Imperative: the full system

A2 — Slovesa

Imperative for ty/my/vy from the 3rd person plural stem, negative commands with the imperfective, and aspect choice in orders

I can give instructions, invitations and prohibitions with correct imperative forms and aspect.

Examples

Kup cestou dvě piva a nezapomeň na chleba! — Buy two beers on the way and don't forget the bread!
Pojďme v sobotu na Vyšehrad, vezměte i děti! — Let's go to Vyšehrad on Saturday — bring the kids too!
Nebojte se mluvit česky, nikdo se vám smát nebude. — Don't be afraid to speak Czech — nobody will laugh at you.

VerbsA2

Imperative: the full system

Imperative for ty/my/vy from the 3rd person plural stem, negative commands with the imperfective, and aspect choice in orders

Learning Goal

I can give instructions, invitations and prohibitions with correct imperative forms and aspect.

Exam Skills:CCE A2 · ListeningCCE A2 · Speaking

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Kup cestou dvě piva a nezapomeň na chleba!

Buy two beers on the way and don't forget the bread!

Pojďme v sobotu na Vyšehrad, vezměte i děti!

Let's go to Vyšehrad on Saturday — bring the kids too!

Nebojte se mluvit česky, nikdo se vám smát nebude.

Don't be afraid to speak Czech — nobody will laugh at you.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

English makes a command from the bare verb: Sit! Write! Czech builds it from the "they" form of the present tense (oni), and has three forms: for ty, for my (let's) and for vy.

How to build it

Take the oni form and remove the ending. If the stem ends in one consonant, that is the ty form; add -me and -te for the others. If it ends in two consonants, add -i, and -ěme/-ěte (spelled -eme/-ete after l: mysli, myslete).

Infinitive	oni	ty	my	vy
dělat	dělají	dělej	dělejme	dělejte
psát	píšou	piš	pišme	pište
koupit	koupí	kup	kupme	kupte
číst	čtou	čti	čtěme	čtěte
říct	řeknou	řekni	řekněme	řekněte

Two small adjustments: -aj- becomes -ej- (dělají → dělej), and a long vowel often shortens (píšou → piš, koupí → kup). Learn the irregulars as words: buď (být), měj (mít), jez (jíst), jdi (jít), pojď (come), pomoz (pomoct), vezmi, colloquially vem (vzít).

Aspect decides the meaning

A one-off positive request is usually perfective: Zavři okno. Kup cestou chleba. Sedni si.
A prohibition is usually imperfective: Nekupuj to. Nesahej na to. Neboj se.
A negative perfective is a warning against an accident: Nezapomeň si klíče! Neupadni!
A positive imperfective invites or urges: a host says Pojďte dál, berte si, je toho dost.

English speakers tend to negate whatever verb they learned first, and produce *Nekup to. Ask yourself whether you are forbidding (imperfective) or warning (perfective).

Let's, let him, and signs

The my form is English "let's": Pojďme v sobotu na Vyšehrad. For "let him / may it" Czech uses ať + present: Ať zavolá zítra. Ať žijí novomanželé! On signs and in curt orders you will meet the infinitive: Nekouřit. Nevstupovat. It is correct, but it sounds like a notice, not a person.

The most famous Czech imperative is heard thousands of times a day in the Prague metro: Ukončete, prosím, výstup a nástup, dveře se zavírají. The vy form with prosím is the polite default with anyone you do not know.

Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Perfective prohibition: *Nekup to! → Nekupuj to!
Infinitive as an everyday command: Sednout! exists, but it is a curt order for a dog or a drill → to a person Sedni si!
Forgotten my-form: Pojďme! covers 'let's go'

Common Error Patterns

Perfective used in a prohibition

Prohibitions are imperfective: Nekupuj, Nechoď, Neboj se

Wrong imperative stem

Build from oni-form: dělají→dělej, píšou→piš

Kup cestou dvě piva a nezapomeň na chleba!

Buy two beers on the way and don't forget the bread!

Positive order with a perfective (kup); nezapomeň is the standard warning form.

Pojďme v sobotu na Vyšehrad, vezměte i děti!

Let's go to Vyšehrad on Saturday — bring the kids too!

pojďme = the my-form invitation; vezměte = vy-form.

Nebojte se mluvit česky, nikdo se vám smát nebude.

Don't be afraid to speak Czech — nobody will laugh at you.

Nebojte se: imperfective prohibition as encouragement.

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Frequently asked questions

When do you use Imperative: the full system?: English makes a command from the bare verb: Sit! Write! Czech builds it from the "they" form of the present tense ( oni ), and has three forms: for ty , for my (let's) and for vy .
How do you form Imperative: the full system?: Take the oni form and remove the ending. If the stem ends in one consonant , that is the ty form; add -me and -te for the others. If it ends in two consonants , add -i , and -ěme/-ěte (spelled -eme/-ete after l: mysli, myslete ). Two small adjustments: -aj- becomes -ej- ( dělají → dělej ), and a long vowel often shortens ( píšou → piš, koupí → kup ). Learn the irregulars as words: buď (být), měj (mít), jez (jíst), jdi (jít), pojď (come), pomoz (pomoct), vezmi , colloquially vem (vzít). English speakers tend to negate whatever verb they learned first, and produce *Nekup to . Ask yourself whether you are forbidding (imperfective) or warning (perfective).
What are common mistakes with Imperative: the full system?: Perfective prohibition: *Nekup to! → Nekupuj to! Infinitive as an everyday command: Sednout! exists, but it is a curt order for a dog or a drill → to a person Sedni si! Forgotten my-form: Pojďme! covers 'let's go'

Infinitive

oni

dělat

dělají

dělej

dělejme

dělejte

psát

píšou

piš

pišme

pište

koupit

koupí

kup

kupme

kupte

číst

čtou

čti

čtěme

čtěte

říct

řeknou

řekni

řekněme

řekněte

Frequently asked questions

When do you use Imperative: the full system?

English makes a command from the bare verb: Sit! Write! Czech builds it from the "they" form of the present tense ( oni ), and has three forms: for ty , for my (let's) and for vy .

How do you form Imperative: the full system?

Take the oni form and remove the ending. If the stem ends in one consonant , that is the ty form; add -me and -te for the others. If it ends in two consonants , add -i , and -ěme/-ěte (spelled -eme/-ete after l: mysli, myslete ). Two small adjustments: -aj- becomes -ej- ( dělají → dělej ), and a long vowel often shortens ( píšou → piš, koupí → kup ). Learn the irregulars as words: buď (být), měj (mít), jez (jíst), jdi (jít), pojď (come), pomoz (pomoct), vezmi , colloquially vem (vzít). English speakers tend to negate whatever verb they learned first, and produce *Nekup to . Ask yourself whether you are forbidding (imperfective) or warning (perfective).

What are common mistakes with Imperative: the full system?

Perfective prohibition: *Nekup to! → Nekupuj to! Infinitive as an everyday command: Sednout! exists, but it is a curt order for a dog or a drill → to a person Sedni si! Forgotten my-form: Pojďme! covers 'let's go'