B1 · Reported speech
Reported orders and requests
« He told me to wait » — the same shape, with di instead of « to ».
At a glance
- Remember
- A reported order is di plus the infinitive.
- Form
- «Aspetta!» → mi dice di aspettaredirect
- Signal words
- dire di
- chiedere di
- pregare di
- consigliare di
- ordinare di
- vietare di
- Trap
- Wrong:Mi dice che aspetto.Right:Mi dice di aspettare.
Your turn
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The form
From the base form to the new form
Each row first says what the form expresses, then shows it in Italian: the base form before the arrow, the result after it.
negation
| direct | «Aspetta!» → mi dice di aspettare |
| negative | «Non aspettare!» → mi dice di non aspettare |
| with the congiuntivo | dice a Marco che i bambini aspettino |
| with chiedere | «Aiutami» → mi chiede di aiutarlo |
| with consigliare | «Parti presto» → mi consiglia di partire presto |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
The order becomes an infinitive with di.
Il medico mi dice di riposare.The doctor tells me to rest.
non stands in front of the infinitive.
Ci dice di non insistere.He tells us not to insist.
The person addressed is a pronoun next to the verb — mi, ci, gli before it, loro after it.
Chiede loro di avere pazienza.She asks them to be patient.
The same shape: chiedere, pregare, consigliare, ordinare, vietare.
Gli hanno vietato di fumare qui.He has been forbidden to smoke here.
Example sentences
Mi dice di richiamare domani mattina.He tells me to call back tomorrow morning.
Ci chiede di chiudere la porta.She asks us to close the door.
Il professore consiglia loro di rileggere il testo.The teacher advises them to read the text again.
Gli hanno chiesto di non dire nulla.They asked him not to say anything.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English has both shapes as well — « he tells me to wait » and « he says that I must wait » — and so does Italian: mi dice che devo aspettare is correct, only longer. What goes wrong is the che clause without the « must »: mi dice che aspetto is no longer an order but a statement, « he tells me that I am waiting ». A che clause that passes on an order needs the congiuntivo (che aspetti, not che aspetto), and the short form with di is the ordinary one.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
A reported order has two forms in Italian. The usual one is the infinitive with di: Aspetta! becomes Mi dice di aspettare. That is « he tells me to wait », joint for joint, with di where English has « to ».
The second is che with the congiuntivo. It is more written, and it is used above all where the person addressed is not the one who is to act: Dice a Marco che i bambini aspettino fuori. — « he tells Marco the children are to wait outside ».
The negative attaches to the infinitive, with non in front: Mi dice di non aspettare.
The person the order goes to stands as a pronoun before the verb of saying: mi dice, ci chiede, gli ordina.
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The verbs on this page, in every form: dire · avere · chiedere · chiudere · richiamare · vietare · riposare