In Italian, the imperative mood is generally used for giving commands or instructions in the affirmative or the negative. We have so far encountered the indicative and the subjunctive moods. The imperative is considered a separate mood in Italian.
The imperative mood in Italian can be used for giving commands in the singular or plural form and can be formal or informal. Thus, we have four cases:
- Singular informal (i.e., “tu” form)
- Singular formal (i.e., “Lei” form)
- Plural informal (i.e., “voi” form)
- Plural formal (i.e., “Loro” form)
Each of the above can be used in the affirmative or the negative. In addition to these four cases of imperative commands, we will study commands using “noi.”
Singular Informal Imperative
To give commands to a single person in an informal way, we use the present indicative in the second-person singular form, i.e., “tu,” in the affirmative and the infinitive in the negative. The only exception is the “-are” verbs in the affirmative, which use the present indicative in the third-person singular form, i.e., “Lei,” for example:
| Comprami un caffè. | Buy me a coffee. |
| Cammina piano. | Walk slowly. |
| Lavati le mani. | Washyour hands. |
| Non mentirmi. | Don’t lie to me. |
| Non parlare velocemente. | Don’t speak fast. |
Notice that if there is a pronoun related to the verb, e.g., reflexive or indirect object pronoun, it is attached to the affirmative imperative or the infinitive in case of the negative imperative.
There are a few common irregular verbs in the affirmative singular informal command form.
| Infinitive | Command | Example | |
| essere | sii | Sii educato. | Be polite. |
| andare | vai (or) va’ | Vai a scuola. | Go to school. |
| avere | abbi | Abbi tutto. | Have it all. |
| dire | di’ | Di’ la verità. | Tell the truth. |
| fare | fai (or) fa’ | Fai i tuoi compiti. | Do your homework. |
| stare | stai (or) sta’ | Stai tranquillo! | Calm down! |
| dare | dai (or) da’ | Dai il meglio. | Give your best. |
| sapere | sappi | Sappi questo! | Know this! |
Singular Formal Imperative
To give commands to a single person in a formal way, we use the present subjunctive in the third-person singular form, i.e., “Lei” form, in both the affirmative and the negative, for example:
| Signora, entri da qui, per favore. | Ma’am, enter from here, please. |
| Signore, non fumi qui, per favore. | Sir, don’t smoke here, please. |
| Faccia la cosa giusta. | Do the right thing. |
| Esca da questa parte. | Exit this way. |
| Venga con noi. | Come with us. |
| Dica la verità. | Tell the truth. |
| Sia educato. | Be polite. |
| Vada a Londra. | Go to London. |
Plural Informal Imperative
To give commands to a group of people, we use the present indicative in the second-person plural informal form in both the affirmative and the negative; that is, the form used with “voi,” for example:
| Ragazzi, fate i compiti. | Boys, do the homework. |
| Non fumate qui. | Don’t smoke here. |
Plural Formal Imperative
To give commands to a group of people, we use the present subjunctive in the second-person plural formal (or polite) form in both the affirmative and the negative; that is, the form used with “Loro,” for example:
| Signore, seguano le istruzioni. | Ladies, follow the instructions. |
| Signori, non fumino qui, per favore. | Gentlemen, don’t smoke here, please. |
Commands using “Noi”
Similar to the expression “let’s do something” in English, commands using “noi” in Italian express the same idea and can be affirmative or negative. Both use the present indicative, for example:
| Facciamo i compiti. | Let’s do our homework. |
| Non fumiamo. | Let’s not smoke. |
| Andiamo! | Let’s go! |
Other lessons in Level V:
