Breakdown of Chiama subito tua madre e dille che arriviamo più tardi.
tu
you
e
and
noi
we
subito
right away
arrivare
to arrive
più tardi
later
la madre
the mother
che
that
chiamare
to call
le
her
la tua
your
dire
to tell
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Questions & Answers about Chiama subito tua madre e dille che arriviamo più tardi.
Why is there no subject pronoun in chiama subito tua madre?
In Italian, the second-person singular imperative chiama means call and already implies you as the subject. Subject pronouns are omitted when the verb form makes the subject clear, so you simply say chiama, not tu chiama.
Why is there no definite article before tua madre?
With singular family-member nouns like madre, padre, sorella, and fratello, Italian drops the definite article when you use a possessive adjective. Hence tua madre instead of la tua madre, unless you want extra emphasis or formality.
What does dille mean, and how is it formed?
dille is the affirmative imperative of dire (to tell) combined with the dative clitic pronoun le (to her). In positive commands, you attach the pronoun to the verb stem: di- + le → dille, meaning tell her.
Why is the verb arriviamo in the present tense instead of a future tense like arriveremo?
Italian often uses the present indicative for near-future actions. arriviamo più tardi literally reads we arrive later, but contextually it means we will arrive later. Using arriveremo (we will arrive) is grammatically correct but the present tense feels more immediate and idiomatic.
What does più tardi mean, and how does it differ from just tardi?
più tardi literally means more late, i.e. later. tardi alone means late. Use più tardi to indicate later (than now), not just the quality of being late.
What is the function of subito in the sentence?
subito is an adverb meaning immediately or right away. It modifies chiama to instruct that the call should happen without delay.
Why does the pronoun le in dille attach to the end of the verb here?
In Italian affirmative imperatives, object pronouns attach (enclitic) to the end of the verb form, producing dille instead of le di. In negative imperatives, pronouns precede the verb (e.g., non le dire).
Could you reorder chiama subito tua madre as chiama tua madre subito, and would that change the meaning?
Yes, Italian word order is fairly flexible, so chiama tua madre subito is grammatically correct and means the same. However, placing subito right after the verb—chiama subito—is more idiomatic because adverbs typically follow the verb they modify.