How to Use the Imperative Mood for Commands and Requests in Ukrainian

Understanding the Imperative Mood in Ukrainian

The imperative mood in Ukrainian is used to give commands, make requests, or offer invitations. It is an essential part of everyday communication, especially when you want to tell someone to do something or ask them politely.

Forming the Imperative for Regular Verbs

To form the imperative in Ukrainian, you generally start with the verb stem and add specific endings depending on the verb conjugation group and the person you are addressing. The imperative is usually formed for the second person singular and plural.

For example, the verb читати (to read) forms the imperative as follows:

• Second person singular: читай (read!)
• Second person plural: читайте (read! - plural or formal)

Imperative Forms for Different Verb Types

Ukrainian verbs are divided into two main conjugation groups, and the imperative endings differ slightly between them. Here are some examples:

• For verbs ending in -ати (first conjugation), like писати (to write): пиши (singular), пишіть (plural/formal)
• For verbs ending in -ити (second conjugation), like говорити (to speak): говори (singular), говоріть (plural/formal)

Using the Imperative for Polite Requests

To make a command sound more polite or like a request, Ukrainians often add the word будь ласка (please) before or after the imperative verb.

Negative Imperative Forms

To tell someone not to do something, the negative imperative is formed by placing не before the imperative verb.

Imperative with First Person Plural (Let's...) Form

Ukrainian also has an imperative form for the first person plural, which is used to suggest doing something together, similar to "Let's..." in English.

Common Imperative Verbs in Ukrainian

Here are some frequently used imperative verbs that you might find useful:

• Іди! (Go!)
• Слухай! (Listen!)
• Говори! (Speak!)
• Пиши! (Write!)
• Читай! (Read!)
• Дай! (Give!)