Learn Italian: Forza squadra, giochiamo sempre insieme! - Come on team, let's always play together!

Forza squadra, giochiamo sempre insieme!

Come on team, let's always play together!

Breakdown of Forza squadra, giochiamo sempre insieme!

insieme

together / together with

Questions & Answers about Forza squadra, giochiamo sempre insieme!

How do you form the 'let's...' command in Italian, like 'let's play' (giochiamo)?

To say 'let's do something' in Italian, you just use the noi (we) form of the imperative. For regular verbs, this is identical to the normal present tense noi form! So, giochiamo can mean 'we play' or 'let's play', depending on the tone of your voice.

Why is there an 'h' in giochiamo when the dictionary verb is giocare?

This is a spelling rule for verbs ending in -care and -gare. To keep the hard 'c' sound (like a 'k') when adding an ending that starts with 'i' or 'e', you have to insert an h. Without the h, it would be pronounced with a soft 'ch' sound.

Doesn't forza mean 'strength'? Why does it mean 'come on' here?

You are correct that the literal translation is 'strength' or 'force.' However, when used as an exclamation, forza is a very common way to encourage someone, meaning 'come on!', 'let's go!', or 'you can do it!'.

Why does sempre come after the verb instead of before it?

In English, we say 'let's always play' with the adverb before the action. In Italian, adverbs of time like sempre (always) and mai (never) usually go right after the verb. So it becomes giochiamo sempre.