Commands
To tell someone to do something, use the command form of the verb: Читај! (Read!), Пиј вода! (Drink water!), Седни! (Sit down!). For more people or to be polite, use the -те form: Седнете, ве молам.
How It Works
Macedonian has a special command form (заповеден начин) only for you: one person you call ти, and several people or one person you call Вие (see ти и Вие). You build it from the verb in its dictionary form, the he/she form of the present tense (see глаголот се наведува во трето лице еднина).
1. А-verbs, and verbs whose stem ends in a vowel, take -ј / -јте:
- чита (read) → читај, читајте
- чека (wait) → чекај, чекајте
- зборува (speak) → зборувај, зборувајте
- пие (drink) → пиј, пијте
- стои (stand) → стој, стојте
2. Е- and и-verbs whose stem ends in a consonant take -и / -ете:
- носи (carry, bring) → носи, носете
- оди (go) → оди, одете
- пише (write) → пиши, пишете
- каже (say) → кажи, кажете
- дојде (come) → дојди, дојдете
- седне (sit down) → седни, седнете
For и-verbs such as носи and оди, the one-person command looks just like the dictionary form. The plural is still -ете: носете, одете.
One common verb to learn by heart: даде (give) → дај, дајте. Дај ми вода. (Give me some water.)
Being polite: the -те form is also how you speak politely to one person. Седнете, ве молам. (Please sit down.)
Short pronouns: after a command, short pronouns follow the verb: Кажи ми. · Донеси го. This is explained in заповеден начин + кратка заменка.
Other people and "let's": the command form only exists for you. For let's use ајде да, and for let him or let them use нека + сегашно време. To say don't, see немој да; немојте да. Whether you pick седни or седи depends on aspect, covered in вид во заповеди.
Examples (6)
- Читај гласно, те молам.
Read out loud, please.
Word by Word: Read loudly, you I-ask.
Те молам is the friendly way to say please to one person.
- Пијте многу вода.
Drink a lot of water.
Word by Word: Drink-you-all much water.
Пијте speaks to several people, or to one person politely.
- Земи чадор, врне.
Take an umbrella, it is raining.
Word by Word: Take umbrella, it-rains.
- Одете право, па свртете лево.
Go straight, then turn left.
Word by Word: Go-you-all straight, then turn-you-all left.
- Зборувајте побавно, ве молам.
Please speak more slowly.
Word by Word: Speak-you more-slowly, you I-ask.
- Дојди овде!
Come here!
Word by Word: Come here!
Common Mistakes
Building the command of даде (give) as дади.
Дади ми вода.Дај ми вода.Даде has a short, special command form: дај for one person and дајте for more people or polite Вие.
Using the present-tense ending instead of the command ending.
Пиете вода!Пијте вода!Пиете вода is a statement: you drink water. The command for several people, or polite Вие, is пијте.
Putting a short pronoun before a command.
Ми кажи!Кажи ми!With a command, short pronouns come after the verb: Кажи ми, Дај ми го.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Commands need the present stems and ти/Вие.
Related Patterns
- Short Pronouns After a Command
After a command, short pronouns move behind the verb: Кажи ми, Донеси го.
Level 2 - немој да / немојте даNegative Commands
Telling someone not to do something uses немој or немојте with да and a present verb.
Level 2 - ајде даLet's
For let's, Macedonian uses ајде да with a we-form verb instead of a command form.
Level 2 - нека + Present TenseLetting Someone Act
There is no command form for him, her or them; нека with a present verb fills that gap.
Level 3 - Aspect in Commands
A perfective command asks for one action, an imperfective one for an ongoing or general action: седни versus седи.
Level 5
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Commands in Bubblegum
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