È arrivata Anna, nasconditi qui!

Questions & Answers about È arrivata Anna, nasconditi qui!

Why is it arrivata with an -a at the end?
In the past tense (passato prossimo), when a verb uses essere (like è here) as its helper verb, the past participle must agree with the subject. Since Anna is a woman, arrivato changes to the feminine form arrivata.
Is it normal to say È arrivata Anna instead of Anna è arrivata?
Yes! While Anna è arrivata is perfectly fine, Italians often put the subject after the verb to announce a new event or draw attention to the person. It translates to 'Anna has arrived!' but feels a bit like 'Look, it is Anna!'
How does the word nasconditi work?
It is the informal command form of the reflexive verb nascondersi (to hide oneself). When you give a command to a friend or family member (the tu form), pronouns attach directly to the end of the verb. So, nascondi (hide) + ti (yourself) becomes nasconditi.
Could I just say nascondi qui without the -ti at the end?
No, because the regular verb nascondere means to hide an object (like hiding a gift). To say 'hide yourself', you have to use the reflexive pronoun ti. Without it, an Italian would wait to hear what object you want them to hide!

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