14

True imperatives

Some true imperative verb conjugations:

I II III III (-isc-) Meaning
Second person singular parla vendi senti finisci speak, sell listen, finish
First person plural parliamo vendiamo sentiamo finiamo let’s speak, etc.
Second person plural parlate vendete sentite finite speak, sell, etc.

Except for the second person singular of the first-conjugation verbs, the three forms of the imperative given above are exactly like the corresponding forms of the present indicative.

NOTE: The negative imperative is formed by placing non before the affirmative imperative in all cases except the second person singular, in which case non is placed before the infinitive.

parliamo – “let’s speak”                      parlate – “speak”

non parliamo – “let’s not speak”       non parlate – “don’t speak”

BUT:  parla – “speak”

non parlare – “don’t speak”

Imperative sentences usually end in an exclamation mark.


VOCABULARY

ancora
still, yet; again
che
who, whom, which, that, what
città
city, cities
lasciare
to leave (behind)
noto
well-known
ogni
each, every
paventare
to fear
quindi
therefore, then; hence
riposare
to rest
seduzione
temptation/charm/attraction
sesso
(biological) sex
(la) sua, (il) suo
his, her, its

 

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Italian for Reading & Translation Copyright © by Lauren Surovi and Carleton W. Carroll. All Rights Reserved.

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