Che intendi? Chiarisci, per favore.

Questions & Answers about Che intendi? Chiarisci, per favore.

Why do we use intendi here instead of significhi for "do you mean"?
In Italian, intendere (or voler dire) is used when a person means or intends to say something. Significare is used when a word, object, or concept means something. Since the question is "What do you mean?", intendi is the correct choice.
Why does chiarire become chiarisci in the command form?
Chiarire (to clarify) belongs to the group of -ire verbs that insert -isc- into their stem, just like capire or finire. The informal command (the tu imperative) borrows the exact same form as the regular present tense tu conjugation, which is chiarisci.
Can I use Cosa or Che cosa instead of just Che at the beginning?
Yes, you can. When asking "what", che, cosa, and che cosa are all correct and mean the exact same thing. Che intendi? is just a bit quicker and very common in spoken Italian.
How could I use mica with this verb to say "You don't mean..., do you?"
To turn this into an emphatic negation using the lesson's grammar, you would drop the question word and wrap the verb with non and mica. For example, Non intendi mica andartene? (You don't mean to leave, do you?). This emphasizes that you are expecting, or hoping for, a negative answer.

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