-й/-йте
Imperative Forms in -й and -йте
The imperative mood is for commands and requests. If the verb's present-tense stem (3rd person plural minus the ending) ends in a vowel, add -й for informal singular or -йте for formal/plural.
How It Works
To form this imperative:
1. Take the 3rd person plural form (e.g., читают).
2. Remove the ending (-ут/-ют or -ат/-ят) to find the stem: чита-.
3. If the stem ends in a vowel, add -й (informal) or -йте (formal/plural).
Aspect Nuances:
- Use the imperfective aspect for ongoing actions, habits, or polite invitations (e.g., Читай! - Keep reading!).
- Use the perfective aspect for a specific, completed result (e.g., Прочитай! - Read this through!).
Special Case (-авать):
Verbs like давать or вставать keep the -ва- suffix in the imperative, even though it disappears in the present tense: давай, вставай.
Examples (5)
- Читай громче, я тебя не слышу!
Read louder, I can't hear you!
Word by Word: Read louder, I you not hear!
Uses the imperfective 'читать' to command a process.
- Откройте, пожалуйста, окно.
Open the window, please.
Word by Word: Open, please, window.
A polite request using the plural/formal -йте ending and 'пожалуйста'.
- Не слушай его, он врёт.
Don't listen to him, he is lying.
Word by Word: Not listen him, he lies.
Negative commands almost always use the imperfective aspect.
- Давай встретимся в семь.
Let's meet at seven.
Word by Word: Give let-us-meet at seven.
The imperative 'давай' is commonly used to mean 'let's'.
- Построй этот дом быстро.
Build this house quickly.
Word by Word: Build this house quickly.
From 'строить' (stem: стро-). The perfective aspect focuses on the result.
Common Mistakes
Using the full vowel -и instead of the semivowel -й.
Читаи книгу.Читай книгу.After a vowel, you must use the short 'й'. The full 'и' is only for consonant stems with specific stress patterns.
Dropping the -ва- in the imperative of a verb in -вать.
Встай рано утром!Вставай рано утром!Verbs like 'вставать', 'давать' and 'узнавать' keep -ва- in the imperative: вставай, давай, узнавай.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To form the imperative in -й/-йте, you must first know how to conjugate verbs in the third-person plural to find the correct stem. You also need to understand the distinction between informal (singular) and formal/plural address, as well as the phonetic role of the letter -й.
- они + -ют/-ут/-ят/-атPresent Third-person Plural Verb
The imperative stem is derived from the third-person plural present/future form of the verb.
Level 1 - вы + -ете/-итеPresent Second-person Plural or Polite Verb
The plural/polite imperative suffix -те is identical to the ending used in the second-person plural present tense.
Level 1 - Masculine noun gender
Understanding the letter -й as a semi-vowel is necessary to recognize the singular imperative ending for stems ending in a vowel.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- -и/-итеImperative Forms in -и and -ите
This is the counterpart for verbs whose stems end in a consonant.
Level 2 - давай(те) + Infinitive / First-Person Plural VerbProposal with Давай and Давайте
Uses the imperative 'давай' to form 'let's' suggestions.
Level 2 - не + Imperfective ImperativeNegative Imperative with the Imperfective
Explains how to form negative commands, which usually require the imperfective.
Level 2 - пожалуйстаPlease and You Are Welcome
Essential for softening imperatives into polite requests.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice -й/-йте in Bubblegum
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