Breakdown of Seguiteci sulla mappa e non vi perderete.
su
on
e
and
non
not
perdersi
to get lost
ci
us
voi
you
seguire
to follow
la mappa
the map
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Italian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Seguiteci sulla mappa e non vi perderete.
What form is seguiteci and how do I know it’s an imperative and not the present indicative of seguire?
Seguiteci comes from the verb seguire (to follow) in the voi (you plural) form. For both imperative and present indicative the form is seguite, but in context—followed by a direct object pronoun ci (“us”) and in a command-like sentence—it’s understood as an affirmative imperative telling more than one person “Follow us.” Tone and context are what distinguish it from “you (plural) follow us” as a neutral statement.
Why is ci attached to seguite instead of appearing before the verb?
In affirmative imperatives Italian clitic pronouns (like ci, ti, lo, vi) are always enclitic, meaning they attach to the end of the verb: seguite + ci = seguiteci. In negative imperatives or other moods you’d place pronouns differently, but for positive commands to voi, you append them.
What does sulla mappa mean and why isn’t it su la mappa?
Sulla is the contraction of the preposition su (on) and the feminine singular definite article la. In Italian, many simple prepositions merge with the definite article:
– su + il = sul
– su + la = sulla
So sulla mappa literally means on the map.
Why is the second clause in the future tense (non vi perderete) instead of using an imperative like non perdetevi?
Here the speaker isn’t giving a second command but assuring the learners that they will not get lost if they follow the map. Italian uses the future indicative (perderete = “you (plural) will lose”) plus the reflexive pronoun vi (“yourselves”) to say “you will not lose yourselves.” An imperative like non perdetevi would mean “don’t lose yourselves!” which is more of a prohibition than a reassurance.
What role does vi play in non vi perderete, and why is the verb reflexive?
Perdersi is a pronominal (or reflexive) verb meaning “to lose oneself” (i.e., to get lost). Here vi is the second-person plural reflexive pronoun standing for “yourselves.” So non vi perderete literally means “you (plural) will not lose yourselves,” idiomatically “you won’t get lost.”
Why does perderete have a double “r”? How is the future formed?
The future of regular ‑ere verbs like perdere is formed by dropping the final -e and adding ‑r- plus the future endings:
root perder- + -r- + ete (voi ending) = perderete.
The two “r”s come from the root ending in -r (perder) plus the future marker -r before the ending -ete, so you see perde-r-ete.