Italian Verbs of Asking: Chiedere di + Infinitive (B1)

🔍 In short. The italian verbs asking di + infinitive pattern covers the family of verbs that request, order, beg, advise, forbid, or prevent: chiedere, ordinare, pregare, dire, consigliare, suggerire, permettere, vietare, impedire. They split into two groups by how they handle the person addressed. Pregare, implorare, supplicare take a direct object: ti prego di venire. Most others take an indirect object with a: chiedo a Linda di partire, ho detto al rifugista di aprire alle cinque. In both cases the second action sits in the infinitive, linked by di. When the subject changes and you want to spell it out, switch to che + subjunctive: chiedo che Linda parta. Get this distinction right and a huge slice of natural B1 Italian opens up: instructions, polite requests, reported orders.

This B1 guide walks through the italian verbs asking di pattern step by step: the two object families, the di/che switch, pronoun placement, the common traps with dire, and a dialogue at a Dolomite rifugio in Belluno during a guida alpina training day. By the end you will pick the right italian verbs asking di construction without hesitating.

The one-liner rule for italian verbs asking di

When an Italian verb means asking, ordering, advising, begging, allowing, forbidding, or preventing someone from doing something, you link the second action with di + infinitive. The italian verbs asking di pattern is the workhorse of polite instructions and reported requests in everyday speech. Just two questions decide the shape of the sentence: first, does the verb take a direct or an indirect object for the person addressed? Second, do the two verbs share a subject, or do you need to spell out a different one?

The default is short and clean: chiedo a Linda di partire, il rifugista ci ha detto di entrare, la guida ha ordinato al gruppo di restare in cordata. If you want to make the second subject explicit because the situation is ambiguous, you swap di + infinitive for che + subjunctive: chiedo che Linda parta, la guida ha ordinato che il gruppo restasse in cordata. Both forms are correct. The infinitive form is shorter and far more common in spoken Italian.

Direct object family: pregare, implorare, supplicare

Three italian verbs asking di take a direct object for the person you address: pregare (to beg, to ask politely), implorare (to implore), and supplicare (to beseech, to plead). Inside this branch of italian verbs asking di, the person is not preceded by a; they go straight after the verb. Then comes di + infinitive for the action you want them to do.

• Linda ha pregato Bruno di controllare i ramponi prima dell’alba. Linda asked Bruno to check the crampons before dawn.
• Ti prego di venire puntuale alla partenza, la guida non aspetta nessuno. I beg you to be on time for the departure, the guide waits for no one.
• Vi preghiamo di non lasciare zaini incustoditi nella sala da pranzo. We kindly ask you not to leave backpacks unattended in the dining room.
• I due alpinisti hanno implorato il rifugista di aprire la porta nonostante l’orario. The two climbers begged the rifugio keeper to open the door despite the hour.
• Bruno supplicò la guida di rallentare il passo sull’ultimo tratto in salita. Bruno pleaded with the guide to slow down the pace on the last uphill stretch.

Notice the polite formula ti prego di, vi prego di, la prego di. This corner of italian verbs asking di softens any request into a courteous tone Italians use in shops, on signs, in emails. The verb pregare here has nothing to do with prayer in the religious sense; it just means asking with extra politeness.

Indirect object family: chiedere, ordinare, dire and friends

The much larger family of italian verbs asking di takes an indirect object for the person addressed, introduced by the preposition a: chiedere a qualcuno di, dire a qualcuno di, ordinare a qualcuno di, and so on. Then comes di + infinitive for the action requested. Memorise the structure once and a dozen verbs fall into place at the same time.

• Linda chiede a Bruno di portare la borraccia da un litro e mezzo. Linda asks Bruno to bring the litre-and-a-half water bottle.
• La guida ha ordinato al gruppo di restare in cordata sul ghiacciaio. The guide ordered the group to stay roped up on the glacier.
• Bruno ha detto a Linda di non dimenticare i bastoncini per la discesa. Bruno told Linda not to forget the poles for the descent.
• Il rifugista ha consigliato agli escursionisti di prenotare la cena entro le sei. The rifugio keeper advised the hikers to book dinner by six.
• La nebbia improvvisa ha impedito al gruppo di raggiungere la cima del Civetta. The sudden fog prevented the group from reaching the summit of Civetta.
• Il regolamento del rifugio vieta agli ospiti di accendere fornelli in camera. The rifugio rules forbid guests to use stoves in their rooms.
• Linda ha suggerito a Bruno di provare il sentiero numero 524 in discesa. Linda suggested that Bruno try trail 524 on the way down.
• La guida ha permesso ai ragazzi più giovani di salire sulla ferrata solo con l’imbrago. The guide allowed the younger lads to climb the via ferrata only with a harness.

The full B1 list of italian verbs asking di in the indirect-object group: chiedere, comandare, concedere, consigliare, dire, domandare, impedire, ordinare, permettere, proibire, proporre, raccomandare, ricordare, suggerire, vietare. They all share the same skeleton of italian verbs asking di: verbo + a qualcuno + di + infinito. The person comes in the middle, sandwiched between the main verb and di.

When the indirect object becomes a pronoun, it can take the contracted form mi, ti, gli, le, ci, vi, gli and slide before the main verb: Linda mi ha chiesto di partire all’alba, la guida gli ha ordinato di tornare indietro, il rifugista ci ha consigliato di prenotare. The a disappears because it is absorbed into the pronoun form. The di + infinitive part stays exactly the same.

Di + infinitive or che + subjunctive: when to switch

Italian gives you a choice with italian verbs asking di. The infinitive construction works whenever the person doing the second action is already mentioned as the object of the main verb. Chiedo a Linda di partire: Linda is both the person I am asking and the person who will leave. The italian verbs asking di infinitive form is short, neutral, and very common.

The alternative is che + subjunctive. You need it when the subject of the second verb is not the object of the main verb, or when you want to make the subject of the subordinate clause explicit with a new noun. Compare:

• Linda chiede a Bruno di portare la borraccia. Linda asks Bruno to bring the water bottle. (Bruno does the asking and the bringing.)
• Linda chiede che Bruno porti la borraccia. Linda asks for Bruno to bring the water bottle. (same meaning, more formal, subject spelled out.)
• Linda chiede che porti la borraccia il rifugista. Linda asks that the rifugio keeper bring the water bottle. (different subject from any object of the main verb. che + subjunctive is mandatory here.)
• La guida ha ordinato al gruppo di restare in cordata. The guide ordered the group to stay roped up.
• La guida ha ordinato che il gruppo restasse in cordata. The guide ordered the group to stay roped up. (formal written variant.)

One important constraint on italian verbs asking di: you cannot use di + infinitive if the subject of the subordinate verb is a brand-new noun introduced inside the subordinate clause itself. Linda chiede di partire il rifugista is ungrammatical because il rifugista has nowhere to attach. In that case che + subjunctive is your only option: Linda chiede che il rifugista parta. So the practical rule: stick with the italian verbs asking di infinitive when the addressee is the doer, switch to che + subjunctive whenever a new subject enters the scene.

The dire trap: order vs report

The verb dire behaves like a chameleon. With di + infinitive it means “to tell someone to do something”. With che + indicative it just reports a statement. The two readings are completely different, and Italian keeps them apart with the preposition.

• Bruno ha detto a Linda di partire all’alba. Bruno told Linda to leave at dawn. (order or instruction)
• Bruno ha detto a Linda che parte all’alba. Bruno told Linda that he is leaving at dawn. (statement, report)
• Il rifugista ci ha detto di firmare il registro all’arrivo. The rifugio keeper told us to sign the register on arrival. (instruction)
• Il rifugista ci ha detto che il registro è in fondo al corridoio. The rifugio keeper told us that the register is at the end of the corridor. (information)

The same chameleon trick applies to scrivere, comunicare, ricordare and a few others inside the italian verbs asking di family. Mi ha scritto di richiamarlo means “he wrote me to call him back” (request); mi ha scritto che richiama lui means “he wrote me that he will call back himself” (statement). When in doubt, look at what kind of action the second clause describes: an action to do (use italian verbs asking di + infinitive) or a fact someone shares (use che + indicative).

The verb ricordare sits squarely inside italian verbs asking di when it means “to remind someone”. Linda mi ricorda di partire alle sei = “Linda reminds me to leave at six”. With reflexive ricordarsi, the reminder turns to oneself: mi ricordo di partire alle sei. In both cases di + infinitive is the right preposition. Switching to che changes the meaning to a fact: mi ricordo che parte alle sei = “I remember that he leaves at six”.

Pronouns and the impersonal si prega di

When the addressee becomes a pronoun, things speed up. The indirect-object pronouns mi, ti, gli, le, ci, vi slide in front of the main verb and the a evaporates. The italian verbs asking di pattern keeps its di + infinitive tail untouched.

• Linda mi ha chiesto di portarle il piumino dal rifugio. Linda asked me to bring her the down jacket from the rifugio.
• Ti ho detto di stare attento al ghiaccio sul ponte di legno. I told you to watch out for the ice on the wooden bridge.
• La guida gli ha ordinato di scendere subito dalla cengia esposta. The guide ordered him to come down at once from the exposed ledge.
• Le ho consigliato di mettere due paia di calze di lana. I advised her to wear two pairs of wool socks.
• Vi prego di firmare il registro prima di salire in camera. I kindly ask you to sign the register before going up to your room.

A famous impersonal use is si prega di, the formula on signs, notices, train announcements, and official emails. It has no explicit subject: the “we” or “the management” is implied. The English equivalent is “please” + verb or “kindly” + verb.

• Si prega di non fumare nelle camere del rifugio. Kindly do not smoke in the rifugio bedrooms.
• Si prega di rispettare il silenzio dopo le ventidue. Please respect silence after ten p.m.
• Si prega di lasciare gli scarponi nell’ingresso. Kindly leave hiking boots in the entrance.

You will see this italian verbs asking di formula on every official notice from Trenitalia announcements to museum signs. Recognising it instantly is a B1 milestone. Treccani treats the construction as standard formal Italian, perfectly appropriate for written communication and public signage.

Negative orders and prohibitions

Italian verbs asking di handle negation in a tidy way: just slot non in front of the infinitive. The italian verbs asking di structure stays identical, the meaning flips to a prohibition or a request not to do something.

• Linda prega Bruno di non camminare troppo veloce nei primi venti minuti. Linda asks Bruno not to walk too fast in the first twenty minutes.
• La guida ha ordinato al gruppo di non staccarsi dalla cordata per nessun motivo. The guide ordered the group not to detach from the rope for any reason.
• Il rifugista ci ha raccomandato di non lasciare cibo fuori dagli zaini. The rifugio keeper recommended that we not leave food outside our backpacks.
• Vi suggerisco di non sottovalutare il dislivello del sentiero 524. I suggest you not underestimate the elevation gain of trail 524.
• Ti prego di non perdere le chiavi della camera ai piani alti. I beg you not to lose the room keys on the upper floors.

Two italian verbs asking di sit naturally in this negative space: impedire and vietare. They already carry a negative meaning, so you do not need non in the infinitive. Il regolamento vieta agli ospiti di accendere fornelli in camera = “the rules forbid guests to use stoves in their rooms”. La nebbia ha impedito al gruppo di raggiungere la cima = “the fog prevented the group from reaching the summit”. The English speaker has to flip the direction (forbid to do, prevent from doing), but italian verbs asking di keep the same skeleton: verbo + a + persona + di + infinito.

Cheat sheet

Keep this table open while you build sentences with italian verbs asking di. The split between direct-object and indirect-object verbs is the only one you really need to memorise.

Dialogue at a rifugio in Belluno

The following dialogue uses italian verbs asking di in a realistic setting. Linda and Bruno are doing a guida alpina training day in the Dolomites near Belluno. They arrive at the rifugio in the late afternoon, sort out gear and dinner with the keeper, and plan the next morning’s route on the sentiero CAI 524.

What to notice in the dialogue

• Vi prego di firmare: italian verbs asking di in a polite request, pregare + direct pronoun.
• Ci ha consigliato di mangiare presto: indirect object + di + infinitive, the classic advice formula.
• La guida ci ha ordinato di partire: stronger italian verbs asking di construction, with an order from an authority.
• Possiamo chiederle di svegliarci: polite request with formal Lei (le) plus di + infinitive.
• Il regolamento vieta di lasciare: impersonal prohibition, another corner of italian verbs asking di.
• Ci ha pregato di mandargli una foto: pregare + direct object + di + infinitive, with a pronoun attached to the infinitive.

Mini-challenge

Mastering italian verbs asking di comes from repeated exposure to real requests, instructions, and signs. Read examples, listen to native speakers in shops and on trains, and notice the a + persona + di + infinito skeleton across very different contexts. Most learners find the italian verbs asking di pattern clicks once they realise that almost every polite instruction in Italian follows the same template. Pair this guide with the quiz below to lock in italian verbs asking di, and revisit the cheat sheet after a week to see what stuck.

Test your understanding

Take the quiz below to test what you’ve learned about italian verbs asking di and the di + infinitive construction.

Frequently asked questions

These questions about italian verbs asking di come from real conversations among Italian learners online. The split between direct-object and indirect-object verbs is documented in the Treccani vocabolario entry on chiedere.

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Related guides

• Italian Verbs Followed by DI: The Complete B1 List
• Italian DI or A With the Infinitive: How to Choose
• Italian Adjectives + Infinitive: Bravo a Fare (B1)
• Treccani Vocabolario: chiedere