ELONIO
Log inSign up

Non tocchiamo niente, è pericoloso!

Non tocchiamo niente, è pericoloso!
Let's not touch anything, it is dangerous!
From Lesson 120:Negative commands (non...)·Italian

Breakdown of Non tocchiamo niente, è pericoloso!

essere
to be
non
not
pericoloso
dangerous
niente
nothing
toccare
to touch

Questions & Answers about Non tocchiamo niente, è pericoloso!

Why is it non tocchiamo and not non toccare?
The special rule of using non + the infinitive verb (like non toccare) only applies to the informal singular "you" (tu). For "we" (noi) and plural "you" (voi), you just put non in front of the regular present tense verb. Since tocchiamo is the "we" form used for "let's touch", non tocchiamo means "let's not touch".
Why is there an "h" in tocchiamo?
The base verb is toccare (to touch), which has a hard "c" sound, like a "k". If we just added the "we" ending (-iamo) to make tocciamo, the "i" would change the "c" to a soft sound, like in "cheese". We insert an h to lock in that original hard "k" sound: tocchiamo.
Doesn't non tocchiamo niente literally mean "let's not touch nothing"?
Yes, it does! Italian frequently requires a double negative. Whenever a negative word like niente (nothing/anything) comes after the verb, you must put non before the verb. Together, they translate perfectly to "not... anything" in English.
Where is the word for "it" in è pericoloso?
In Italian, subject pronouns like "it" are almost always dropped. For a general statement like "it is dangerous", you don't use a separate word for "it"; you just start straight with è, which is the "he/she/it is" form of the verb.

Learn Non tocchiamo niente, è pericoloso and more in Italian

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Italian →