Aspect in Commands

Level 3Sounds Like tryvanne ŭ zagadnym ladze

Зачыні дзверы. (Close the door.) asks for one result. Сядайце, калі ласка. (Please sit down.) is a friendly invitation. Не зачыняй дзверы. (Don't close the door.) forbids.

How It Works

The imperative forms themselves are covered in the ты imperative and the вы imperative. The aspect you pick changes what the command means.

One result: perfective. When you want one specific thing done, use the perfective: Зачыні акно. (Close the window.) Купі хлеба. (Buy some bread.) Паўтарыце, калі ласка. (Please say that again.)

Invitations: imperfective. A host welcomes guests with imperfectives: Праходзьце! Сядайце! Бярыце, калі ласка! (Come in! Sit down! Help yourself!) The imperfective invites the action instead of ordering a result, so it sounds warm. Сядзьце (perfective) is a direct instruction, for example from a teacher.

Go ahead or keep going: imperfective. Чытай далей. (Keep reading.) Паўтарайце за мной. (Repeat after me.)

Habits and general advice: imperfective. Пішы мне часцей. (Write to me more often.)

Prohibitions: не + imperfective. Не адчыняй акно. (Don't open the window.) Не спазняйся. (Don't be late.) See negative commands.

Warnings: не + perfective. A negated perfective warns about something that could happen by accident: Не забудзь ключы! (Don't forget your keys!) Не спазніся на цягнік! (Mind you don't miss the train!) It is not used for an ordinary ban.

Examples (6)

  1. Зачыні, калі ласка, акно.

    Please close the window.

    Word by Word: Close, please, window.

  2. Праходзьце, сядайце!

    Come in, have a seat!

    Word by Word: Come-through, sit-down!

    Imperfectives, so it sounds like a warm welcome.

  3. Паўтарыце, калі ласка, я не зразумеў.

    Please say that again, I didn't understand.

    Word by Word: Repeat, please, I not understood.

  4. Не адчыняй акно, холадна.

    Don't open the window, it's cold.

    Word by Word: Not open window, cold.

  5. Не забудзь ключы!

    Don't forget your keys!

    Word by Word: Not forget keys!

    A negated perfective: a warning, not a ban.

  6. Пішы мне часцей.

    Write to me more often.

    Word by Word: Write me more-often.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a perfective after не when you mean a simple ban.

    Не адчыні акно.
    Не адчыняй акно.

    To forbid something, use не with the imperfective. Не with a perfective sounds like a warning about an accident, which is not what "Don't open the window" means.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Aspect in CommandsLevel 3

Learn This First

Aspect in commands needs the imperative and both aspects.

Words in This Pattern

не