Giving formal instructions: Italian grammar lesson 205

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What is the formal you in Italian?

As you might already know, to speak to someone formally in Italian, we use the personal pronoun lei (formal you) instead of tu (informal you).

The pronoun lei is exactly the same as the feminine singular third person and conjugates in the same way.

Signor Botti, lei è sempre il benvenuto qui.

Botti, you are always welcome here.

Anche lei è andata al concerto, signora?

Did you go to the concert as well, madam?

This pronoun is also used to give formal instructions and commands, for example, at work or in any other formal setting, using  the imperative mood.

giving instructions italian

How to use the formal imperative?

The imperative is used to give orders, suggestions, exhortations, instructions, etc. Examples can be: be careful, stay home, go out.

And there are two forms of the imperative in Italian:

  1. The informal imperative is used with friends, family, and generally, people with whom you would use the informal pronoun tu (informal you).
  2. The formal imperative is used with acquaintances and people you don’t know well, older people, and professional relationships. The way we form the formal imperative is very simple and depends on the verb we want to use.

How to create the formal imperative with verbs ending in -are?

To build the formal imperative we divide the Italian verbs into 2 groups. Let’s have a look at the first group:

  1. Verbs ending in –are: cantare (to sing), mangiare (to eat), guardare (to watch).

We simply add the ending i to the root of the verb.

Have a look at the examples below. Note that lei is often omitted.

  • mangiare:  (Lei) mangi
  • cantare: (Lei) canti
  • guardare: (Lei) guardi

imperativo italian

How to create the formal imperative with –ere, –ire and irregular verbs?

Now on to the second group of verbs:

  1. Verbs ending in -ere and -ire: mettere (to put), dormire (to sleep), correre (to run).
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We simply add the ending –a to the root:

  • mettere: (Lei) metta
  • dormire: (Lei) dorma
  • correre: (Lei) corra

 At last, but not least, here are some of the most commonly used irregular verbs conjugated in the formal Lei imperative form:

  • fare(to do): Lei faccia 
  • andare (to go):  Lei vada 
  • dire (to say): Lei dica 
  • dare (to give): Lei dia 
  • stare (to stay): Lei stia 
  • essere (to be): Lei sia 
  • avere (to have): Lei abbia 

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FAQs on Giving formal instructions: Italian grammar lesson 205

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2 Responses

  1. Given the preceding lessons focused on the use of the Congiuntivo, you get a ‘twofer’ by already knowing how to form the Formal Imperative. Namely, to make the formal imperative, you just use the present tense of the Italian Congiuntivo and the equivalent endings of the –are, –ere, –ire verbs. Right ?

    Fun to know this.

    1. Ciao Donald!

      I can understand why you came to that conclusion but it’s not entirely correct.

      In Italian the Imperative mood has two options: formal and informal. For creating the Formal Imperative there are two groups. The verbs ending in -Are and the verbs ending in -Ere and -Ire.
      For the first group (cantare) you take the root of the verb (cant) and add an ending in -i (lei canti).
      For the second group (mettere, dormire, capire) you take the root of the verb (mett, dorm, cap) and add and ending in -a or -isca (lei metta, lei dorma, lei capisca).

      That is why I told you that even if it could seem like it was formed by the present subjunctive and the equivalent endings, it’s different and you should know to avoid not only mistakes but mixups because the Formal Imperative has a lot of irregular verbs.

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