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Italian grammar

CEFR A2

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Test yourself (19 questions)

Dimmi or Mi dica: Pronouns With the Italian Imperative

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026

Where the pronoun goes in a command tells you the register. To a friend, it sticks to the end of the verb: , tell me. To a stranger, it stands in front: . The forms themselves are on the Italian imperative.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

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Tap the mistake.

The whole system on one screen

informal (tu)polite (Lei)the pronounWhat do the colours mean?
CommandTo a friendTo a stranger
look at me! !
tell me. .
excuse me. .
don't worry . .

Tu, noi, voi: the pronoun attaches

With an informal command, the object pronoun joins the end of the verb and the two become one word:

guarda + mi = guardami, look at me!
ItalianEnglish
!Call me!
!Wait for me!
!Take it! ( )
!Look at me! ()
Prendiamolo!Let's take it!

The stress stays where it was on the verb: guàrda, guàrdami. That is why the long word sounds stressed so early.

The short forms double the consonant

After ', ', , and , the first consonant of the pronoun doubles. It is compulsory, and it is one of the most characteristic sounds of spoken Italian:

Short formWith miEnglish
'.Tell me.
'.Give me.
.Let me. Make me.
  • . - Tell me the truth.
  • . - Give me the key.
  • . - Let me see.
  • ! - Go away! ( + + )

is the one pronoun that never doubles: . Tell him the truth.

is plus an infinitive, make me see, which is how Italian says let me see. The same shape gives , let me know.

Lei: the pronoun goes in front

The polite command does the opposite. The pronoun stands in front as a separate word, as it would with an ordinary verb:

ItalianEnglish
.How can I help? (tell me)
.Excuse me.
.Do it.
...Give me... (ordering, polite)

So tell me is to a friend and to a stranger. The word order marks the register as clearly as the ending does.

Negative commands: either side

With a negative command, which is plus the infinitive, the pronoun may go in front or attach to the infinitive. Both are correct:

Non
Pronoun
Verb
empty
  • . / . - Don't worry.
  • . / . - Don't do it.

The infinitive drops its final e when the pronoun attaches: becomes .

With , the pronoun stays in front: . Don't worry. . Don't do it.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
Dimi..the consonant doubles
Dicami. . puts the pronoun in front
! (friend)! attaches the pronoun
Diglli.. never doubles
preoccupareti the infinitive drops its e

What to do next

plus an infinitive, as in Fammi , is on the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Italian specification at Higher tier.

  1. Say and aloud, and imagine who you are speaking to.
  2. Learn and as whole phrases.
  3. Go back to the Italian imperative for the forms themselves.

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/4

Attach the pronoun to the command.

  1. guarda + mi (look at me)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. di' + mi (tell me)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. fa' + mi (let me)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  4. prendi + la (take it, la macchina)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Sort into groups

0/6

Who is being spoken to: a friend (tu) or a stranger (Lei)?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Put the words in order

0/3

Put the words in order.

  1. Tell me the truth. (to a friend)

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. Give me the key. (to a friend)

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. Don't worry. (to a friend)

    Your sentence is empty.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake.

Translation drill

0/3

Who is speaking to whom?

  1. Chiamami domani.

  2. Dammi la chiave.

  3. Fammi vedere.

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Frequently asked questions

Why is it and not dimi?
Because ' is a short form, cut down from a longer word, and Italian doubles the first consonant of a pronoun attached to it: ' plus gives . The same happens with , give me, and , let me. The doubling is compulsory, and dimi is simply misspelt.
What does mean?
Literally tell me, in the polite form. It is what a shop assistant, waiter or clerk says when it is your turn, so in practice it means how can I help? or what would you like? The friendly version is , with the pronoun attached.
Where does the pronoun go in a negative command?
With , either side: and both mean don't do it, and both are correct. With both orders work too: ditelo and , don't say it. With it always goes in front: , don't do it.
Does double after a short form?
No. is the one pronoun that never doubles: , tell him the truth; , give him the book. Every other pronoun doubles its consonant after ', ', , and .
What does mean?
Go away. It is plus two pronouns, and , with the n doubled: ! It is a fixed phrase, and a rude one unless said in jest. The polite version, rarely needed, is .