Breakdown of Rimettetevi il cappotto prima di uscire, fa freddo.
prima di
before
uscire
to go out
fare freddo
to be cold
vi
you
il cappotto
the coat
rimettere
to put back on
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Questions & Answers about Rimettetevi il cappotto prima di uscire, fa freddo.
What does rimettetevi mean?
Rimettetevi is the second person plural imperative of the reflexive verb rimettersi, literally “put back on yourselves.” In context it means “put your coats back on.”
What tense, mood, person, and number is rimettetevi?
It’s in the imperative mood (used for commands), addressed to voi (second person plural). The ending -ete marks the 2nd person plural of an –are verb, and -vi is the attached reflexive pronoun.
Why is the reflexive pronoun vi attached to the end of rimettete?
In affirmative imperatives of reflexive verbs, Italian requires you to attach the reflexive pronoun after the verb. So you take rimettete (the imperative form) and add vi, giving rimettetevi.
Why is there ri- in rimettere instead of just mettere?
The prefix ri- means “again.”
• mettere = “to put on”
• rimettere = “to put on again” or “to put back on”
Here it implies the coat was taken off and now needs to go back on.
What role does prima di play in prima di uscire?
Prima di means “before.” When you want to say “before doing something,” you use prima di followed by the infinitive. So prima di uscire = “before going out.”
Why is uscire in the infinitive after prima di?
After prima di, Italian always takes the verb in its infinitive form. You don’t conjugate it, because prima di already signals the timing (“before”).
Could you say prima che usciate instead of prima di uscire?
Yes. Prima che + subjunctive also means “before (you all) go out,” so prima che usciate is grammatically correct. However, prima di + infinitive is more common in everyday speech.
Why does the sentence use fa freddo instead of è freddo or c’è freddo?
Italian expresses weather conditions with the impersonal verb fare (to make), so you say fa freddo (“it makes cold”) or fa caldo (“it makes hot”). Saying è freddo sounds less natural, and c’è freddo is not used for temperature.
Why is il cappotto singular when addressing multiple people?
In reflexive constructions like rimettersi il cappotto, each person acts on their own coat. The reflexive pronoun vi makes clear it applies to each individual, so the noun stays singular.