Breakdown of Signora, se i sintomi aumentano, torni pure in ambulatorio.
tornare
to return
se
if
in
to
la signora
the lady
Questions & Answers about Signora, se i sintomi aumentano, torni pure in ambulatorio.
Why is it torni and not torna?
Because this is a command addressed to Lei, the formal you in Italian.
For Lei commands, Italian uses the present subjunctive form:
- torna! = come back! / return! — informal, to tu
- torni! = come back! / return! — formal, to Lei
So in a medical context, torni is the normal polite form when speaking to a patient as Signora.
What does pure mean here?
In this sentence, pure does not mean pure in the English sense.
After a command, pure often has a softening or reassuring effect. It can suggest things like:
- go ahead
- feel free to
- do
- please do
So torni pure in ambulatorio sounds gentler than just torni in ambulatorio. It makes the instruction feel more polite and reassuring, especially in a doctor-patient interaction.
Why is it se i sintomi aumentano with the present tense?