4. The imperatives and conditionals the imperative
The imperative is the form of the verb used in giving commands ('Read this!', 'Go home!'); the formation of this category is directly tied to the non-past, in terms of the form as well as of the place of stress. Strictly speaking, truly 'imperative' forms exist only in the 2sg., 2pl., and 1pl; the 1pl. (inclusive) corresponds to the English 'Let's (do something)', as it is of course impossible to give oneself a command. The use of the imperative, including 1pl. constructions involving давайте 'Let's' and 3sg./3pl. constructions with хай/нехай 'Let'.
The formation of the imperative is dependent on (a) stem-type and (b) the stress pattern of the given verb; in essence, the imperative endings are attached directly to the stem itself, without the connector vowels that are present in the non-past (i.e. -e- or -и-). For some verbal types, as we have seen in the non-past, the identity of the stem cannot be deduced from the infinitive:
inf. читати, but stem читай-
inf. працювати, but stem працюй-
Although it is crucial to know the stem of a given verb, it is the place of stress within a paradigm that plays the deciding role in the choice of endings, regardless of the stem-type:
TYPE A: STEMS WITH FINAL STRESS IN THE 1SG.
2sg. -и Роби! 'Do! Make!' (1sg. роблю)
2pl. -іть робіть!
1pl. -ім(о) робім! (робімо!)
TYPE В: STEMS WITH STEM STRESS
2
sg.
-
вибач!
Excuse!
Pardon. (1sg. вибачу)
2pl. -те вибачте!
1pl. -мo вибачмо!
2 sg. - читай! Read! (1sg. читаю)
2pl. -те читайте!
1pl. -мо читаймо!
TYPE C: STEMS WITH STEM STRESS, ENDING IN A CONSONANT CLUSTER
2sg. -и помовчи! Be silent! (1sg. помовчу)
2pl. -іть помовчіть!
1pl. -ім(о) помовчімо!
TYPE D: -ава-VERBS
2sg. -авай- - давай! Give! Let's! (see Note 5 below)
2pl. -авай-те давайте!
1pl. -авай-мо даваймо!
Note 1: The endings in Type A will occur with all verbs with stress on the ending in the 1sg.. regardless of whether or not stress shifts to the stem after the 1sg..
Note 2: If there is a consonant mutation in the non-past in the 1sg. only, then it is the unmutated consonant that appears in the imperative; if the mutation affects the entire non-past, then it is the mutated consonant that appears.
Note 3: The 1pl. ending -імо is frequently encountered (indeed preferred by some informants), and owes its final -o to the influence from the non-past; in verbs that are stem-stressed throughout, however, -o is obligatory: * вибачм would be almost unpronounceable.
Note 4: The endings in Type C are identical to those in Type A, except that they are unstressed.
Note 5: Type D has the same endings as Type В and looks just like the читай- type; in this group of verbs, however, the suffix -ава-, present in the infinitive and past tense but absent in the non-past, reappears in the imperative.
Here is a list of further examples, representative of the stem-types:
А нести: неси, несіть, несім/несімо!
вести: веди
пекти: печи
іти: іди
зачати: зачни
звати: зви
узяти: візьми
брати: бери
писати: пиши
платити: плати
носити: носи
ходити: ходи
говорити: говори
лежати: лежи
терпіти: терпи
бігти: біжи
В умитися: умийся, умийтеся, умиймося!
пити: пий
дістати: дістань, дістаньте, дістаньмо
діти: дінь
бути: будь
приходити: приходь
Note that if the verbal stem ends in a consonant д, т, з, с, л, or н then a soft sign appears after that consonant, in all forms. Note also that the vowel и occurs in the imperative of the пити type; in the non-past there is no vowel before the personal endings, but as the 1sg. imperative ending is zero a vowel is required in the stem.
С крикнути: крикни, крикніть, крикнім!
щезнути: щезни
мислити: мисли (to consider, think)
D уставати: уставай, уставайте, уставаймо!
продавати: продавай (to sell)
узнавати: узнавай (to recognize, admit)