The Lei imperative is the polite, formal command form — what you use to address a stranger, a customer service agent, an elderly person, your professor, your doctor, or anyone you'd address with Lei rather than tu. You'll hear it constantly in shops, hotels, restaurants, taxis, doctors' offices, and any service encounter in Italy. Si accomodi, mi dica, mi scusi, prego, venga — these formulas are the connective tissue of formal Italian.
The Lei imperative is borrowed wholesale from the 3rd person singular of the congiuntivo presente. There is no separate imperative paradigm — Italians simply repurpose the congiuntivo as a polite command. Once you know the congiuntivo presente, you already know the Lei imperative.
How to form it
Take the 3rd person singular of the congiuntivo presente and use it as a command. For -are verbs the form ends in -i; for -ere and -ire verbs (and -isc verbs) it ends in -a. This is the inverse of the indicativo endings, which is what makes it sound polite (the congiuntivo is the mood of wishes and requests, not statements).
| Infinitive | Lei imperative | English |
|---|---|---|
| parlare | parli! | speak! |
| aspettare | aspetti! | wait! |
| scrivere | scriva! | write! |
| prendere | prenda! | take! |
| dormire | dorma! | sleep! |
| finire (isc) | finisca! | finish! |
| venire | venga! | come! |
| dire | dica! | say! / tell! |
| fare | faccia! | do! / make! |
| andare | vada! | go! |
| dare | dia! | give! |
| stare | stia! | stay! |
| essere | sia! | be! |
| avere | abbia! | have! |
The irregular forms (venga, dica, faccia, vada, dia, stia, sia, abbia) are exactly the irregular 3sg congiuntivi — see present irregular congiuntivo for the full pattern.
Mi scusi, signore, dov'è la stazione?
Excuse me, sir, where is the station?
Si accomodi, prego — il dottore arriva subito.
Please come in and have a seat — the doctor will be right with you.
Mi dia un'informazione, per favore: a che ora chiudete?
Could you give me some information, please: what time do you close?
Parli pure, la sto ascoltando.
Please go ahead and speak, I'm listening.
Venga con me, le mostro l'ufficio del direttore.
Come with me, I'll show you to the manager's office.
Negative is the same form
The negative Lei imperative is identical to the affirmative — you just add non in front. There is no infinitive substitution as there is for the tu form: Lei is already a 3rd-person form (the congiuntivo), so it cannot be confused with anything else.
Non si preoccupi, ci penso io a tutto.
Don't worry, I'll take care of everything.
Non parli a voce così alta, per favore.
Please don't speak so loudly.
Non vada via senza il suo scontrino.
Don't leave without your receipt.
Non si dimentichi di firmare il modulo.
Don't forget to sign the form.
This symmetry between affirmative and negative is one of the things that makes Lei feel calm and even-handed in a way the more dramatic tu forms (parla! → non parlare!) do not.
Clitic placement: PRECEDE the verb
Here is the single most important grammatical contrast between tu and Lei imperatives. With the tu imperative, clitic pronouns attach to the verb (parlami!, dimmi!, dammi!). With the Lei imperative, clitics precede the verb instead, just as they do with normal indicativo or congiuntivo forms.
| Tu (informal) | Lei (formal) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dimmi! | mi dica! | tell me! |
| dammi! | mi dia! | give me! |
| scusami! | mi scusi! | excuse me! |
| siediti! | si sieda! / si accomodi! | sit down! |
| non preoccuparti! | non si preoccupi! | don't worry! |
| scrivimi! | mi scriva! | write to me! |
| portamelo! | me lo porti! | bring it to me! |
Note in particular that reflexive verbs in the Lei imperative use si (the 3rd-person reflexive clitic), not ti. So accomodarsi → si accomodi!, sedersi → si sieda!, preoccuparsi → non si preoccupi!. The Lei is grammatically a 3rd-person form, and its reflexive matches.
Mi dica pure, l'ascolto.
Please go ahead and tell me, I'm listening.
Si sieda, signora — vuole un caffè?
Have a seat, ma'am — would you like a coffee?
Me lo porti domani mattina, se non le dispiace.
Bring it to me tomorrow morning, if you don't mind.
Non si arrabbi con me, era solo uno scherzo.
Don't be angry with me, it was just a joke.
Where you'll actually use it
The Lei imperative dominates service speech in Italy. If you spend a week in any Italian city, you will hear all of these many times a day:
Mi scusi, sa dirmi a che ora apre la farmacia?
Excuse me, can you tell me what time the pharmacy opens?
Buongiorno, mi dica pure.
Good morning, what can I do for you? (lit. 'tell me')
Prego, si accomodi al tavolo vicino alla finestra.
Please, take the table by the window.
Aspetti un momento, le passo il responsabile.
Hold on a moment, I'll put you through to the manager.
Mi faccia sapere se ha bisogno di altro.
Let me know if you need anything else.
Si rilassi, signora — l'iniezione non fa male.
Just relax, ma'am — the injection doesn't hurt.
The polite "prego" often introduces these forms — Prego, si accomodi, Prego, mi dica — and works as a verbal cue meaning "go ahead, please."
The Loro plural (rare, but worth recognizing)
Historically Italian had a formal plural Loro that took the 3rd person plural congiuntivo as its imperative: parlino!, vengano!, si accomodino!. In contemporary Italian this is essentially obsolete in everyday speech — Italians use voi as the default plural even in formal address. You will still encounter Loro forms in:
- Upscale restaurants and luxury hotels: Si accomodino, signori.
- Very formal written address (some legal/commercial correspondence).
- Older speakers and certain regional varieties.
For practical purposes, learn voi as your formal plural and treat Loro forms as a recognition-only category.
Common mistakes
❌ Parla più piano, per favore. (to a stranger)
Incorrect register — parla! is the tu form. To one stranger, use Lei: parli!
✅ Parli più piano, per favore.
Correct — Lei imperative borrowed from 3sg congiuntivo.
❌ Mi dia mi un caffè, per favore.
Incorrect — clitics with Lei precede the verb, never attach. And only one mi.
✅ Mi dia un caffè, per favore.
Correct — mi precedes dia.
❌ Diami il suo passaporto, signore.
Incorrect — attaching the clitic to the Lei form is wrong. With Lei, clitics precede.
✅ Mi dia il suo passaporto, signore.
Correct — mi precedes dia.
❌ Si accomodi ti, signora.
Incorrect — the reflexive of Lei is si, not ti. The si already covers 'yourself' (formal).
✅ Si accomodi, signora.
Correct — si is the 3rd-person reflexive used for the formal Lei.
❌ Vai a destra all'incrocio. (to a stranger asking directions)
Incorrect register — vai is tu. Use the Lei form when giving directions to someone you don't know.
✅ Vada a destra all'incrocio.
Correct — vada is the 3sg congiuntivo of andare, used as the Lei command.
❌ Non preoccupati, signora.
Incorrect — preoccupati is the tu negative imperative. With Lei, clitic precedes: non si preoccupi.
✅ Non si preoccupi, signora.
Correct — non + si + preoccupi (Lei reflexive).
Key takeaways
The Lei imperative is the formal-register backbone of polite Italian. Three things to internalize:
The form is the 3sg congiuntivo presente — parli, prenda, venga, dica, faccia, vada, sia, abbia. Whatever you'd say with the congiuntivo trigger che, you can say as a polite command.
Negative just adds non — non parli, non si preoccupi, non vada via. No infinitive substitution like the tu form.
Clitics precede the verb, opposite of the tu form. Mi dica, si accomodi, me lo porti — never dicami, accomodisi, portamelo in the formal register.
The contrast is the heart of Italian register. Dimmi tutto! to your sister; Mi dica tutto, prego to the police officer. Get the placement right and the rest follows.
For the informal counterpart, see the tu imperative and its negative form. For the inclusive "let's" command, see the noi imperative. For the underlying mood that powers Lei, see present irregular congiuntivo.
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Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- L'Imperativo: OverviewA2 — How Italian gives commands: the five-person imperative system, the strange asymmetry between affirmative and negative, and the borrowing of the formal forms from the subjunctive.
- Imperativo: Tu Form (Informal Singular)A2 — How to give commands to one person you address informally — including the truncated va', da', di', fa', sta' forms and the consonant doubling they trigger with clitics.
- Imperativo: Negative Tu FormA2 — Why 'don't speak!' to a friend is non parlare! and not non parla! — the one place in Italian where the infinitive serves as a direct command.
- Imperativo: Noi Form (Let's)A2 — How Italian expresses 'let's go!' with a single conjugated form — the noi imperative, identical to the presente indicativo, with clitics that attach to the end.
- Standalone Congiuntivo (magari, formal commands)B1 — How the congiuntivo can stand alone as a main verb — for unfulfilled wishes with magari, polite commands to Lei, and hortative formulas like 'Che vinca il migliore!'
- Congiuntivo Presente: Irregular VerbsB1 — Italian's irregular present subjunctives are not random — almost every one is built on the first-person singular of the indicative. Learn the rule and you'll never have to memorize an irregular subjunctive again.