Second-person plural or formal imperative

Level 2

The second-person plural imperative is the standard way to tell someone what to do when addressing a group or speaking formally to one person (using vy). It always ends in -te.

How It Works

The imperative is used daily in all registers for instructions, recipes, and requests. Crucially, this -te form is used not only when addressing multiple people, but also as the formal singular address (vykání) when speaking to just one person, such as a stranger, boss, or clerk. (Note that there are also separate forms for the informal singular and the 'let's' form). However, a bare imperative can sound blunt or bossy. Always default to adding prosím, or use the conditional (Mohl byste...?) for polite requests.

How to form it:
Start with the 3rd-person plural present tense (the "they" form) and drop the final -ou or -í.

  • Type 1 (Stem ends in a single consonant): Add -te. Note that t, d, n soften to ť, ď, ň, and long vowels usually shorten (e.g., á → a, ou → u, í → i). (vrátí → vrát- → vraťte)
  • Type 2 (Stem ends in a consonant cluster): Add -ěte or -ete to make it pronounceable. (čtou → čt- → čtěte)
  • Type 3 (-aj- and -ej- stems): If the stem ends in -aj-, it mutates to -ej- before adding -te (dělají → dělaj- → dělejte). If it already ends in -ej-, simply add -te (rozumějí → rozuměj- → rozumějte).
  • Type 4 (-ovat verbs): The stem ends in -uj-, so simply add -te. Do not derive it from the infinitive. (pracují → pracuj- → pracujte)

Reflexive verbs:
Reflexive pronouns (se or si) must be retained and are typically placed immediately after the imperative verb (Posaďte se - Sit down).

Negative commands:
To form a negative command, attach the prefix ne- directly to the front of the imperative verb as a single word (dělejte → nedělejte).

Aspect matters:
Use the perfective aspect for polite, one-off affirmative requests (Posaďte se - Sit down). Use the imperfective aspect for ongoing encouragement (Pokračujte - Keep going) and almost all negative commands (Nezavírejte to - Don't close it). The main exception is warnings against accidental mishaps, which use the perfective negative (Nezapomeňte! - Don't forget!).

Irregular verbs:
Some high-frequency verbs have irregular imperative forms you must memorize, such as být (buďte), mít (mějte), and jíst (jezte). For jít, use jděte for 'go' (like giving directions), but pojďte for 'come (here)' or 'come on'. Note that the negative of pojďte is nechoďte (not nepojďte).

Examples (6)

  1. Posaďte se, prosím, a počkejte chvíli.

    Please sit down and wait a moment.

    Word by Word: Sit yourselves, please, and wait a-moment.

    A polite, formal request using perfective verbs for a one-time action.

  2. Nezavírejte to okno, je tu horko.

    Don't close that window, it's hot in here.

    Word by Word: Not-close that window, is here hot.

    A negative command. The prefix 'ne-' is attached directly to the front of the imperative verb. Notice how it uses the imperfective verb (nezavírejte) instead of the perfective.

  3. Pojďte dál, neostýchejte se!

    Come on in, don't be shy!

    Word by Word: Come further, not-be-shy yourselves!

    Uses the highly irregular imperative of jít (pojďte) alongside a Type 3 negative imperative.

  4. Dělejte to opatrně.

    Do it carefully.

    Word by Word: Do it carefully.

    A Type 3 imperative. The stem 'dělaj-' mutates to 'dělej-' before adding '-te'.

  5. Rozumějte mi dobře.

    Understand me well.

    Word by Word: Understand me well.

    A Type 3 imperative where the stem already ends in '-ej-' (rozumějí), so we simply drop the '-í' and add '-te' without mutation.

  6. Mějte se hezky!

    Have a good time!

    Word by Word: Have yourselves nicely!

    An irregular imperative form of the highly frequent verb 'mít' (to have), commonly used as a farewell.

Common Mistakes

  • Deriving the imperative from the infinitive instead of the present tense stem.

    Čístte tu knihu!
    Čtěte tu knihu!

    Never chop the -t off the infinitive. Always find the present tense "they" form (čtou), drop the ending to get the stem (čt-), and add the correct suffix (-ěte).

  • Using the present indicative (a statement of fact) when you mean a command.

    Different MeaningDěláte to hned!
    Dělejte to hned!

    This is a good sentence, but děláte states a fact: 'you are doing it right away'. To give a command, use the imperative dělejte. Both forms end in -te, so they are easy to mix up.

  • Using the perfective aspect for negative commands.

    Nezavřete ty dveře!
    Nezavírejte ty dveře!

    In English, we just add "don't". In Czech, negative commands almost always require the imperfective aspect, even if the affirmative command was perfective.

How It Connects

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

Second-person plural or formal imperativeLevel 2

Learn This First

To learn the second-person plural imperative, learners must understand the concept of formal address (vykání) and be able to derive the basic imperative stem, which is most easily learned through the second-person singular imperative and standard present tense verb classes.