ELONIO
Log inSign up

Spostati, è arrivato il direttore!

Spostati, è arrivato il direttore!
Move out of the way, the director has arrived!
From Lesson 125:Reflexive imperatives (alzati)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Spostati, è arrivato il direttore!

Why is ti attached to the end of spostati?
Spostati comes from the reflexive verb spostarsi (to move oneself). When giving an informal command (the imperative) to someone, pronouns like ti (yourself) are attached directly to the end of the affirmative verb, making it one single word.
Does spostati change if I am telling multiple people to move?
Yes! If you are telling a group of people to move out of the way, you use the plural you (voi) form. The command becomes spostatevi (move yourselves).
Why do we say è arrivato instead of ha arrivato?
In the Italian past tense, verbs that describe motion or a change of state, like arrivare (to arrive), take essere (to be) as their helper verb instead of avere (to have). Because of this, Italians literally say the director is arrived rather than has arrived.
Why is il direttore at the very end of the sentence?
While you can say il direttore è arrivato, Italian is flexible with word order. Putting the subject after the verb is a very common way to announce a sudden event, a new arrival, or to add dramatic emphasis to who just arrived.

Learn Spostati, è arrivato il direttore 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 →