{"id":9252,"date":"2015-05-26T11:02:45","date_gmt":"2015-05-26T09:02:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=9252"},"modified":"2018-01-11T12:08:08","modified_gmt":"2018-01-11T11:08:08","slug":"forget-me-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/forget-me-not\/","title":{"rendered":"Forget Me Not"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you have problems remembering all those convoluted and seemingly arbitrary rules of Italian grammar? I\u2019ve often found that simple mnemonic devices<\/a> can really help. Here\u2019s a nice easy one in the form of a flower: the humble Forget me not.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"forget<\/a>

Forget me not. Photo (CC) by Martin Snopek<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s difficult to trace the exact origins of the forget-me-not’s slightly nostalgic\u00a0name. Its Latin name for example, Myosotis, comes from the Greek \u2018mouse\u2019s ear’, after the shape of its leaf. What is certain though is that many different cultures have a similar name for it, and in some cases use the flower, or its image as a symbol of remembrance.<\/span><\/p>\n

A German legend, for example, states that when God named all the plants, a tiny one that he\u2019d overlooked called out \u201cForget-me-not,\u00a0O Lord\u201d, and God replied: \u201cThen that shall be your name\u201d. The flower was often worn by lovers when they were apart in order that they not be forgotten, and has also been used as a symbol of remembrance, for example: in Newfoundland for the nation’s war dead and in Armenia to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, how is this going to help me with my Italian grammar you may ask. Simple: its Italian name is \u2018non ti scordar di me\u2019<\/strong>, and that pretty name contains an important rule: in Italian, we use the infinitive to express the imperativo negativo singolare<\/strong><\/span>, which, in simple terms, means\u00a0\u2018don’t …!\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

Photo (CC) by Henry Hemming<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Forget-me-not is just a poetic way of saying \u2018don\u2019t forget me\u2019, and in Italian we have two ways of saying \u2018to forget\u2019: \u2018dimenticare\u2019<\/strong> and \u2018scordare\u2019<\/strong> which are both used\u00a0colloquially in their reflexive forms \u2018dimenticarsi\u2019<\/strong> and \u2018scordarsi\u2019<\/strong>, e.g. mi sono dimenticato di comprare il latte<\/strong>, or mi sono scordato di comprare il latte<\/strong> = I forgot to buy the milk.
\nIf I want to tell someone \u2018don\u2019t forget the milk\u2019 in Italian I say \u2018non ti dimenticare<\/span> il latte\u2019<\/strong> or \u2018non ti scordare<\/span> il latte\u2019<\/strong>. N.B. in the case of the flower \u2018forget me not\u2019, the Italian name \u2018non ti scordar di me\u2019<\/strong> drops the \u2018e\u2019 at the end of the infinitive \u2018scordare\u2019 for purely poetical reasons.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

If you want to use the negative imperative when speaking to more than one person then simply use the regular second person plural conjugation of the appropriate verb: non dimenticatevi \/scordatevi il latte<\/strong> = \u2018don\u2019t you (plural) forget the milk\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a few more examples that reinforce the concept:<\/span><\/p>\n

non guidare troppo velocemente<\/strong> = don\u2019t drive too fast
\nnon andare in cucina perch\u00e9 c\u2019\u00e8 troppo casino<\/strong> = don\u2019t go in the kitchen because there\u2019s too much mess
\nnon fumare, fa male alla salute<\/strong>\u00a0= don\u2019t smoke, it\u2019s bad for your health
\nnon perdetevi<\/strong> = don\u2019t (you plural) get lost
\nnon avvicinarti troppo al bordo, \u00e8 pericoloso<\/strong> = don’t get too close to the edge, it’s very dangerous
\nnon camminate sull\u2019erba<\/strong> = don\u2019t (you plural) walk on the grass<\/span><\/p>\n

Now take a short musical break by clicking on the video link below, then have a go at translating the following phrases:
\n<\/span><\/p>\n