A Command to One Person
Tidħol means “you enter”; idħol means “enter!”
How It Works
The positive singular imperative gives an instruction or request to one person of either gender. It lacks the imperfect subject prefix: toħroġ means “you go out,” while oħroġ means “go out!” Context and polite wording determine the force of the request.
The imperative often resembles the imperfect stem, but its vowels cannot always be predicted from the perfect citation form. Learn linked forms such as waqaf / tieqaf / ieqaf: “he stopped / you stop / stop!” Borrowed verbs also have individual command paradigms.
Preserve ordinary spelling and doubled consonants. Compare singular ara, “look!”, with plural araw. A prohibition uses the second-person imperfect negative construction, such as tarax, rather than the positive command plus an ending.
Examples (3)
- Idħol fil-kamra, jekk jogħġbok.
Enter the room, please.
Idħol lacks the imperfect subject prefix t-.
- Ieqaf quddiem il-ħanut.
Stop in front of the shop.
Ieqaf is the singular command associated with waqaf.
- Ara din il-pittura.
Look at this painting.
Ara is the singular positive command of ra.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Introduce positive instructions to one person through established imperative stems, including idħol, ieqaf, and ara. The comparison with the imperfect supports recognizing the missing subject prefix without implying that every imperative can be mechanically derived.
Related Patterns
- A Command to Several People
Supplies commands for several addressees.
Level 2 - Telling Someone Not To
Explains the separate prohibition construction.
Level 2 - An Uncompleted or Repeated Event
Contrasts prefixed imperfect forms with positive commands.
Level 2 - A Weak First Root Consonant
Develops changing stems such as waqaf/ieqaf.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice A Command to One Person in Bubblegum
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