Plural And Polite Commands

To form the plural imperative, follow these steps:

1. Start with the singular imperative: First, find the base command form used for one person (for detailed rules, see Informal Singular Commands).

• Pisać (write) → Pisz!
• Czekać (wait) → Czekaj!
• Robić (do) → Rób!
• Zamknąć (close) → Zamknij!

2. Add the suffix -cie: Simply attach -cie to the singular imperative to make it plural.

• Pisz + cie = Piszcie! (Write!)
• Czekaj + cie = Czekajcie! (Wait!)
• Rób + cie = Róbcie! (Do/Make!)
• Zamknij + cie = Zamknijcie! (Close!)

3. Let's commands (-my): You can attach the suffix -my to the exact same singular imperative stem to form a Let's command.

• Pisz + my = Piszmy! (Let's write!)
• Rób + my = Róbmy! (Let's do/make!)

Irregular Stems, Regular Plural Ending:

• Irregular verbs: Some common verbs have completely irregular imperative stems, such as być (Bądźcie!) and mieć (Miejcie!). Their singular commands are bądź and miej; adding -cie is regular.

Important Usage Rules:

• Informality: This form is used for all informal relationships, including family members, children, and peers (anyone you address as ty or wy). For formal groups, use Państwo with niech and a third-person plural verb: Niech państwo usiądą (Please sit down). Another choice is Proszę usiąść.
• No 'Polite Singular': Never use the plural -cie form to be polite to one person. Doing so sounds archaic. Instead, use Niech + Pan/Pani with a third-person verb (e.g., Niech Pan pisze!) or Proszę + infinitive.
• Aspect: The choice between imperfective and perfective depends on the context. However, negative commands (prohibitions) almost always use the imperfective aspect (e.g., Nie róbcie tego!).

Reflexive Commands and Warnings: In a short command, put się after the verb: Uczcie się! (Study!) and Nie martwcie się! (Do not worry!). Longer clauses allow other unstressed positions, so this is not a rigid verb–się adjacency rule. General prohibitions normally use imperfective verbs, but perfective forms occur in warnings about a particular unwanted result: Nie zapomnijcie kluczy! (Do not forget your keys!).