Learn Hardcore Italian: Se senti altri tuoni, chiudi la finestra del soggiorno. - If you hear more thunder, close the living-room window.

In Italian, the present indicative is normally used in if-clauses to talk about future situations. So Se senti… already implies a future condition. Se sentirai… is possible and not wrong, but the present is more natural and more common here.

What form is chiudi? Is it an imperative?

Yes. Chiudi is the second-person singular imperative of chiudere (command to one person). It looks identical to the present indicative form (tu chiudi) but here it functions as a command. Other imperative forms:

Lei (formal): chiuda
noi: chiudiamo
voi (you all): chiudete
Loro (very formal/plural): chiudano (rare in speech)

How would I say this to someone formally or to more than one person?

To one person, formal (Lei): Se sente altri tuoni, chiuda la finestra del soggiorno.
To more than one person (voi): Se sentite altri tuoni, chiudete la finestra del soggiorno.
Very formal plural (rare): Se sentono altri tuoni, chiudano la finestra del soggiorno.

Why is there no subject pronoun tu? Could I say Se tu senti?

Italian usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the subject. Se senti is normal. You can add tu (Se tu senti) for emphasis or contrast, but it isn’t necessary.

Why is altri tuoni plural? In English we often say just “thunder.”

Italian treats tuono (thunderclap/peal) as a countable noun. Tuoni is the plural, so altri tuoni means “more/other thunderclaps.” The adjective altri agrees in gender and number with tuoni (masculine plural).

Could I use ancora or più instead of altri?

altri tuoni = additional thunderclaps (more occurrences)
ancora tuoni = thunder again/further thunder (very natural too)
più tuoni = more thunder in a quantitative sense, often comparative (e.g., more than before/than elsewhere). In a simple condition like this, altri or ancora sounds more idiomatic.

Why is it del soggiorno and not nel soggiorno?

la finestra del soggiorno = “the living room’s window” (the window that belongs to that room).
la finestra nel soggiorno = “the window in the living room” (locating the window). Both can be correct, but del emphasizes belonging/association, which is the usual phrasing for parts of a house.

What exactly is del?

Del is the contraction of di + il. So la finestra del soggiorno = “the window of the living room.”

Can I replace la finestra del soggiorno with a pronoun?

Yes. With affirmative commands, attach the object pronoun to the end:

Chiudila. (Close it.) With negative commands to tu, use the infinitive and place the pronoun either before or after (both are used):
Non la chiudere / Non chiuderla.

Should there be a comma after the se-clause?

Yes, when the if-clause comes first, Italian normally uses a comma: Se senti…, chiudi… If you invert the order, the comma is usually unnecessary: Chiudi…, se senti…

Why not use the subjunctive (se sentissi)?

For realistic/likely conditions, Italian uses the indicative: Se senti… For hypothetical or less likely conditions, you use the imperfect subjunctive + conditional: Se sentissi altri tuoni, la chiuderei. Since this sentence gives a real-time instruction, the indicative + imperative is the natural choice.

Can I change the word order to put the command first?

Yes: Chiudi la finestra del soggiorno se senti altri tuoni. The meaning is the same.

Does senti mean “listen”? What about ascoltare and udire?

sentire = to hear (also to feel/smell in other contexts). Here, with tuoni, it means “hear.”
ascoltare = to listen (intentional).
udire = to hear (more formal/literary). In everyday speech, sentire is preferred.

Are soggiorno, salotto, and sala interchangeable?

They overlap but have nuances:

soggiorno = living room (often the main living area, sometimes combined with dining).
salotto = sitting room/lounge (cozy, smaller, more formal).
sala = room/hall, often larger or for a function (e.g., sala da pranzo = dining room).

Could I say Se senti qualche tuono instead of altri tuoni?

Qualche tuono means “any/some thunderclap(s)” and doesn’t carry the idea of “more/again.” Altri tuoni signals additional occurrences. So use altri/ancora if you mean “more.”

Is there any accent on se?

No. Se (if) has no accent. Sé with an accent is the reflexive pronoun meaning “oneself,” which is a different word.