The imperative mood, also known as the command form, is the verb form used to induce an order, action, appeal, or wish.
For more information go here for the imperative mood page in our Russian grammar resources.
Imperative verbs only have two forms: the singular (ты) and plural forms (вы).
To form the imperative, add the relevant endings to the verb stem of the 3rd person plural (они).
Stems ending in a vowel: add -й or -йте
Stems ending in a consonant when the я form is stressed on the ending: add -и or -ите
Stems ending in a consonant when the я form is not stressed on the ending: add -ь or -ьте
Infinitive | Imperative |
---|---|
читать | читай / читайте |
играть | играй / играйте |
работать | работай / работайте |
смотреть | смотри / смотрите |
говорить | говори / говорите |
любить | люби / любите |
идти | иди / идите |
ходить | ходи / ходите |
бежать | беги / бегите |
ездить | езжай / езжайте |
писать | пиши / пишите |
готовить | готовь / готов-ьте |
ответить | ответь / ответьте |
You’ll have to decide when it’s right to use the imperfective vs. perfective aspect with the imperative mood. Remember, the imperfective should be used for actions that are processes, done regularly, prohibited. Meanwhile, the perfective should be used for actions that are results, done once, or warnings not to do something. For example: