imperatyw

Imperatyw, or imperative mood, is a grammatical category used to express commands, requests, instructions, or prohibitions directed at a listener or audience. It contrasts with other moods such as the indicative or subjunctive. The term derives from Latin imperativus, meaning “commanding.”

In Polish, imperatyw forms are built from the verb stem and are inflected for person and number in the second person singular and plural. Examples include idź (go, you singular) and idźcie (go, you plural); pisz (write) and piszcie. Negative imperatives use nie: Nie czytaj tego. There are special forms for the first-person plural, known as let’s constructions, such as chodźmy (let’s come) or bądźmy (let us be). Some verbs have irregular imperatives, e.g., bądź (be), bądźcie; miej (have), miejmy (let us have). In polite usage, speakers often employ proszenie with proszę or periphrastic forms in place of a plain imperative.

Across languages, the imperative mood is used to issue commands, requests, or directions. In English, it generally uses the base verb form with an implicit subject you: “Close the door.” Politeness can be added with please or by softening constructions. Some languages distinguish formal and informal imperatives, others rely on particle markers, intonation, or context. The imperative can also express prohibitions (don’t…), exhortations (let’s…), or warnings, and it frequently appears in signage, instructions, and everyday speech.

Evolution and variation of the imperative reflect cross-linguistic differences in address, politeness, and formality, as well as the range of speech acts it conveys.