{"id":955,"date":"2010-07-12T19:54:47","date_gmt":"2010-07-12T19:54:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/?p=955"},"modified":"2017-06-09T09:16:06","modified_gmt":"2017-06-09T09:16:06","slug":"przeczytajcie-imperative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/przeczytajcie-imperative\/","title":{"rendered":"Przeczytajcie to – It’s Imperative!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Well, the World Cup has officially concluded in South Africa, and the Spaniards have come through victorious. If you want moje trzy grosze<\/strong> (my two cents), the Spanish were very lucky with the calls the referee made in this sixty-fourth and final match of the competition. In fact, I think the Dutch really got the kr\u00f3tki koniec kija<\/strong> (short end of the stick). Again, that’s just moje trzy grosze<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I had a follower on our Polish Facebook page<\/a> ask the question, can you explain how to form the imperative please? I put in a quick response with a general praktyczna zasada<\/strong> (rule of thumb), but thought putting in a post here would be appropriate and helpful. And he did ask so nicely, so why not?<\/p>\n

So I titled this post, “Przeczytajcie to<\/strong> – It’s Imperative!” Przeczytajcie to<\/strong> – this is the conjugated third person plural imperative of the verb przeczyta\u0107<\/strong>, the perfective form of the verb to read. So translated, Read this – It’s Imperative! Get it, play on the word imperative? Okay, may be funnier in my own head than when you’re reading this, but I never claimed to be a komik<\/strong> (comedian). Back to business. So the answer I posted initially was:<\/p>\n

In most cases, the imperative is usually equal to to the stem of the third person singular present tense form of the verb. Once you have that conjugation, drop the ending, which varies from -e, -ie, -y, or -i. So an example, the infinitive pisa\u0107; 3rd person is pisze and imperative is Pisz! If it ends in -a, then you would add the letter j to the ending. So example, czyta\u0107; 3rd person is czyta and add the -j to make imperative Czytaj!<\/em><\/p>\n

So in this post, I want to elaborate a little more on forming the imperative and provide a few more examples. Obviously, the imperative form is the command form of a verb. It can be conjugated in first, second and third person, however, only plural for first person where second and third person are both singular and plural. So if we refer back to my previous post on conjugating the verb czyta\u0107<\/strong>, I’ll continue with its conjugation, now in the imperative tense:<\/p>\n

Singular, 2nd person\u00a0\u00a0 czytaj<\/strong>
\nSingular, 3rd person\u00a0\u00a0 niech czyta<\/strong><\/p>\n

Plural, 1st person\u00a0\u00a0 czytajmy<\/strong>
\nPlural, 2nd person\u00a0\u00a0 czytajcie<\/strong>
\nPlural, 3rd person\u00a0\u00a0 niech czytaj\u0105<\/strong><\/p>\n

In most speech, you will be using the second person singular or plural, giving the command to another person. Politely, it is advisable to use the word prosz\u0119<\/strong> (please). So, using the rule in italics above, some standard conjugations are:<\/p>\n

infinitive:\u00a0 pisa\u0107<\/strong> (to write) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 third person singular: pisze<\/strong> imperative:\u00a0 pisz<\/strong>
\ninfinitive:\u00a0 i\u015b\u0107<\/strong> (to go) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 third person singular:\u00a0 idzie<\/strong> imperative: id\u017a<\/strong>
\ninfinitive:\u00a0 ko\u0144czy\u0107<\/strong> (to finish) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 third person singular: \u00a0 ko\u0144czy<\/strong> imperative: ko\u0144cz<\/strong>
\ninfinitive:\u00a0 kupi\u0107 <\/strong>(to buy) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 third person singular:\u00a0 kupi<\/strong> imperative: kup<\/strong>
\ninfinitive:\u00a0 czeka\u0107<\/strong> (to wait) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 third person singular:\u00a0 czeka<\/strong> imperative:\u00a0 czekaj<\/strong><\/p>\n

Given that, you learn a base example only to be thrown a curveball. And I am speaking from experience. Take the verb robi\u0107<\/strong> (to do). The third person singular is conjugated as robi<\/strong>, however, when you go to form the imperative, the imperative follows the rule of dropping the -i. However, the o in the verb requires a vowel change from o (soft oh) to \u00f3<\/strong> (oo), creating the imperative r\u00f3b<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Another good example of irregular imperative formation is the verb by\u0107<\/strong> (to be). In English it has a unique conjugation, and the same goes for the Polish.\u00a0 Conjugated in the present, it is:<\/p>\n

Singular, 1st person \u00a0 jestem<\/strong>
\nSingular, 2nd person\u00a0\u00a0 jeste\u015b<\/strong>
\nSingular, 3rd person\u00a0\u00a0 jest<\/strong><\/p>\n

Plural, 1st person\u00a0\u00a0 jeste\u015bmy<\/strong>
\nPlural, 2nd person\u00a0\u00a0 jeste\u015bci or jeste\u015bcie<\/strong>
\nPlural, 3rd person\u00a0\u00a0 s\u0105<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
So by the rule, we need to take the third person singular jest and drop the ending. There is no ending to drop, thus irregular. The imperative of this verb ends up being b\u0105d\u017a<\/strong>. Another common verb that follows an irregular pattern is je\u015b\u0107<\/strong> (to eat). The third person singular is je<\/strong>, with no ending forming yet another irregular imperative jedz<\/strong>. Side note, whenever you enter a Polish household, you’ll hear this command often, politely accompanied by prosz\u0119<\/strong>; i.e. Prosz\u0119 jedz.<\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n

\n<\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to master these irregular imperatives. I wish it was as easy as the command, “Rozum!<\/strong> (Understand!)” But it’s not. It just takes practice and experience.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Hope you enjoyed the lesson on imperatives! Do nast\u0119pnego czytania\u2026<\/div>\n
\n

Well, the World Cup has officially concluded in South Africa, and the Spaniards have come through victorious. If you want moje trzy grosze<\/strong> (my two cents), the Spanish were very lucky with the calls the referee made in this sixty-fourth and final match of the competition. In fact, I think the Dutch really got the kr\u00f3tki koniec kija<\/strong> (short end of the stick). Again, that’s just moje trzy grosze<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I had a follower on our Polish Facebook page<\/a> ask the question, can you explain how to form the imperative please? I put in a quick response with a general praktyczna zasada<\/strong> (rule of thumb), but thought putting in a post here would be appropriate and helpful. And he did ask so nicely, so why not? Prosz\u0119<\/strong> (please) goes a long way with me \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

So I titled this post, “Przeczytajcie to<\/strong> – It’s Imperative!” Przeczytajcie to<\/strong> – this is the conjugated third person plural imperative of the verb przeczyta\u0107<\/strong>, the perfective form of the verb to read. So translated, Read this – It’s Imperative! Get it, play on the word imperative? Okay, may be funnier in my own head than when you’re reading this, but I am exhausted from that World Cup match and I never claimed to be a komik<\/strong> (comedian). Back to business. So the answer I posted initially was:<\/p>\n

In most cases, the imperative is usually equal to to the stem of the third person singular present tense form of the verb. Once you have that conjugation, drop the ending, which varies from -e, -ie, -y, or -i. So an example, the infinitive pisa\u0107; 3rd person is pisze and imperative is Pisz! If it ends in -a, then you would add the letter j to the ending. So example, czyta\u0107; 3rd person is czyta and add the -j to make imperative Czytaj!<\/em><\/p>\n

So in this post, I want to elaborate a little more on forming the imperative and provide a few more examples. Obviously, the imperative form is the command form of a verb. It can be conjugated in first, second and third person, however, only plural for first person where second and third person are both singular and plural. So if we refer back to my previous post on conjugating the verb czyta\u0107<\/strong>, I’ll continue with its conjugation, now in the imperative tense:<\/p>\n

Singular, 2nd person\u00a0\u00a0 czytaj<\/strong>
\nSingular, 3rd person\u00a0\u00a0 niech czyta<\/strong><\/p>\n

Plural, 1st person\u00a0\u00a0 czytajmy<\/strong>
\nPlural, 2nd person\u00a0\u00a0 czytajcie<\/strong>
\nPlural, 3rd person\u00a0\u00a0 niech czytaj\u0105<\/strong><\/p>\n

In most speech, you will be using the second person singular or plural, giving the command to another person. Politely, it is advisable to use the word prosz\u0119<\/strong> (please) to ease the command onto another. So, using the rule in italics above, some standard conjugations are:<\/p>\n

infinitive:\u00a0 pisa\u0107<\/strong> (to write) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 third person singular: pisze<\/strong> imperative:\u00a0 pisz<\/strong>
\ninfinitive:\u00a0 i\u015b\u0107<\/strong> (to go) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 third person singular:\u00a0 idzie<\/strong> imperative: id\u017a<\/strong>
\ninfinitive:\u00a0 ko\u0144czy\u0107<\/strong> (to finish) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 third person singular: \u00a0 ko\u0144czy<\/strong> imperative: ko\u0144cz<\/strong>
\ninfinitive:\u00a0 kupi\u0107 <\/strong>(to buy) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 third person singular:\u00a0 kupi<\/strong> imperative: kup<\/strong>
\ninfinitive:\u00a0 czeka\u0107<\/strong> (to wait) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 third person singular:\u00a0 czeka<\/strong> imperative:\u00a0 czekaj<\/strong><\/p>\n

Given that, you learn a base example only to be thrown a curveball. And I am speaking from experience. Take the verb robi\u0107<\/strong> (to do). The third person singular is conjugated as robi<\/strong>, however, when you go to form the imperative, the imperative follows the rule of dropping the -i. However, the o in the verb requires a vowel change from o (soft oh) to \u00f3<\/strong> (oo), creating the imperative r\u00f3b<\/strong>. Just like in the English language, some of these cases exist and you don’t have a clear reason as to why, they are just learned.<\/p>\n

Another good example of that tenet is the verb by\u0107<\/strong> (to be). In English it has a unique conjugation, and the same goes for the Polish.\u00a0 Conjugated in the present, it is:<\/p>\n

Singular, 1st person \u00a0 jestem<\/strong>
\nSingular, 2nd person\u00a0\u00a0 jeste\u015b<\/strong>
\nSingular, 3rd person\u00a0\u00a0 jest<\/strong><\/p>\n

Plural, 1st person\u00a0\u00a0 jeste\u015bmy<\/strong>
\nPlural, 2nd person\u00a0\u00a0 jeste\u015bci or jeste\u015bcie<\/strong>
\nPlural, 3rd person\u00a0\u00a0 s\u0105<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
So by the rule, we need to take the third person singular jest and drop the ending. There is no ending to drop, thus irregular. The imperative of this verb ends up being b\u0105d\u017a<\/strong>. Another common verb that follows an irregular pattern is je\u015b\u0107<\/strong> (to eat). The third person singular is je<\/strong>, with no ending forming yet another irregular imperative jedz<\/strong>. Side note, whenever you enter a Polish household, you’ll hear this command often, politely accompanied by prosz\u0119<\/strong>; i.e. Prosz\u0119 jedz.<\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n

\n<\/strong><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to master these irregular imperatives. I wish it was as easy as the command, “Rozum!<\/strong> (Understand!)” But it’s not. It just takes practice and experience. And what better way to learn an imperative than listening to some disco polo? Oh yeah, I went there again. The title of this song is “Daj mi t\u0119 noc<\/strong>” (Give me this night) performed by zespo\u0142 Bolter<\/strong>. What is the imperative being used?<\/div>\n
http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=S4zoNyXTKto<\/a><\/div>\n
Hope you enjoyed the lesson on imperatives! Do nast\u0119pnego czytania\u2026<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Well, the World Cup has officially concluded in South Africa, and the Spaniards have come through victorious. If you want moje trzy grosze (my two cents), the Spanish were very lucky with the calls the referee made in this sixty-fourth and final match of the competition. In fact, I think the Dutch really got the…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[6,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-955","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-grammar","category-vocabulary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=955"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7104,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/955\/revisions\/7104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}