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LESSON 79The Imperative — Giving Commands
Lesson objective
In this lesson, you will learn how to tell someone to do something or not to do something.
What is the imperative?
The imperative is used for commands — for example: Go to the store! Open the window! Study Arabic! There are two forms: the positive imperative (tells someone to do something) and the negative imperative (tells someone not to do something).
Positive imperative
To form the positive imperative: begin with the present-tense “you” form, remove ka-, and remove the prefix t-.
Example verb: “to write”
| Form | Present tense | Command |
|---|---|---|
| You write — masculine | kat-ktb | ktb (Write!) |
| You write — feminine | kat-ktbi | ktbi |
| You write — plural | kat-ktbu | ktbu |
Negative imperative
To tell someone not to do something: remove ka-, keep the t- prefix, place ma- before the verb, and place -š after it. The structure is ma-t-verb-š.
Example: “to sit” (gls)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| To a man | gls | ma-t-gls-š |
| To a woman | glsi | ma-t-glsi-š |
| To several people | glsu | ma-t-glsu-š |
Example: “to stand” / “to stop” (wqf)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| To a man | wqf | ma-t-wqf-š |
| To a woman | wqfi | ma-t-wqfi-š |
| To several people | wqfu | ma-t-wqfu-š |
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