Imperative Mood (Rozkazovací způsob)
The imperative in Czech is used to give commands, requests, or instructions.
It corresponds to forms like “do!” or “let’s do!” in English.
Mood:
- Imperative mood = commands, requests, instructions
Aspect:
- Works with both imperfective (ongoing/repeated actions) and perfective (one-time, completed actions).
- Imperfective: Čti každý den! (Read every day!)
- Perfective: Přečti to teď! (Read it now!)
Voice:
- Active voice is the standard in everyday Czech imperatives.
Formation
The imperative is usually formed from the verb stem with specific endings.
There is no 1st person singular form — only 2nd person singular, 2nd person plural, and 1st person plural ("let’s").
Example verb: pracovat (“to work”)
| Person | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ty (you sg.) | -uj | pracuj (work!) |
| vy (you pl./formal) | -ujte | pracujte (work!) |
| my (we, let’s) | -ujme | pracujme (let’s work!) |
Usage
- Commands
- Pracuj rychle! (Work quickly!)
- Requests
- Prosím, pomoz mi. (Please, help me.)
- Instructions
- Otevřete knihu na straně 10. (Open the book on page 10.)
- Suggestions (“let’s”)
- Pojďme začít. (Let’s begin.)
Examples
- Affirmative: Čti tu knihu! (Read that book!)
- Negative: Nečti to! (Don’t read that!)
- Plural/Formal: Pracujte potichu. (Work quietly.)
- Let’s: Začněme pracovat. (Let’s start working.)
Notes
- The negative imperative is formed with ne- + imperative form.
- piš → nepiš (write → don’t write).
- Some verbs have irregular imperative forms.
- The 1st person plural form is used for “let’s”:
- pracujme = “let’s work.”
Common Expressions
| Expression | Example |
|---|---|
| pojď (come on) | Pojď sem! (Come here!) |
| dej (give) | Dej mi to. (Give it to me.) |
| buď (be) | Buď ticho. (Be quiet.) |
| počkej (wait) | Počkej chvíli. (Wait a moment.) |
Irregular Verbs
Some verbs have special imperative forms:
- být (to be) → buď, buďte, buďme
- jít (to go on foot) → jdi, jděte, jděme
- dát (to give) → dej, dejte, dejme
- vzít (to take) → vezmi, vezměte, vezměme
- říct/říci (to say) → řekni, řekněte, řekněme
