Irregular imperative forms

Level 2

While most Czech imperatives are predictably formed from the present tense stem, several essential verbs have irregular imperative stems that you simply need to memorize. These include the verbs for to be, to have, to go, to eat, to stand, to help, to take, to give, to say, to know/answer, to be afraid, and to forget.

How It Works

Here are the most important irregular imperatives to become confident with:

1. Být (to be): buď, buďme, buďte
2. Mít (to have): měj, mějme, mějte (Common phrases: měj se - take care, neměj strach - don't be afraid)
3. Jíst / Sníst (to eat / to eat up): jez / sněz, jezme / snězme, jezte / snězte
4. Jít (to go on foot): jdi, jděme, jděte (moving away) OR pojď, pojďme, pojďte (moving toward)
5. Jet (to go by vehicle): jeď, jeďme, jeďte
6. Vědět / Odpovědět / Povědět (to know / to answer / to tell): věz / odpověz / pověz, vězme / odpovězme / povězme, vězte / odpovězte / povězte
7. Vidět (to see): viz, vizme, vizte (Used almost exclusively in formal writing, e.g., 'viz strana 5' - see page 5. It is a full word, not an abbreviation, so it does not take a period.)
8. Pomoct (to help): pomoz, pomozme, pomozte
9. Stát (to stand / to happen): stůj, stůjme, stůjte
10. Vzít (to take): vezmi, vezměme, vezměte (In everyday spoken Czech, the colloquial forms vem, vemme, vemte are extremely common.)
11. Dát (to give): dej, dejme, dejte
12. Říct (to say): řekni, řekněme, řekněte
13. Bát se (to be afraid): boj se, bojme se, bojte se
14. Zapomenout (to forget): zapomeň, zapomeňme, zapomeňte

Important Nuances:

  • Direction: English speakers often confuse jdi, pojď, and přijď. Use jdi for moving away (Go away! / Go there!) and pojď for immediate motion toward the speaker (Come here!). Use přijď when asking someone to arrive at a destination or event (Come to my party! / Arrive at 8:00).
  • Negative Motion: The negative imperative for pojď is nechoď (don't come), derived from the imperfective verb chodit. Never say "nepojď"! Similarly, the negative of pojeď (come by vehicle) is nejezdi, not "nepojeď". For jdi, nechoď is the default negative for both specific one-time prohibitions and habitual ones. While nejdi is grammatically correct, it is much less common in everyday speech.
  • Let's go!: Note that pojďme is the universal, everyday translation for 'Let's go!', whereas jděme sounds formal, archaic, or literal. Additionally, you can use pojďme followed by an infinitive to mean 'Let's [do something]' (e.g., Pojďme jíst! - Let's eat!).
  • Aspect: Imperfective forms like jez (eat) urge an ongoing process or invite someone to partake, while perfective forms like sněz (eat it all) demand completion. See Basic aspect pairs for more context.
  • Negative Imperatives of Perfective Verbs: Because standard prohibitions in Czech use the imperfective aspect, you must use the imperfective partner verb for negative commands. Do not just add "ne-" to the perfective imperative! For example: vzít -> neber (not "nevezmi"), dát -> nedávej (not "nedej"), říct -> neříkej (not "neřekni"), sníst -> nejez (not "nesněz"). See Aspect in negative imperatives for more details.
  • Vowel Shortening: Many verbs undergo vowel shortening in their imperative forms. While technically a regular sound change, it often surprises learners. For example: koupit -> kup, ukázat -> ukaž, vrátit -> vrať.
  • Pronunciation: Notice that many of these stems end in a soft consonant (like ď) or the ambiguous consonant z. The háček (ˇ) in words like buď and pojď is mandatory!

Bare imperatives can sound abrupt, so it is common to soften them with prosím (please). For polite requests to strangers, Czechs typically use the conditional instead of the imperative (e.g., Mohl byste mi to dát? - Could you give it to me?).

Examples (5)

  1. Pojď dál a posaď se.

    Come in and sit down.

    Word by Word: Come further and sit yourself.

    Uses 'pojď' (informal singular) because the motion is toward the speaker.

  2. Buďte opatrní, je to horké.

    Be careful, it's hot.

    Word by Word: Be careful, is it hot.

    Uses 'buďte' (formal or plural) from the verb 'být'.

  3. Mějte se hezky!

    Have a good time! / Take care!

    Word by Word: Have yourselves nicely!

    A standard formal or plural farewell using the imperative of 'mít'.

  4. Jez, dokud je to teplé.

    Eat while it's warm.

    Word by Word: Eat, while is it warm.

    Uses the imperfective irregular imperative 'jez' to encourage the ongoing process of eating.

  5. Jdi pryč!

    Go away!

    Word by Word: Go away!

    Uses 'jdi' because the motion is directed away from the speaker.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'jdi' instead of 'pojď' for 'come here'.

    Jdi sem!
    Pojď sem!

    In modern Czech, 'jdi' strictly means 'go' (moving away), while 'pojď' means 'come' (moving toward the speaker). Telling a guest 'jdi sem' literally means 'go here', which sounds contradictory.

  • Ignoring the diacritics (háček) on soft consonants.

    Bud opatrný!
    Buď opatrný!

    The 'ď' in 'buď' and 'pojď' is a soft consonant. Without the háček (ˇ), the pronunciation changes completely and the word becomes invalid.

  • Over-regularizing the imperative from the present tense.

    Jí tu polévku!
    Jez tu polévku!

    Learners sometimes try to guess the imperative using the 3rd person present form (jí). Irregular verbs like 'jíst' have unique imperative stems (jez) that must be memorized.

How It Connects

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

Irregular imperative formsLevel 2

Learn This First

To learn irregular imperatives, a learner must first understand the standard rules for forming imperatives in the second person (singular and plural/formal). Additionally, familiarity with the present tense of common irregular verbs like 'být' and 'jít' is essential, as these verbs often form the basis for irregular imperative patterns.