rispondi

Rispondi is the second person singular present indicative form of the Italian verb rispondere, meaning to answer or to respond. It is also the informal imperative form used to give a command to someone you address with tu, as in Rispondi! which translates to Answer! or Respond!

In ordinary usage, rispondi appears in phrases that take a direct object or a prepositional phrase, such as rispondi al messaggio (answer the message), rispondi alla domanda (answer the question), or rispondi al telefono (answer the phone). The present-tense forms of rispondere include io rispondo, tu rispondi, lui/lei risponde, while the imperative forms extend beyond rispondi to risponda (polite or formal), rispondiamo (let us answer), rispondete (you all answer), and rispondano (they answer).

Etymology: rispondi derives from Latin respondere, itself from re- + spondere, meaning to answer. The word has parallels in many Romance languages, reflecting its Latin roots and broad use in communication.

Usage notes: rispondi is common in everyday speech, written dialogue, and instructional contexts. It functions as a direct directive or as a simple present statement when paired with a subject pronoun implied by context (tu rispondi). The related noun form is risposta, meaning “an answer.” Related verbs include rispondere (to answer) and synonyms such as replicare or rispondere a.