Giving orders in the negative: Italian grammar lesson 127

Summary

Dive into the art of Italian commands with our guide on mastering the negative imperative! From the simple “non” to the nuanced “congiuntivo esortativo,” you’ll be bossing around in Italian like a pro in no time. 😉

  • Start with “non”: The Italian negation non is your go-to for the negative imperative. Just pop it before the verb, and you’re halfway there!
  • Keep it infinitive for “tu”: When telling someone “you” not to do something, stick the verb in the infinitive form after non. Example: Non mangiare! (Don’t eat!)
  • Imperative for the rest: For other pronouns like noi or voi, use the imperative form of the verb. Remember, non still leads the way.
  • Subjunctive for softness: Want to soften the blow? Use the present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente) with voi for a gentler command. It’s like saying “pretty please” with a cherry on top.
  • Exceptions to note: Verbs like essere and avere often get the subjunctive treatment. It’s like they’re too cool for regular rules.

My thoughts

What is the negative imperative?

Non fare così!

Don’t be like that!

In English, to form a negative imperative, we add the negation do not before the verb, and nothing else changes.

In Italian, it isn’t always that simple. Let’s have a look at how to form it!

How to form the negative imperative in Italian?

As you probably know, the negation word in Italian is non, so we will undoubtedly have to place that before the verb.

The only thing to remember, though, is that in the second person singular (tu), the verb after the negation non will take the infinitive form (mangiare, fare, uscire, etc.), resulting in the structure: Tu + non + verb in the infinitive.

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Have a look at the examples below:

Gianluca, non mangiare a quest’ora, tra poco è pronta la cena.

Gianluca, do not eat at this time; dinner will be ready soon.

(Tu) Non uscire stasera, rimani qui con me!

Don’t go out tonight, stay here with me!

Anna, non chiudere la porta, sta per arrivare Ludo.

Anna, don’t lock the door, Ludo’s coming.

With all the other personal pronouns we simply need to add the word non before the verb in its imperative form: voi, noi, lei + non + verb in the imperative.

(Voi) Non andate al lago oggi, non c’è neanche il sole!

Don’t go to the lake today; it’s not even sunny!

(Lei formale) Non apra la porta!

Do not open the door!

(Noi) Per favore, non cominciamo!

Please, let’s not start!

What are the exceptions for using the negative imperative?

Sometimes, when we invite someone not to do something, we can use non + congiuntivo presente (present subjunctive) for the second person plural (voi).

This is called congiuntivo esortativo (exhortative subjunctive), and it is often used with the verbs essere (to be) and avere (to have) and always with the verbs pensare (to think) and credere (to believe).

All the examples below are addressed to voi:

Non siate tristi!

Do not be sad!

Non pensiate male di me!

Do not think ill of me!

Non abbiate paura!

Do not be afraid!

Non crediate a quel che vi racconta!

Do not believe what he tells you!

How do you use negative in Italian?

Italian language has a different approach to making sentences negative. Unlike English, where we use don't, doesn't, or didn't before the main verb, in Italian, you only need to add non to the verb.

Does Italian use double negatives?

In English, it is a commonly accepted grammar rule to use only one negative word in a sentence. However, it is interesting to note that in Italian, the use of double negatives, and even triple or quadruple negatives, is considered grammatically correct.

Italian word of the day
bottiglie
Example
Colleziono bottiglie. Non sai proprio cosa fare, eh?
I collect bottles. You just don’t know what to do, huh?
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