Disattendete

Disattendete is the second-person plural present indicative form and the imperative form of the Italian verb disattendere, meaning to fail to attend to, to disregard, or to neglect something. The term is used when someone does not fulfill a duty, instruction, or expectation by not paying proper attention or by not complying.

Etymology and classification

Disattendere is formed from the prefix dis- plus attendere, which traces back to Latin attendere, “to attend to.” The word belongs to the group of transitive verbs and takes a direct object (for example, disattendere un invito, disattendere un ordine).

Grammar and uses

Disattendere is a regular -ere verb. Principal forms include io disattendo, tu disattendi, lui/lei disattende, noi disattendiamo, voi disattendete, loro disattendono. The past participle is disatteso and is used adjectivally (un invito disatteso, un obbligo disatteso). The gerund is disattendendo. The form disattendete appears in present-tense contexts addressing multiple people, either as the indicative or as the imperative.

Meaning and nuance

The sense of disattendere emphasizes a willful neglect or failure to meet obligations, rather than a simple act of forgetting. It is common in formal or written Italian, including legal, administrative, and journalistic contexts, but it also occurs in everyday speech when describing disregard for instructions or agreements.

Examples

Disattendete le istruzioni per evitare incidenti. (Ignore the instructions to avoid accidents.)

L'invito è stato disatteso. (The invitation was ignored.)

Disattendere un obbligo può avere conseguenze legali.

See also

- disattenzione

- ignorare

- trascurare

Notes

Disattendere contrasts with più neutral terms like attenersi (to adhere to) and adempiere (to fulfill).