What mood is "non avere paura!"?

Question

I just found a sentence that is:

Non avere paura! Il suo cane è buono.

However, what is the mood of the verb avere? The meaning is pretty clear but it sounds like an imperative form. In that case, it should be:

Non abbi paura! Il suo cane è buono.

So what mood is it?

In Italian, the negative form of the imperative is constructed with the infinitive. — Charo, Dec 25 '16 at 23:46
See, for instance, http://aulalingue.scuola.zanichelli.it/benvenuti/2010/06/03/ripassiamo-limperativo/. — Charo, Dec 25 '16 at 23:50
You can also find it here: http://www.oneworlditaliano.com/grammatica-italiana/imperativo-italiano.htm. — Charo, Dec 25 '16 at 23:58
@Charo Thanks but it is too difficult for me since it is written in Italian... — Blaszard, Dec 26 '16 at 00:01
I see... The relevant information is that you should use the infinitive when constructing the negative form of an imperative. — Charo, Dec 26 '16 at 00:06
Would you add the tag "tenses" and remove the tag "conjunctions" to to your question? — Charo, Dec 26 '16 at 00:10

score 9 · Accepted Answer · edited Dec 26 '16 at 08:55

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The verb is at the imperative because when you face an imperative in the negative form (example in English: Do not feed the animals), the imperative becomes infinite:

Non fumare/Vietato fumare (Do not smoke).

Non dare da mangiare agli animali (Do not feed the animals).

Non avere paura (Do not be afraid).

edited Dec 26 '16 at 08:55

Charo

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answered Dec 25 '16 at 23:50

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Why a "strong" negation? – Charo Dec 25 '16 at 23:53
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I would simply say something like "the negative form of an imperative". – Charo Dec 25 '16 at 23:55
It's used also with simple negations but imperative is often used with exclamations, prohibitions, strong suggestions,... Moreover, as in English, if you read "Don't worry" or "Do not worry" you can feel the difference of expressivity in the two sentences – Dec 25 '16 at 23:56

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 27 '16 at 11:15

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It depends on who are you talking with. If you are talking to a friend you can use "Non aver(e) paura!"

"Non abbia paura!" is much more formal.

answered Dec 27 '16 at 11:15

Igino Boffa

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What mood is "non avere paura!"?

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