Italian 路 Chapter 10 路 Lesson 14 路 Grammar primer
The imperative
The informal command borrows from the present, the polite one from the subjunctive, and the register matters more here than anywhere.
The short version
Don't speak is non parlare, not non parla
A negative command to someone you call tu is non plus the infinitive: non parlare, non aspettare, non dimenticare. Non parla is a statement, not an order. Every other person just puts non in front of the normal command, so this is the one form to learn separately.
Non parlare!
Dimmi to a friend, mi dica to a stranger
The informal command glues its pronoun to the end, doubling the consonant after short forms: dimmi, fammi, dammi. The polite Lei command comes from the subjunctive and puts the pronoun in front as a separate word. Word order marks the register as clearly as the ending does.
Mi dica.
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