Imperative in Italian: How to to Give orders, Advice & Instructions (PDF Cheat-Sheet 📚)

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Want to confidently give instructions, advice, or even firm commands in Italian? Whether you’re asking someone to “Turn off the lights!” (Spegni la luce!), suggesting a delicious gelato break (Prendiamo un gelato!), or politely giving directions, knowing how to use the imperative in Italian will help you communicate more effectively. 

In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to form the Italian imperative for both regular and irregular verbs, how to use it with pronouns, and even how to soften commands to sound natural and polite. By the end, you’ll know exactly when and how to use the imperative, making your Italian more practical and versatile in everyday situations.

But here’s the twist: did you know Italians often double commands for emphasis or use playful expressions that completely change the tone? Stick around, and I’ll reveal how these small tweaks can take your Italian from textbook to authentic. Let’s get started!

But first, make sure to download your free PDF cheat-sheet, which includes all the key points we’ll cover in this guide. Just enter your email below and I’ll send it to you straight away.

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Table to Contents

Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide. Click on any title to jump to each section.

• What is the imperative in Italian?
• How to form the imperative in Italian
  • Regular verbs
  • Irregular verbs
• How to form the negative imperative in Italian
• How to use the imperative with pronouns in Italian
• The Italian imperative with the formal “you”
• When to use the imperative in Italian

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What is the imperative in Italian?

The imperative is the verb mood used to tell someone to do (or not to do) something. Its name comes from the Latin imperare, meaning “to command,” which highlights its primary function: conveying authority, urgency, or directness.

As we’ll explore in this guide, the imperative is widely used in everyday Italian, making it an essential tool for engaging in authentic conversations. You’ll use it not just for issuing firm orders but also for making polite requests, sharing casual recommendations, and providing instructions.

Here are some examples:

• Porta qui la macchina! – Bring the car here!
• Spegnete la luce! – Turn off the light!
• Aggiungete il latte e continuate a mescolare – Add milk and continue stirring
• Prova questo nuovo prodotto! – Try this new product!

How to form the imperative in Italian

The imperative mood is limited to the present tense, as commands typically involve immediate actions, making past conjugations unnecessary. Directions for future actions are generally conveyed with the future tense instead.

For example:

• Andate subito a casa! – Go home immediately! (present tense)
• Dopo l’allenamento, andrete subito a casa! – After practice, you will go home immediately! (future tense)

Additionally, since the imperative directly addresses other people, it is typically conjugated only for the second person singular (tu – you) and plural (voi – you all). However, it can also be used for the first person plural (noi – we) to express an exhortation or friendly suggestion.

Take a look at the following examples:

• Prendi quella torta! – Take that cake! (second person singular)
• Prendete quella torta! – Take that cake! (second person plural)
• Prendiamo quella torta! – Let’s take that cake! (first person plural – expressing exhortation or a suggestion)

In most cases, the subject pronoun is omitted in the imperative because the verb form itself makes it clear who is being addressed. However, in some cases the pronoun can be included for emphasis, as in the following example: 

• Tu stai qui! – You stay here! 

In this phrase, the inclusion of tu (you) emphasizes that only the person being addressed should stay, while others may leave.

Now, let’s explore how to form the Italian imperative with both regular and irregular verbs.

The Italian imperative form of regular verbs 

Using the imperative in Italian is easier than you might think! This verb form shares many similarities with the present indicative, a tense commonly used in everyday Italian, so incorporating it into your speech will quickly become natural and intuitive.

To form the imperative, start with the infinitive form of the verb, remove its ending (-are, -ere, or -ire), and replace it with the corresponding present indicative endings.

There is only a small exception to remember: for the second-person singular of -are verbs, the -i ending of the present indicative changes to -a in the imperative.

Below is a table summarizing the imperative forms for regular verbs ending in -are, -ere, and -ire:

Some examples:

• Parliamo di altro! – Let’s talk about something else!
• Scriviamo una lettera alla mamma! – Let’s write a letter to mum!
• Adesso dormite! – Go to sleep now!
• Mangia, altrimenti diventa tutto freddo! – Eat, or everything will get cold!
• Prendi i documenti! – Take the documents!

The Italian imperative form of irregular verbs

Some common Italian verbs have small irregularities in their imperative forms. But don’t worry, there aren’t many, and they’re easy to learn with a little practice.

Essere and Avere

As is often the case, essere (to be) and avere (to have) follow a different pattern. Their second-person singular forms are irregular, while the second-person plural forms are the same as the present subjunctive. The first-person plural (we) is rarely used with these verbs, so I’ll leave it out.

Examples:

• Sii sincero una volta tanto! – Be sincere for once!
• Siate onesti! – Be honest!
• Abbi cura di te! – Take care of yourself!
• Abbiate pazienza, sto cercando di trovare una soluzione – Be patient, I’m trying to find a solution

Sapere

A verb that behaves similarly to essere and avere is sapere (to know). The second-person singular form is irregular, while the second-person plural matches the present subjunctive. Again, the first-person plural form is rarely used.

One unique aspect of sapere (to know) in the imperative is that it’s almost always followed by a clause introduced by the conjunction che (that). This usage adds a nuance of conveying information rather than giving a direct command. For example:

• Sappi che sei sempre il benvenuto qui! – Know that you are always welcome here!
• Sappiate che non tollereremo più questi comportamenti! – Know that we will no longer tolerate these behaviours!

Verbs with dual imperative forms

Next, there are five key verbs that have two different forms for the second-person singular imperative: one form matches the present indicative, and the other drops a letter and adds an apostrophe. Both forms are used in everyday Italian, but the version with the apostrophe is more common in informal contexts.

In this group, dire (to say) only has the form with the apostrophe in the second-person singular imperative.

Some examples:

• Di’ la verità, sei geloso! – Tell the truth, you’re jealous!
• Sta’ qui e fa’ il bravo! – Stay here and be good!
• Andate avanti! – Go ahead! 
• Facciamo una festa! – Let’s have a party!

How to form the negative imperative in Italian

The imperative can also be used to stop someone from doing something or to instruct them not to do it. In these cases, the negative imperative is used. 

To form the negative imperative in Italian, simply place non (not) before the verb in its imperative form. There’s only one exception: for the second-person singular (tu – you), instead of the imperative, you use the infinitive form of the verb after non.

Some examples:

• Non parlate durante la lezione! – Don’t speak during the lesson!
• Non prendiamo quella strada, è più lunga. – Let’s not take that road, it’s longer. 
• Non mangiate troppi dolci! – Don’t eat too many sweets!
• Non dormire fino a tardi! – Don’t sleep in!

How to use the imperative with pronouns in Italian

In Italian, the imperative, like other verb moods, can be combined with various pronouns, such as direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns, reflexive pronouns, and the particles  ci and ne. But unlike in other moods such as the indicative, where pronouns typically appear before the verb, their position in the imperative is slightly different. Let’s explore the main rules:

1. In the imperative, direct or indirect object pronouns are generally attached to the end of the verb, forming a single word:

• Chiama Giuseppe (Call Giuseppe) → Chiamalo (Call him), formed with the imperative chiama + lo, the direct object pronoun for third-person singular masculine.
• Scrivi a me (Write to me) → Scrivimi (Write me), formed with the imperative scrivi + mi, the indirect object pronoun for the first-person singular.

2. The indirect object pronoun loro (them) is an exception in the imperative: unlike other pronouns, it’s always placed after the verb as a separate word, rather than attached to it:

• Spedisci una cartolina ai nonni (Send a postcard to the grandparents) → Spedisci loro una cartolina (Send them a postcard)
• Date gli appunti a Silvia e Michela (Give the notes to Silvia and Michela) → Date loro gli appunti (Give them the notes)

3. When addressing someone with the formal “you” (Lei), the pronoun is always placed before the verb, rather than merging with:

• Chieda a lui se è aperto (Ask him if it’s open)→ Gli chieda se è aperto (Ask him if it’s open)
• Legga l’avviso (Read the notice) → Lo legga (Read it)

4. In the negative imperative, pronouns can be placed either before the verb or attached to the end of it:

• Non guardare il film (Don’t watch the movie) → Non guardarlo OR Non lo guardare (Don’t watch it)  
• Non usate i cellulari (Don’t use the mobile phones) → Non usateli OR Non li usate (Don’t use them)

Attenzione: in the negative imperative form for the second-person singular, the infinitive verb loses its final -e before merging with the pronoun:

• Non guardarelo → Non guardarlo (Don’t look at him)
• Non chiamarela → Non chiamarla (Don’t call her)

5. With the irregular verbs dare (to give), fare (to do, to make), stare (to stay), dire (to say), andare (to go), the pronoun doubles its initial consonant (except for gli – to him) when used with the second-person singular imperative:

• Di’ la verità (Tell the truth) → Dilla (Tell it)
• Va’ dal medico se non stai bene (Go to the doctor if you don’t feel well) → Vacci se non stai bene (Go there if you don’t feel well)
• Fà subito il check-in, siamo in ritardo! (Check-in right away, we’re late!) → Fallo subito, siamo in ritardo! (Do it right away, we’re late!) 
• Da’ una mano a tuo padre (Help your father) → Dagli una mano (Help him)

6. The pronominal particles ci and ne follow the same rules as the other pronouns:

• Va’ subito a scuola (Go to school immediately) → Vacci subito (Go there immediately)
• Metti più zucchero (Put more sugar) → Mettine di più (Put some more)
• Non aggiungere più altri dettagli (Don’t add any more details) → Non aggiungerne più (Don’t add any more of them)

7. When reflexive verbs are conjugated in the imperative, the reflexive pronoun merges with the verb, forming a single word:

• Mettiti una sciarpa – Put on a scarf (from mettersi – to put on)
• Svegliatevi prima – Wake up earlier (from svegliarsi – to wake up)
• Vestiamoci tutti di giallo – Let’s all get dressed in yellow (from vestirsi – to get dressed)

However, when using the formal “you” (Lei), the third-person reflexive pronoun goes before the verb:

• Si metta una sciarpa – Put on a scarf
• Si svegli prima – Wake up earlier
• Si vesta di giallo – Let’s all get dressed in yellow

The Italian imperative with the formal “you”

When using the formal “you” (Lei), which is appropriate when speaking to someone you don’t know well or to whom you need to show respect, the imperative in Italian is expressed using the present subjunctive. For example:

• Signora, prenda un cioccolatino! – Madam, please have a praline!
• Dottore, mi dica che cos’ho! – Doctor, tell me what’s wrong with me!
• Professoressa, faccia un esempio! – Professor, give an example!

When addressing a group of people in formal contexts, the standard imperative is typically used. However, to soften the tone and make the request sound more polite, you can incorporate certain elements or use alternative constructions:

1. Add per favore (please):
Signori, spegnete i telefoni per favore – Gentlemen, turn off your phones, please.

2. Use the main verb in the present conditional:
Signori, spegnereste i telefoni per favore? – Gentlemen, would you turn off your phones, please?

3. Turn the command into a question using the modal verb potere (can) in the present conditional:
Signori, potreste spegnere i telefoni? – Gentlemen, could you turn off your phones?

These constructions can also be used in casual contexts, such as when addressing friends or colleagues. Softening requests with these tricks is always a good idea to avoid sounding too direct.

For example, the phrase Gianni, mandami il file (Gianni, send me the file), could be made more polite in the following ways: 

• Gianni, mandami il file per favore – Gianni, send me the file please
• Gianni, mi manderesti il file? – Gianni, would you send me the file?
• Gianni, potresti mandarmi il file per favore? – Gianni, could you send me the file, please?

When to use the imperative in Italian

Finally, let’s take a look at some common scenarios where you’ll find the imperative in everyday conversation. You’ll be surprised at how many different situations it can fit into!

1. To give direct commands

• Dammi il telefono – Give me the phone
• Torna subito qui – Come back here right now

In casual situations, the imperative can be softened with words like dai, su, forza, all meaning “come on”

• Dai, spegni la luce – Come on, turn off the light
• Forza, saluta la nonna – Come on, say hello to grandma

2. To give instructions, particularly in written contexts like manuals, recipes, or how-to guides

• Continua a mescolare la salsa finché non diventa densa – Keep stirring the sauce until it thickens
• Applica la vernice su tutta la superficie – Apply the paint to the entire surface 

Sometimes, instructions are written using the infinitive form instead of the imperative:

• Non fumare – Do not smoke
• Conservare in luogo fresco e asciutto – Store in a cool, dry place.

3. To give advice or make suggestions 

• Chiama Marco se hai problemi con la macchina – Call Marco if you have problems with the car
• Provate questo gelato, è buonissimo – Try this ice cream, it’s delicious

4. To make an exhortation or to encourage someone to take action:

• Compralo subito, è un affare! – Buy it now, it’s a great deal!
• Prendi un’altra fetta di torta! – Take another slice of cake!

5. To warn someone or offer cautionary advice:

• Pensa a cosa dire prima di parlare – Think about what to say before you speak
• Considerate bene le vostre priorità prima di decidere – Carefully consider your priorities before making a decision

6. In casual conversations, Italians often repeat the imperative form in the second-person singular to add emphasis or create a sense of continuity: 

• Gira e rigira, facciamo sempre le stesse cose – Round and round, we always do the same things
• Cammina cammina, alla fine troverai la risposta – Walking and walking, in the end, you’ll find the answer

The repetition of the imperative can also create playful or informal expressions, often used in everyday speech, like:

• Fuggi fuggi – A chaotic scene of people fleeing (literally “escape escape”)
• Lecca lecca – Lollipop (literally “lick lick”)
• Magna magna – This refers to situations of corruption, where personal financial gain is put ahead of what’s best for the public (literally “eat eat”, with magna being a dialectal form of mangia – eat)

7. The imperative is also common in casual expressions, which can convey surprise, disbelief, or sarcasm, such as:

• Senti, senti… (Listen, listen…) – Often used to express wonder, with a sarcastic tone
• Guarda, guarda… (Look,  look…) – Used to express surprise or disapproval, depending on the context
• Ma va’!  Ma va’ là! (No way!) – Used to imply “I don’t believe you” or “Stop it!”, like telling someone to stop exaggerating or saying nonsense
• Ma va’? (Really?) – To express incredulity
• Ma dai! (No way!) – Another expression of disbelief, similar to saying “You can’t be serious!” or “You’re kidding!”
• Ma dai? (Really?) – Another way of expressing incredulity, often when hearing surprising news

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