The Imperative
Bulgarian commands have two forms: one for a person you call ти and one for several people or a person you call Вие. Чети! / Четете! (Read!) Чакай! / Чакайте! (Wait!)
How It Works
1. Find the stem. Start from the "you" form of the present tense and remove the ending:
- четеш → чет- (consonant)
- говориш → говор- (consonant)
- чакаш → чака- (vowel)
- пиеш → пи- (vowel)
2. Add the ending.
- Consonant stem → -и / -ете: чета → чети, четете (read); пиша → пиши, пишете (write); говоря → говори, говорете (speak)
- Vowel stem → -й / -йте: чакам → чакай, чакайте (wait); пия → пий, пийте (drink); стоя → стой, стойте (stand, stay)
Regular third-conjugation verbs like чакам and слушам end in -ай/-айте or -яй/-яйте: слушай (listen), повтаряй (repeat).
3. Singular or plural. The -ете/-йте form speaks to several people, or politely to one person: Седнете, моля. (Please sit down.) See familiar ти and polite Вие.
4. Short pronouns come after the command. Кажи ми. (Tell me.) Обади ми се. (Call me.) Дай ми го. (Give it to me.) In a negative command they go before the verb: Не ми казвай. (Don't tell me.) See placement of short pronouns.
5. Aspect and "don't". A perfective command asks for one complete action (Затвори вратата! Close the door!). A negative command normally uses the imperfective: Не пушете! (Don't smoke!) You can also say недей да + present tense. See aspect in commands.
Good to know: a few common verbs have short or irregular commands, such as ела (come), виж (look) and яж (eat). See irregular imperatives.
Examples (6)
- Чети на глас, моля.
Read aloud, please.
Чет- ends in a consonant, so the singular adds -и.
- Говорете по-бавно, моля.
Please speak more slowly.
The plural form is also the polite form.
- Чакай ме тук!
Wait for me here!
Чака- ends in a vowel, so it adds -й; ме follows the command.
- Затвори прозореца, студено е.
Close the window, it's cold.
A perfective command for one complete action.
- Не пушете тук.
Don't smoke here.
A negative command with the imperfective пушете.
- Обади ми се довечера.
Call me tonight.
Both short words, ми and се, follow the command.
Common Mistakes
Using the present tense to give a command.
Четеш на глас!Чети на глас!Четеш means "you read" or "you are reading". The command is чети for one person and четете for several.
Putting a short pronoun before an affirmative command.
Ми кажи истината.Кажи ми истината.In a positive command, short pronouns follow the verb. They go before it only after не: Не ми казвай.
Adding -и to a stem that ends in a vowel.
Чаки малко!Чакай малко!The stem чака- ends in a vowel, so the command adds -й: чакай, чакайте.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The imperative builds on present-tense forms.
Related Patterns
- Irregular Imperatives
The everyday verbs whose commands do not follow this pattern.
Level 2 - недей да + VerbDon't with Недей Да
A gentle way to say "don't" alongside не + command.
Level 2 - Aspect in Commands
When to use a perfective or an imperfective command.
Level 3 - Placement of Short Pronouns
Why short pronouns follow a positive command: Кажи ми.
Level 2 - ти / ВиеFamiliar Ти and Polite Вие
Decides between the singular and the plural or polite command.
Level 1 - чакам/чакашThird Conjugation: А- and Я-Verbs
Verbs like чакам form their commands with -ай and -айте.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice The Imperative in Bubblegum
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