Giving Commands

Level 3

To one friend, use the tu form: Nāc! (Come!). To several people or politely, add -iet: Nāciet!

How It Works

1. Commands to one person (tu). Use the tu form of the present tense:

  • tu nāc → Nāc! (Come!)
  • tu lasi → Lasi! (Read!)
  • tu runā → Runā! (Speak!)
  • tu ej → Ej! (Go!)
  • tu dod → Dod! (Give!)
  • tu esi → Esi! (Be!)

2. Commands to several people or a polite you (jūs). Start from the tu command. Drop a final -i and add -iet. After a long vowel, add -jiet:

  • Nāc → Nāciet!
  • Lasi → Lasiet!
  • Esi → Esiet!
  • Ej → Ejiet!
  • Dod → Dodiet!
  • Runā → Runājiet!

The consonant before -iet is the same as in the tu command: nāc → nāciet, not nākiet.

3. Do not mix it up with the present. Jūs runājat (you speak) and Runājiet! (Speak!) sound alike but are different forms, and so are jūs esat (you are) and Esiet! (Be!).

4. Forbidding. Add ne- to the front, written together (see ne- + verb): Nerunā!, Neej prom! (Do not go away!), Nerunājiet!

5. Politeness. Add lūdzu (please) to soften a command: Lūdzu, runājiet lēnāk! Use the jūs form with people you address formally (see tu and jūs). Pronouns are normally left out; Tu nāc šurp! sounds angry.

For let's, see Iesim!. For commands about another person, see lai + present. Reflexive verbs have their own forms, such as Apsēdies! (Sit down!); see reflexive verbs.

Examples (6)

  1. Nāc šurp!

    Come here!

  2. Lūdzu, runājiet lēnāk!

    Please speak more slowly!

    Runā → runājiet: after a long vowel, the ending is -jiet.

  3. Dod man, lūdzu, ūdeni!

    Give me some water, please!

  4. Neej prom!

    Don't go away!

    Ne- is written together with the command.

  5. Lasiet tekstu!

    Read the text!

    Said to a class: lasi → lasiet.

  6. Esi uzmanīgs!

    Be careful!

    Said to a man. To a woman: Esi uzmanīga!

Common Mistakes

  • Building the plural command from the infinitive.

    Nākiet šurp!
    Nāciet šurp!

    The plural command keeps the consonant of the tu command: nāc → nāciet.

  • Using the present tense instead of the command form.

    Lūdzu, runājat lēnāk!
    Lūdzu, runājiet lēnāk!

    Runājat is the present tense (you speak). The command is runājiet.

  • Writing ne separately.

    Ne runā tik skaļi!
    Nerunā tik skaļi!

    Ne is written together with the command: nerunā, neej, nerunājiet.

How It Connects

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

Giving CommandsLevel 3

Learn This First

Commands use the tu and jūs forms.

Words in This Pattern

ne-