Breakdown of Allontanatevi e sdraiatevi al suolo!
e
and
a
to / at
allontanarsi
to move away
sdraiarsi
to lie down
Questions & Answers about Allontanatevi e sdraiatevi al suolo!
Why do both verbs end in -vi?
They are commands (the imperative form) given to a group of people using the voi (plural you) form. Both are reflexive verbs, and when you give a positive command in Italian, the reflexive pronoun (like vi) attaches directly to the end of the verb. So allontanate (move) + vi (yourselves) becomes allontanatevi.
What are the dictionary forms of these verbs?
The base forms are allontanarsi (to move away) and sdraiarsi (to lie down). You can recognize them as reflexive verbs because they end in -si instead of the usual -re.
How would I give this same command to just one person?
Why is it al suolo instead of sul suolo for "on the ground"?
While English uses "on", Italian often uses the preposition a (to or at) for actions like falling, dropping, or lying down on the ground. When you combine a with the definite article il (the), it merges to become al. Al suolo is the most natural set phrase for this context.