Unit 93 Guidebook: tell others what to do
KEY PHRASES
Tell others what to do
Stay here with us!
Go to the park!
Speak louder!
Get in the car!
Call the doctor!
TIP
Look!
Did that get your attention? When telling someone what to do in Italian, use the ending ‑a for ‑are verbs, and ‑i for ‑ere or ‑ire verbs.
Talk on the phone with your grandmother!
Take the umbrella!
Open the door!
Drink more water!
TIP
Let's go!
Giving commands in Italian to more than one person at the time is even simpler! If you want to give orders in the noi and voi forms, use the verb endings you're already familiar with.
Let's go to the park to run!
Let's keep it between us!
Just change the tone of your voice or add an exclamation mark to make clear you are telling people to do something.
Follow that car!
Remain where you are!
TIP
Dimmi di più!
You've already seen that Italian verbs often go together with short words, like lo, la, mi, ci, etc.
If you are giving a command that needs one of these words, you should always attach them to the end of the verb.
The salad is ready, let's pass it to the guests!
Let's call ourselves a couple!
Oh, and one last thing! A few of these word combinations have special forms, for example dammi and dimmi.
Give me the spoon!
Tell me where you’re going!
Tell me more!