I am writing an updated post on the Russian imperative – a more organized and, hopefully, more helpful one.
The old post is here. And I gave a different method. It’s kind of messy, hence I’m writing a different version.
Let’s get started!
| Purpose |
| The imperative mood [commands] is used to give someone an order, give advice, etc. ex. go to the store, do your homework, tell the truth, read a book, speak slowly, make smart decisions, eat healthy, find your vocation in life, etc. |
Forming it in Russian can be difficult – there are several methods to forming it. But there are also multiple exceptions to all methods I’ve tried!
I’m going to give the simplest method I’ve found to forming it in this post.
| Correctly forming the imperative requires that you be familiar with Russian verb conjugation in the present tense. Knowing a verb’s conjugation will enable you to have 90% accuracy with the imperative. |
I have previously written several posts on verb conjugation. This includes both first- and second-conjugation groups and other related groups. Click on the links below to view them.
| First Conjugation Second Conjugation –еть Verbs -овать/евать Verbs Consonant Alternation -авать Verbs -чь Verbs |
| Formation |
| First-Conjugation Verbs |
We’re starting with first-conjugation verbs. To form the imperative of verbs of this conjugation, you need to know the conjugation of the third-person plural [они form].
Let’s observe an example.
| читать [to read] |
| читаю | читаем |
| читаешь | читаете |
| читает | читают |
Having located the они form, we remove the ending –ют, then replace it with –й, making the imperative form: читай.
| Читай больше на русском, пожалуйста. Read more in Russian, please. |
This form is used when talking to someone informally, someone with whom you use ты.
To make the command formal or plural, simply add –те to the ending – applies to all imperative forms. This is used when you talk to someone formally using вы, or a group of people.
| informal [ты] | formal or plural [вы] |
| читай | читайте |
| Владимир Соколов, читайте книги на английском, пожалуйста. Vladimir Sokolov, read books in English, please. |
| Ребята, читайте больше на английском, пожалуйста. Guys, read more in English, please. |
The word пожалуйста [please] is not necessary, however it certainly makes any command more polite. Keep this in mind. 🙂
| Think of the вы [formal and plural you] conjugation of a verb. It always ends in –те. Знаете, делаете, принимаете, etc. So, you know that commands ending in –те are formal and plural. |
Other verbs [there are many!] following this pattern are:
| Infinitive | они form | Imperative |
|---|---|---|
| делать [to do, make] | делают – | делай [do] |
| принимать [to take] | принимают – | принимай [take] |
| мечтать [to dream] | мечтают – | мечтай [dream] |
| снимать [to take] | снимают – | снимай [take] |
| выбирать [to choose] | выбирают – | выбирай [choose] |
| работать [to work] | работают – | работай [work] |
| слушать [to listen] | слушают – | слушай [listen] |
| начинать [to start] | начинают – | начинай [start] |
| прыгать [to jump] | прыгают – | прыгай [jump] |
| играть [to play] | играют – | играй [play] |
| бросать [to throw] | бросают – | бросай [throw] |
| думать [to think] | думают – | думай [think] |
| иметь [to have] | имеют – | имей [have] |
Some in-context examples:
| Принимайте эти таблетки после еды. Take these pills after eating. |
| Работайте вместе, чтобы закончить проект. Work together to finish the project. |
| Начинайте каждое утро с чашки кофе. Start each morning with a cup of coffee. |
| повторять [to repeat; to review] |
| повторяю | повторяем |
| повторяешь | повторяете |
| повторяет | повторяют |
Having located the они form, we remove the ending –ют, then replace it with –й, making the imperative form: повторяй.
| Повторяй новые слова, чтобы не забыть их. Review new words in order not to forget them. |
| Повтрояйте каждое новое правило в русском. Review every new rule in Russian. |
| informal [ты] | formal or plural [вы] |
| повторяй | повторяйте |
Other verbs [there are more!] following this pattern are:
| Infinitive | они form | Imperative |
|---|---|---|
| доверять [to trust] | доверяют – | доверяй [trust] |
| сочинять [to compose] | сочиняют – | сочиняй [compose] |
| удивлять [to surprise] | удивляют – | удивляй [surprise] |
| исправлять [to correct] | исправляют – | исправляй [correct] |
| обновлять [to update] | обновляют – | обновляй [to update] |
In-context examples:
| Доверяйте вашим друзьям и семье. Trust your friends and family. |
| Исправляйте все наши ошибки, пожалуйста. Correct all our mistakes, please. |
| мыть [to wash] |
Verbs with this ending [-ыть] follow the first conjugation pattern.
| мою | моем |
| моешь | моете |
| моет | моют |
Having located the они form, we remove the ending –ют, then replace it with –й, making the imperative form: мой.
| Мой посуду после завтрака, обеда и ужина. Wash the dishes after breakfast, lunch and dinner. |
| informal [ты] | formal or plural [вы] |
| мой | мойте |
Other verbs [there are more!] following this pattern are:
| Infinitive | они form | Imperative |
|---|---|---|
| открыть* [to trust] | откроют – | открой [trust] |
| закрыть* [to compose] | закроют – | закрой [compose] |
| покрыть* [to cover] | покроют – | покрой [cover] |
| Закрой глаза. У меня есть кое-что для тебя. Close your eyes. I have something for you. |
| Открой окно, пожалуйста. В комнате немного душно. Open the window, please. The room’s a little stuffy. |
| советовать [to advise] |
Verbs with this ending [-евать/овать] follow the first-conjugation pattern, but with the insertion of у between the stem and ending.
| советую | советуем |
| советуешь | советуете |
| советует | советуют |
Having located the они form, we remove the ending –ют, then replace it with –й, making the imperative form: советуй.
| Советуй им, что делать, пожалуйста. Advise them what to do, please. |
| informal [ты] | formal or plural [вы] |
| советуй | советуйте |
Other verbs [there are more!] following this pattern are:
| Infinitive | они form | Imperative |
|---|---|---|
| целовать [to kiss] | целуют – | целуй [kiss] |
| пробовать [to try] | пробуют – | пробуй [try] |
| беседовать [to have a chat] | беседуют – | беседуй [have a chat] |
| танцевать [to dance] | танцуют – | танцуй [dance] |
| планировать [to plan] | планируют – | планируй [plan] |
More in-context examples:
| Не целуй незнакомцев, пожалуйста. Don’t kiss strangers, please. |
| Не рисуй меня, пожалуйста. Don’t draw me, please. |
| An easy way to help you remember the imperative of –овать/евать is to think of the expression здравствуйте [informal здравствуй]. This is probably one of the first expressions you learned in Russian. And it’s actually the imperative form! It comes from the verb здравствовать [to be healthy], thus the expression literally means be healthy but is used to mean hello. |
| Forming the negative of the imperative is easy – just add не before it: не играй [don’t play], не доверяй [don’t trust], не советуй [don’t advise], etc. |
| Second-Conjugation Verbs |
Forming the imperative of verbs in this group is trickier – the conjugations have more irregularities.
The они form is once again essential for proper formation.
Let’s examine two verbs: готовить [to prepare] and любить [to love]. Both are conjugated the same way, but their imperatives differ.
| любить [to love] |
| люблю | любим |
| любишь | любите |
| любит | любят |
Having located the они form, we remove the ending –ят, then replace it with –и, making the imperative form: люби.
Some examples:
| Люби меня навсегда. Love me forever. |
| Не люби его. Don’t love him. |
| informal [ты] | formal or plural [вы] |
| люби | любите |
| готовить [to prepare] |
| готовлю | готовим |
| готовишь | готовите |
| готовит | готовят |
Having located the они form, we remove the ending –ят, then replace it with –ь, making the imperative form: готовь. We do this because the stress is not on the ending in the я form.
Some examples:
| Готовь им вкусный торт. Prepare them a tasty cake. |
| Готовьте нам русские блюда. Prepare us Russian dishes. |
| informal [ты] | formal or plural [вы] |
| готовь | готовьте |
| Why do they have different imperatives? Did you notice something? Look at the я forms for both verbs – they’re highlighted in pink. The я form of любить [люблю] is stressed on the ending, whereas that of готовить [готовлю] is not. This is key to forming the imperative! And it applies only to second-conjugation verbs! |
Other verbs [there are more!] following this pattern are:
| Observe how the я form dictates the result. |
| Infinitive | я and они forms | Imperative |
|---|---|---|
| верить [to believe] | верю верят | верь [believe] |
| ставить [to put] | ставлю ставят | ставь [put] |
| говорить [to speak] | говорю говорят | говори [speak] |
| смотреть [to watch] | смотрю смотрят | смотри [watch] |
| хранить [to keep] | храню хранят | храни [hold] |
| молчать [to be silent] | молчу молчат | молчи [be quiet] |
| дарить [to give] | дарю дарят | дари [give] |
| ценить [to value] | ценю ценят | цени [appreciate] |
| дышать [to breathe] | дышу дышат | дыши [breathe] |
| спать [to sleep] | сплю спят | спи [sleep] |
| ответить* [to answer] | отвечу ответят | ответь |
| помочь* [to help] | помогу помогут | помоги [help] |
| Не спите, ещё рано. Don’t sleep, it’s still early. |
| Говори медленно и чётко, пожалуйста. Speak slowly and clearly, please. |
| Не смотри на меня! Don’t look at me! |
| It has become clear that second-conjugation verbs will be the thorn in your bonnet, so to speak. |
| Reflexive Verbs –ся |
Forming the imperative of reflexive verbs is so easy! Just conjugate the verb [How does it conjugate? Identify the group!], then add in the proper reflexive ending.
| after a vowel | –сь |
| after a consonant | –ся |
Let’s take a look at the verb заниматься [to occupy oneself]. It’s a first-conjugation verb.
| занимаюсь | занимаемся |
| занимаешься | занимаетесь |
| занимается | занимаются |
Having located the они form, we remove the ending –ются, then replace it with –й. Giving that й is a vowel, add –сь making the imperative form: занимайся.
If we add the formal ending –те to the imperative, we get занимайтесь.
| Не занимайся боксингом. Don’t do boxing. |
| Не занимайтесь боксингом. Don’t do boxing. |
| informal [ты] | formal or plural [вы] |
| занимайся | занимайтесь |
| Irregular Imperatives |
These imperatives can’t be formed by following rules. You just need to memorize them. Luckily, there aren’t that many!
| шить [to sew] | шей [sew] |
| пить [to drink] | пей [drink] |
| бить [to beat] | бей [beat] |
| лить [to pour] | лей [pour] |
| лечь [to lie down] | ляг [lie down] |
| есть [to eat] | ешь [eat] |
| петь [to sing] | пой [sing] |
| быть [to be] | будь [eat] |
| Пей по 2 литра воды в день. Drink up to 2 liters of water per day. |
| Лягте на пол, пожалуйста. Lie down on the floor, please. |
| Не пой эту грустную песню. Don’t sing this sad song. |
The following verbs have imperatives that are not exactly irregular but should be mentioned for ease of learning.
| учить [to learn] | учи [learn] |
| брать [to take] | бери [take] |
| идти [to go] | иди [go] |
| ехать [to go -vehicle-] | езжай [go] |
| дать* [to give] | дай [give] |
| сказать* [to tell] | скажи [tell] |
| печь [to bake] | пеки [bake] |
| Выучите все эти глаголы до следующего урока. Learn all these verbs before the next class. |
| Ребята, идите сюда, пожалуйста. Guys, come here, please. |
| Приезжайте к нам в Россию. Мы вас ждём. Come visit us in Russia. We await you. |
| Did you know that you can form commands with just the infinitive? You can. But please be cautious – they are extremely strong! For that reason, their usage is rare. [молчи = be quiet, while молчать = shut up!!] |
This was an exhausting post.
I’m officially sick of the imperative.
Perhaps you noticed that all these verbs were imperfective. To form the imperative of the perfective, just follow the rules above.
Wondering what the difference between aspect is in the imperative? We’ll learn that in another post.
Originally, this post was slated to be published in November 2025, but due to constant revisions, it finally is published in January 2026.
My Slavic Studies 