Breakdown of Nasconditi dietro il muro, presto!
presto
early / soon / quickly, hurry
dietro
behind
il muro
the wall
nascondersi
to hide (oneself)
Questions & Answers about Nasconditi dietro il muro, presto!
Why is the pronoun attached to the end of nasconditi?
Nasconditi is a command using the reflexive verb nascondersi (to hide oneself). In Italian, when you give an informal command (the "tu" form), you attach the reflexive pronoun (-ti) directly to the end of the conjugated verb. So, nascondi (hide) + ti (yourself) becomes nasconditi.
Why does "to hide" need to be reflexive here?
In Italian, if you are hiding yourself, you use the reflexive verb nascondersi (literally "to hide oneself"). If you were hiding a physical object instead, like a key or a present, you would just use the standard non-reflexive verb nascondere.
I sometimes see dietro combined with a preposition. Why is it just dietro il muro here?
When dietro (behind) is followed by a noun like muro, you can use the definite article (il) directly after it. You might also hear Italians say dietro al muro, which is also correct. Just remember that if a pronoun comes after it, you must add di (for example, dietro di me meaning "behind me").
I learned that presto means "early." Why is it translated as "quickly"?
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