Italian: Asking and Wanting Someone to Do Something
Learn how Italian uses chiedere di and volere che with a second subject to say 'She asked me to wait' and 'I want you to come,' instead of a plain infinitive.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In English you can say 'She asked me to wait' or 'I want you to come.' The verb is followed by a person, then an infinitive. Italian does not copy this shape. When the person who does the action is different from the person who asks or wants, Italian usually needs a clause with che plus a verb in the subjunctive, or a di plus infinitive when there is no new subject. This lesson teaches the two core patterns: chiedere a qualcuno di fare qualcosa and volere che qualcuno faccia qualcosa.
By the end, you can…
- ask someone to do something using chiedere a ... di ...
- say I want someone else to do something using volere che + subjunctive
- tell when Italian uses di + infinitive and when it needs che + subjunctive
- recognise and produce common polite requests in everyday Italian
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Ti chiedo di aspettare.
I'm asking you to wait.
tee KYEH-doh dee ah-spet-TAH-reh
Same subject is not introduced; 'you' is the object pronoun ti. Common and neutral.
Mi ha chiesto di aspettare.
She asked me to wait.
mee ah KYEH-stoh dee ah-spet-TAH-reh
The direct match for the English example. Mi is the object; di aspettare is the infinitive.
Voglio che tu venga.
I want you to come.
VOH-lyoh keh too VEHN-gah
Two different subjects: io voglio, tu venga. Venga is the present subjunctive of venire.
Vuole che io parli con lui.
He/She wants me to speak with him.
VWOH-leh keh EE-oh PAR-lee kohn LOO-ee
Polite third person singular; parli is the subjunctive of parlare.
Vi chiediamo di non fumare.
We're asking you all not to smoke.
vee KYEH-dyah-moh dee nohn foo-MAH-reh
Negative infinitive: non + infinitive. Vi is the plural object pronoun.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
Use chiedere a qualcuno di + infinitive when you ask a person to do something and the infinitive's subject is clear from the object. Example: 'Le ho chiesto di aiutarmi' (I asked her to help me). Use volere che + subjunctive when the wanted action has a different subject: 'Voglio che tu capisca' (I want you to understand). The subjunctive forms for regular verbs are parli, parli, parli, parliamo, parliate, parlino; for venire, venga, venga, venga, veniamo, veniate, vengano.
When to use it
Choose di + infinitive when the person asked is the same as the person who would do the action: 'Ti chiedo di restare' (I ask you to stay). Choose che + subjunctive when the two subjects differ: 'Voglio che lui resti' (I want him to stay). In polite service situations, 'Le chiedo di attendere un momento' is formal and safe. With volere, the subjunctive is standard in careful speech; in casual conversation some speakers use the indicative, but learners should produce the subjunctive.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Marco, ti chiedo di aspettare qui un momento.
Marco, I'm asking you to wait here a moment.MAR-koh, tee KYEH-doh dee ah-spet-TAH-reh kwee oon moh-MEN-tohVa bene. Vuoi che io ti aspetti qui?
All right. Do you want me to wait for you here?vah BEH-neh. VWOH-ee keh EE-oh tee ah-SPET-tee kweeSì, e chiedo anche a Luca di venire con noi.
Yes, and I'm also asking Luca to come with us.see, eh KYEH-doh AHN-keh ah LOO-kah dee veh-NEE-reh kohn NOH-eePerfetto. Voglio che lui porti la macchina.
Perfect. I want him to bring the car.pehr-FET-toh. VOH-lyoh keh LOO-ee POR-tee lah MAK-kee-nahA little context goes a long way
Italian politeness often softens a request with per favore, per piacere or the conditional vorrei. 'Ti chiedo di...' is direct but not rude among friends; with strangers or superiors, 'Le chiedo di...' or 'Potrebbe...?' is safer. Regional speech varies: in much of the south, subjunctive forms are sometimes replaced by indicative, but standard written Italian keeps the subjunctive after volere che.
One thing to watch for
Voglio tu vieni.
Try this instead: Italian does not allow an object pronoun plus infinitive here. Say 'Voglio che tu venga.' The conjunction che introduces the clause, and venire becomes venga in the present subjunctive.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Translate: 'She asked me to wait.'
Show a sample answer
Mi ha chiesto di aspettare.
Mi is the object pronoun, ha chiesto is the past tense of chiedere, and di aspettare is the infinitive. 'Mi ha chiesto che aspettassi' is possible but heavier and less common here.
2Translate: 'I want you to come.'
Show a sample answer
Voglio che tu venga.
Two subjects require che + subjunctive. Venga is the correct present subjunctive of venire. 'Voglio che tu vieni' is a common spoken error but not standard.
3Which pattern fits 'We ask them to be quiet'?
Show a sample answer
Chiediamo loro di fare silenzio.
The people asked are also the ones who would act, so di + infinitive works. 'Chiediamo che loro facciano silenzio' is also grammatical but more formal.
Use chiedere a qualcuno di + infinitive when the same person is asked and acts; use volere che + subjunctive when a different person should act.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s Italian into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr