Irregular Commands
Affirmative commands have singular and plural/polite forms. Learn irregular singular forms and the plural exception fiți.
How It Works
An affirmative imperative gives a command, instruction or invitation to tu or voi/dumneavoastră.
Singular: Learn the imperative with the verb. Common forms include Ascultă!, Mergi!, Citește! and irregular Fă!, Du!, Zi!, Vino!, Fii!, Dă!, Ia!.
Plural or polite: The form usually matches the second-person plural present: Ascultați!, Mergeți!, Veniți!. The important exception is Fiți!, rather than present-indicative sunteți.
Clitics: Attach object/reflexive clitics after an affirmative command: Ajută-mă!, Spune-mi!, Ridică-te!.
Negative contrast: Singular negative commands use the infinitive without a: Nu face!, Nu veni!, Nu fi!. Plural negatives retain the plural imperative form: Nu faceți!, Nu fiți!.
Tone: An imperative can be polite or abrupt depending on context, tone and wording such as te rog.
Examples (6)
- Fii atent la ce spun!
Be attentive to what I am saying!
Word by Word: Be attentive at what [I] say!
Uses the irregular 'fii' (be) for a singular subject.
- Vino aici, te rog.
Come here, please.
Word by Word: Come here, you please.
'Vino' is the irregular singular imperative of 'a veni'.
- Fă-ți temele acum!
Do your homework now!
Word by Word: Do-to yourself homeworks now!
'Fă' is the irregular singular form of 'a face', combined here with a possessive clitic.
- Adu-mi o cafea, te rog.
Bring me a coffee, please.
Word by Word: Bring-to me a coffee, you please.
'Adu' is the irregular singular imperative of 'a aduce'.
- Du-te la magazin imediat.
Go to the store immediately.
Word by Word: Go-yourself to store immediately.
'Du-te' is the irregular singular imperative of the reflexive verb 'a se duce'.
- Zi-mi adevărul!
Tell me the truth!
Word by Word: Say-to me truth-the!
'Zi' is the clipped, irregular imperative of 'a zice'.
Common Mistakes
Using the affirmative irregular form in a negative command.
Nu vino aici!Nu veni aici!Negative singular commands use nu + the short infinitive without a: nu veni, nu face. Plural negative commands use their plural imperative form.
Spelling the singular command 'fii' with only one 'i'.
Fi cuminte!Fii cuminte!Affirmative singular Fii! has two i letters; negative singular Nu fi! has one. Fi is also the short infinitive used in other verb constructions.
Placing the pronoun before the verb in an affirmative command.
Te du la școală!Du-te la școală!In affirmative imperative sentences, the pronoun clitic must follow the verb and be attached with a hyphen.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn irregular affirmative commands like 'fii', 'vino', or 'du-te', you first need a solid grasp of regular present tense conjugations to see how these forms deviate. Additionally, since some common irregulars are reflexive, you must understand reflexive pronouns. Familiarity with basic polite requests provides the necessary functional context for using the imperative.
- mă / te / se / ne / vă / seReflexive Pronouns
Some irregular commands, such as 'du-te', are reflexive and require knowledge of how reflexive pronouns attach to the verb.
Level 2 - te rog / vă rogPlease
These phrases introduce the functional concept of addressing someone directly with a request or command before learning specific irregular verb forms.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- Negative Commands
Negative commands use a different stem (the infinitive) than these irregular affirmative forms.
Level 4 - Clitics With Commands
Explains how to attach pronouns like 'te' or 'mi' to these irregular command forms.
Level 4 - Hyphens in Verb Groups
Covers the orthographic rules for the hyphens used in forms like 'du-te' and 'dă-mi'.
Level 5 - Romanian Infinitives
The short infinitive is the basis for the negative version of these irregular commands.
Level 3
Practice Irregular Commands in Bubblegum
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