Informal imperative

Informal imperative (Italian: imperativo informale)

The informal imperative is the set of command, request and suggestion forms you use when speaking to people you address as tu (singular informal) or voi (plural informal). It covers direct orders ("Eat!"), instructions ("Open the door"), quick advice ("Be careful"), and invitations or suggestions (with noi: "Let’s go"). In English we usually use the base verb ("Come!", "Listen!"); Italian has special endings and rules, and special rules for negatives and for adding pronouns.

When do I use the informal imperative?

Use the informal imperative when you talk to friends, family, children, pets, or people you know well (tu), or to a group you know well (voi). Use the informal forms for:

- Direct commands: "Siediti!" (Sit down!).
- Quick instructions: "Prendi il cacciavite." (Take the screwdriver.)
- Suggestions using noi (let’s): "Andiamo al cinema." (Let’s go to the cinema.)
- Simple warnings: "Attento!" (Be careful!).

Avoid the informal imperative in formal situations (use the polite Lei form instead) or with people you don’t know (use Lei), unless they’ve asked you to be informal.

How do I form the informal imperative?

Tu (singular informal)

Forming the affirmative tu imperative (commands to one informal person):
- Verbs ending in -are: change -are to -a. Example: parlare -> parla! (Speak!/Talk!).
- "Parla più forte!" (Speak louder!).
- Verbs ending in -ere: change -ere to -i. Example: prendere -> prendi! (Take!/Pick up!).
- "Prendi questa penna." (Take this pen.)
- Verbs ending in -ire: change -ire to -i. Example: dormire -> dormi! (Sleep!).
- With -isc- verbs (capire, finire) the -isc- stays: capire -> capisci! (Understand!).
- "Capisci quello che dico?" (Do you understand what I’m saying?)

Note: For many -are verbs the tu present indicative (tu parli) becomes parla in the imperative (drop the -i). For -ere/-ire the tu imperative looks like the tu present indicative (prendi, dormi).

Voi (plural informal)

Affirmative voi imperative uses the present indicative second-person plural:
- parlare -> parlate! (You all speak!)
- prendere -> prendete! (You all take!)
- dormire -> dormite! (You all sleep!)

Examples:
- "Venite qui!" (Come here!, said to a group)
- "Non correte per strada!" (Don’t run in the street!, said to a group)

Noi (let’s) — used for suggestions

Affirmative noi forms use the first-person plural present indicative and usually mean “let’s…”.
- parlare -> parliamo! (Let’s talk!)
- andare -> andiamo! (Let’s go!)
- prendere -> prendiamo! (Let’s take/have it!)

Examples:
- "Andiamo a casa." (Let’s go home.)
- "Facciamo una pausa." (Let’s take a break.)

Note: Although noi forms look like the present indicative (we...), in context they often function as "let’s…" suggestions.

Negative commands: special rules (especially for tu)

The negative imperative for tu is special: use non + infinitive (not the tu imperative form).
- "Non parlare!" (Don’t speak!) — NOT "Non parli!" in the informal tu command.
- "Non prendere quello." (Don’t take that.)
- "Non dormire ora." (Don’t sleep now.)

For voi and noi, the negative looks like "non + present form" and is straightforward:
- "Non andate via." (You all don’t go / Don’t go, you all.)
- "Non fumiamo qui." (Let’s not smoke here.)

A note about register: in spoken Italian you may hear variants (e.g., people say "Non mi chiamare!" or "Non chiamarmi!"), but the clear rule for a standard written form of the tu negative is non + infinitive.

Pronouns and reflexive verbs — placement rules

One of the most important differences from English is how object and reflexive pronouns attach to imperatives.

Affirmative commands (tu, noi, voi): attach pronouns to the end of the verb (enclitic). Examples:
- "Parlami!" (Talk to me!) — parla + mi = parlami.
- "Portalo." (Bring it.) — porta + lo = portalo.
- "Dimmi la verità." (Tell me the truth.) — di' / dì + mi = dimmi.
- "Portaglielo!" (Bring it to him/her.) — porta + glie + lo = portaglielo.
- Reflexive: "Svegliati!" (Wake up!) — sveglia + ti = svegliati.
- Combined: "Dammelo!" (Give it to me.) — dammi + lo = dammelo.

Rules for multiple pronouns: when you attach two clitics, the indirect-object clitic generally comes before the direct-object clitic in the combined form. Examples:
- mi + lo -> melo (in speech often "me lo" but attached in imperative: portamelo)
- gli + lo -> glielo (portaglielo)
- ci + la -> ce la (portacela)

Negative tu commands: pronouns attach to the infinitive (the form after non), or in speech you may hear pronouns before the verb; the standard written pattern is to attach to the infinitive:
- "Non parlarmi!" / "Non mi parlare!" (Don’t talk to me!) — preferred: Non parlarmi.
- "Non svegliarti tardi." (Don’t wake up late.)
- "Non dirmelo." (Don’t tell me that.)

Negative noi/voi: you can choose a form; pronoun placement depends on the structure you pick:
- Using imperative/infinitive style: "Non chiamiamolo." (Let’s not call him.) — pronoun attached.
- Using present indicative: "Non lo chiamiamo." (We don’t call him / Let’s not call him.) — pronoun before the verb.

Irregular imperative forms (most common)

Some verbs have irregular imperative forms. Learn these common ones because they appear often in speech:

- essere (to be): tu sii, noi siamo, voi siate
- "Sii onesto." (Be honest.)
- "Siate puntuali." (Be on time, plural.)
- "Siamo calmi." (Let’s be calm.)

- avere (to have): tu abbi, noi abbiamo, voi abbiate
- "Abbi pazienza." (Have patience.)

- andare (to go): tu vai or va' (colloquial), noi andiamo, voi andate
- "Vai via." or "Va' via." (Go away.)
- "Andiamo!" (Let’s go.)

- dare (to give): tu dai or da', noi diamo, voi date
- "Dai un'occhiata." or "Da' un'occhiata." (Take a look.)

- fare (to do/make): tu fai or fa', noi facciamo, voi fate
- "Fai attenzione." or "Fa' attenzione." (Pay attention.)
- "Fammi sapere." (Let me know.) — note how pronoun attaches to the imperative.

- stare (to stay/be): tu stai or sta', noi stiamo, voi state
- "Stai tranquillo." (Stay calm.)

- dire (to say/tell): tu di' (or dì), noi diciamo, voi dite
- "Di' la verità." (Tell the truth.)
- "Dimmi tutto." (Tell me everything.)

- sapere (to know): tu sappi, noi sappiamo, voi sappiate
- "Sappi che non è facile." (Know that it is not easy.)

Other verbs with regular-looking forms but stem changes (venire -> vieni!, uscire -> esci!, bere -> bevi!) should be learned too.

Common mistakes to avoid

- Using the wrong negative for tu: say "Non parlare!" (Don’t speak!) NOT "Non parli!" (which reads like formal Lei).
- Confusing tu and Lei forms: "Parla!" (tu) vs "Parli!" (formal Lei). If you write "Parla!" to someone you should be informal.
- Forgetting to attach pronouns in affirmative commands: say "Dimmi" (Tell me), not "Di mi".
- Putting pronouns in the wrong position for negative tu: the standard is "Non dirmelo" or "Non chiamarmi" rather than trying to attach the pronoun after the imperative form.
- Using voi when you mean one person or using tu when you should use Lei (formal situations).

Quick reference: examples of regular patterns

parlare (to speak):
- Tu: parla! (Speak!)
- Noi: parliamo! (Let’s speak!)
- Voi: parlate! (You all speak!)
- Tu negative: non parlare! (Don’t speak!)
- With pronoun: parlami! (Talk to me!) / Non parlarmi! (Don’t talk to me!)

prendere (to take):
- Tu: prendi! / Non prendere!
- Noi: prendiamo! / Non prendiamo!
- Voi: prendete! / Non prendete!
- With pronoun: prendilo! (Take it!) / Non prenderlo! (Don’t take it!)

dormire (to sleep):
- Tu: dormi! / Non dormire!
- Noi: dormiamo! / Non dormiamo!
- Voi: dormite! / Non dormite!

Glossary (short)</b]

- Imperative: the verb mood used for commands, requests and suggestions ("Speak!", "Let’s go!").
- Tu: singular informal "you" in Italian.
- Voi: plural informal "you" in Italian.
- Infinitive: the basic verb form, ending in -are/-ere/-ire (parlare, prendere, dormire).
- Enclitic pronoun: a pronoun attached to the end of a verb (parlami, portalo).
- Proclitic: a pronoun placed before the verb (in some negative or indicative constructions: lo vedo).
- Clitic pronouns (direct/indirect/reflexive): short pronouns like mi, ti, lo, la, ci, vi, gli, le, si used as object or reflexive pronouns.

Final tips: register and politeness

- The imperative can sound blunt. To soften commands add per favore or a polite phrase: "Apri la finestra, per favore." (Open the window, please.)
- For very polite requests use the Lei (formal) imperative or a conditional/phrase: "Può aprire la finestra, per favore?" (Could you open the window, please?).
- Practice the common irregular forms (essere, avere, andare, fare, dare, stare, dire) because they appear often.

Summary

The informal imperative is how you give orders or suggestions to people you know well (tu, voi) or make group suggestions (noi). Affirmative commands attach pronouns to the end of the verb; negative tu commands use non + infinitive and attach pronouns to the infinitive. Learn the regular patterns for -are/-ere/-ire verbs, and memorize the common irregular imperative forms. With these rules and many example sentences above you should be able to form natural and correct informal commands in Italian.