Nonimperatives

Nonimperatives are grammatical forms that do not express commands or requests. In linguistics, the term encompasses moods and sentence types whose primary functions are to state information, ask questions, express wishes or conditions, or convey exclamations. They stand in contrast to imperatives, which issue direct instructions or solicit actions from the listener.

Common nonimperatives include the declarative or indicative mood, used for statements (She is here); the interrogative mood, used for questions (Are you coming?); the subjunctive or optative mood, used for wishes or hypothetical situations (If I were rich); the conditional mood, used for hypothetical consequences (If it rained, we would cancel); and the exclamative mood, used to express strong emotion (What a day!). Some languages also deploy a hortative mood to encourage a group to act, which is typically considered nonimperative.

Cross-linguistic variation is substantial. Some languages lack a distinct imperative mood and rely on nonimperative forms or periphrastic constructions to issue commands. Others maintain a separate imperative alongside several nonimperative moods. In many languages, the distinction between declarative and interrogative is morphemically or syntactically marked, while the subjunctive or optative may have different uses or even fade away in modern varieties.

In English, many sentences use nonimperative marks by default: declaratives carry statement meaning, questions invert word order, and the subjunctive appears in formal or archaic contexts. Imperatives exist as a distinct mood for direct commands, with the second-person subject often understood rather than overtly stated.