shortened versions, okay?

So for example, if fare should become fai così, it actually is used as fa così.

Tu fa così, same goes for dare, dai a me la penna, or da a me la penna.

Dire, instead of dici, it becomes di, di, di la verità, di la verità.

Say the truth, vai from andare becomes va, va via, go away, va via.

Tu, va via, go away, please, per favore.

So now you know how to give orders or suggestions.

Please be polite while doing so, so always add per favore.

Please be kind, this is what I'm asking you, just with a suggestion, right?

Or giving you an order.

Siate gentili.

I hope you enjoyed and if you want to learn even more real Italian conversations,

just click the link in the description, download our PDF lessons,

and learn all the Italian that you need in your everyday life.

Thank you for watching, please remember to like and subscribe, and I'll see you soon.

Ci vediamo presto.

Bye bye.

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