Learn the Informal Imperative in Italian: A Beginner’s Guide

Have you ever wanted to learn Italian, but aren’t sure where to start? One important aspect of the language is the informal imperative, which is used to give commands or orders to someone you know well or someone in a familiar setting. In this beginner’s guide, we’ll explore the informal imperative in Italian, including how to form it and when to use it.

Forming the Informal Imperative

The informal imperative in Italian is formed by using the present indicative tense of a verb, with the exception of the third person singular pronoun. Simply put, drop the ‘i’ for verbs ending in ‘-are’ and ‘-ere’ and drop the ‘e’ for verbs ending in ‘-ire’.

For example, let’s look at the verb ‘mangiare’ which means ‘to eat’. The informal imperative for ‘mangiare’ would be ‘mangia’, while the formal imperative would be ‘mangi’.

Using the Informal Imperative

The informal imperative is used in a variety of settings, such as giving instructions, advice or making requests. We tend to use informal imperatives with family members, close friends, or children.

For example, if you are speaking to your friend and want them to come over to your house, you would use the informal imperative by saying ‘Vieni a casa mia’ (Come to my house). If you were speaking to someone in a formal setting such as a job interview, you would use a formal imperative, which would be ‘Venga alla mia casa’ (Come to my house).

Examples

Let’s look at some examples of informal imperatives in Italian:

– Fai la spesa (Do the grocery shopping)
– Senti la musica (Listen to the music)
– Vieni qui (Come here)
– Lava i piatti (Wash the dishes)

Conclusion

Learning the informal imperative is a crucial aspect of Italian language learning. Now that you know how to form and use informal imperatives, you can practice speaking with your friends and family. Remember to use informal imperatives only in familiar settings and formal imperatives in more professional settings. Keep practicing and soon, you’ll be able to communicate effectively with native Italian speakers!

Speech tips:

Please note that any statements involving politics will not be approved.