Allontanati dal vetro!

Questions & Answers about Allontanati dal vetro!

Why does the word allontanati end in -ti?
This is a command using the reflexive verb allontanarsi (to distance oneself / to move away). When giving an informal command (the tu form) in Italian, you attach the reflexive pronoun (ti) directly to the end of the verb.
Why is the base verb allontana rather than allontani?
Because it's an -are verb (allontanare). While the regular present tense for "you" ends in "i" (tu ti allontani), the informal command form for -are verbs ends in "a". So we take allontana and add ti to get allontanati.
Is allontanati related to the word for "far"?
Yes! The root of the verb is the adjective lontano (far). The verb allontanare literally means "to make far" or "to push away," and the reflexive form allontanarsi means "to put oneself far away."
Why use dal for "from the" instead of a word like del?
Dal is the combination of the preposition da (from) + the definite article il (the). You must use da here because it expresses motion away from a place or an object (the glass), whereas di (which forms del) is usually for possession, description, or material.

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