Italian Imperative: Commands and Requests
Learn how to give commands, make suggestions, and soften requests in Italian with the imperative mood — conjugations, irregulars, and real examples.
The imperativo (imperative mood) is the verb form you reach for whenever you want someone to do — or not do — something. You'll encounter it constantly in Italian: in recipes, travel directions, children's books, and casual conversation. The good news? For most verbs, the imperative looks a lot like forms you already know.
Who Are You Talking To?
Italian distinguishes between speaking to one person informally (tu), speaking formally to one person (Lei), making a group suggestion (noi — the "let's" form), and addressing multiple people (voi). Each has its own imperative form.
Regular Verb Conjugations
Here are the imperative endings for regular verbs, using parlare (to speak), prendere (to take), and dormire (to sleep) as models:
| Person | Parlare (-are) | Prendere (-ere) | Dormire (-ire) |
|---|---|---|---|
| tu | Parla! | Prendi! | Dormi! |
| Lei (formal) | Parli! | Prenda! | Dorma! |
| noi | Parliamo! | Prendiamo! | Dormiamo! |
| voi | Parlate! | Prendete! | Dormite! |
Notice the swap between -are and -ere/-ire verbs in the tu and Lei forms. The tu form of -are verbs ends in -a (parla, not parli), while -ere and -ire verbs use -i (prendi, dormi). The formal Lei form reverses this: -are verbs get -i (parli), while -ere/-ire verbs get -a (prenda, dorma).
The noi and voi forms are identical to the present indicative — no new forms to learn. If you already know parliamo and parlate from the present tense, you already know the imperative.
Parla più lentamente, per favore!
Speak more slowly, please!
Prenda un numero e aspetti.
Take a number and wait.
Lei form — used in formal contexts like offices, shops, or when addressing strangers.
Andiamo — partiamo subito!
Let's go — let's leave right away!
The noi form functions like English "let's..." — a suggestion directed at a group that includes the speaker.
Irregular Imperatives
A handful of very common verbs have irregular tu and Lei imperative forms. These are worth memorizing early because you'll encounter them constantly.
| Verb | tu | Lei | noi | voi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| andare (to go) | va'! / vai! | vada! | andiamo! | andate! |
| dare (to give) | da'! / dai! | dia! | diamo! | date! |
| dire (to say/tell) | di'! | dica! | diciamo! | dite! |
| fare (to do/make) | fa'! / fai! | faccia! | facciamo! | fate! |
| stare (to stay/be) | sta'! / stai! | stia! | stiamo! | state! |
| essere (to be) | sii! | sia! | siamo! | siate! |
| avere (to have) | abbi! | abbia! | abbiamo! | abbiate! |
The apostrophe forms (va', da', di', fa', sta') are the classic written forms. In speech and informal writing, vai, dai, fai, stai are equally common for the tu imperative of andare, dare, fare, and stare. Both are correct.
Di' la verità!
Tell the truth!
Fa' attenzione!
Pay attention! (literally: make attention)
Sii paziente — arriva tra poco.
Be patient — it's coming soon.
Negative Commands
Making an imperative negative is straightforward — with one important exception for the tu form.
| Person | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tu | Parla! | Non parlare! |
| Lei (formal) | Parli! | Non parli! |
| noi | Parliamo! | Non parliamo! |
| voi | Parlate! | Non parlate! |
For the tu form only, the negative imperative uses NON + infinitive (non parlare, non prendere, non dormire) — never "non parla" or "non prendi." For all other persons, just put non in front of the regular imperative form.
Non toccare quella roba!
Don't touch that stuff!
tu negative: non + infinitive (toccare)
Non prendete l'autostrada — c'è traffico.
Don't take the motorway — there's traffic.
voi negative: non + prendete
Non si preoccupi, signore.
Don't worry, sir.
Formal Lei negative. Note the reflexive si before the verb.
Pronouns and the Imperative
Object and reflexive pronouns normally precede the verb in Italian — but with the imperative, they attach to the end of the verb form (for tu, noi, and voi), or stay before it (for the formal Lei).
Mandami il file!
Send me the file!
mi (to me) attaches to the end of manda.
Aspettateci in piazza.
Wait for us in the square.
ci (us) attaches to the end of aspettate (voi form).
Mi mandi il documento, per favore.
Please send me the document.
Formal Lei form: the pronoun mi stays before the verb.
When a pronoun attaches to a monosyllabic tu form (da', fa', di', va', sta'), the first consonant of the pronoun doubles — except for gli. So: dammi (give me), dimmi (tell me), fammi (let me / make me), vacci (go there). The only exception: dagli, not daggli.
Dammi quella penna!
Give me that pen!
da' + mi → dammi (the m doubles)
Dimmi dove sei.
Tell me where you are.
di' + mi → dimmi (the m doubles)
Softening Commands
A bare imperative can sound blunt — sometimes that's exactly what you want, but in polite situations you'll want to soften it. Italian has several ways to do this:
- Per favore / per piacere / per cortesia — add "please" before or after the command: Aspetta un momento, per favore.
- Potresti...? — use the conditional of potere for requests: Potresti aprire la finestra? (Could you open the window?)
- Puoi...? — the present of potere is friendlier for casual requests: Puoi ripetere? (Can you repeat?)
- Mi fa...? / Mi può...? — very polite, useful with strangers: Mi fa un caffè, per favore?
The Imperative in Real Life
You'll see the imperative in different registers depending on context. Here are some of the most common situations:
- Recipes: Italian recipes use the voi form or the infinitive: Aggiungete il sale. / Aggiungere il sale. (Add the salt.)
- Directions: Gira a destra, poi vai dritto. (Turn right, then go straight.)
- Signs and notices: Non fumare. (No smoking.) — the negative infinitive is standard for public signs.
- Children's books and stories: Guarda! (Look!) — direct imperative is very common in narrative for exclamations.
- Encouraging someone: Dai, corri! (Come on, run!) — dai is also used as an interjection meaning "come on!"
Gira a sinistra al semaforo, poi prendi la seconda a destra.
Turn left at the traffic lights, then take the second right.
Aggiungi due uova e mescola bene.
Add two eggs and mix well.
Imperative in recipe context — tu form used informally.
Practice With Reading
The imperative shows up all the time in Italian stories and books — characters give each other orders, beg, plead, and encourage. On LingueLibrary, you can click any verb form while reading to see which mood and person it belongs to. Spotting imperatives in context is one of the fastest ways to make the forms stick.
Read Italian stories and spot the imperative in action
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