Lesson 8. The Imperative in Polish (Tryb rozkazujący)

The imperative in Polish (Tryb rozkazujący)

So what is the imperative?
It’s the verb form you reach for when you give an order, ask for something, offer advice or explain how to do a task.

How is it formed?

1. For the “you” form (ty)

• As a rule, take the stem of the 2nd person singular in the present tense and drop the ending.

• Then add the right ending – or leave the bare stem if it ends in a consonant.

Example:

• robić (to do) — ty robisz → imperative: rób! (do it!)

• pisać (to write) — ty piszesz → pisz! (write!)

2. For the plural “you” form (wy)

• Just add the ending -cie to the stem.

Example:

• rób → róbcie! (do it!, to a group)

• pisz → piszcie! (write!, to a group)

3. The polite form — Pan / Pani

• Here you use the infinitive, often after proszę (please) + infinitive.

Example:

• Proszę pisać! — Please write!

• Proszę robić! — Please do it!

Things to watch out for

• Some verbs have irregular imperative forms.

• In everyday speech people often shorten the form or shift the stress.

• To say “don’t”, put the particle nie in front of the form:
  Nie rób! — Don’t do it!

Imperative examples