Verbs: Imperative Mood

01

The Two Forms

For one person you know well, ⁧بِ⁩ (be-) on the present stem and nothing after it. For several people, or for one person addressed politely, add ⁧⁧ید⁩⁩ (ididayd).

• ⁧بِخَر⁩

  bexarbekharbxr

  buy!

• ⁧بِخَرید⁩

  bexaridbekharidbxryd

  buy!

• ⁧بِنِشینید⁩

  benešinidbeneshinidbnšynyd

  sit down, please

• ⁧بیایید داخِل⁩

  biyâyid dâxelbiyâyid dâkhelbyyayyd daxl

  come inside

The plural is what you use with a stranger, and it is what most of the instructions you meet in the world will be in.

02

The Prefix Is Not Always بِ (be-)

Some verbs round it to ⁧بُ⁩ (bo-), and a few build the imperative in their own way altogether. These are worth memorising as vocabulary.

• ⁧بُخُور⁩

  boxorbokhorbxr

  eat!

• ⁧بُرو⁩

  boroborobr

  go!

• ⁧بیا⁩

  biyâbiyâbyya

  come!

Inside a compound verb the prefix is normally left off, so the light verb stands bare:

• ⁧نِگاه کُن⁩

  negâh konnegâh konngah kn

  look!

• ⁧فِکر کُن⁩

  fekr konfekr konfkr kn

  think!

03

The Negative Is Regular

Whatever the positive does, the negative simply puts ⁧نَ⁩ (na-) on the bare present stem - no ⁧بِ⁩ (be-), no surprises.

• ⁧نَخُور⁩

  naxornakhornxr

  do not eat!

• ⁧نَنوش⁩

  nanušnanushnnvš

  do not drink!

• ⁧غَمگین نَباش⁩

  ġamgin nabâšghamgin nabâshġmgyn nbaš

  do not be sad

• ⁧نِگَران نَباش⁩

  negarân nabâšnegarân nabâshngran nbaš

  do not worry

So ⁧⁧بُرو⁩⁩ (boroborobr) changes its prefix but its negative does not, and a learner who cannot remember the positive can always fall back on the negative.

04

Softening It

Persian softens commands with ⁧⁧لُطفاً⁩⁩ (loṭfanlotfanlṭfn), "please", or by using a question instead - see the topic on ⁧⁧می‌شَوَد⁩⁩ (mi-šavadmi-shavadmy-švd).

• ⁧لُطفاً بِنِشینید.⁩

  loṭfan benešinidlotfan beneshinidlṭfn bnšynyd

  Please sit down.

• ⁧لُطفاً اینجا سیگار نَکِشید.⁩

  loṭfan injâ sigâr nakešidlotfan injâ sigâr nakeshidlṭfn aynja sygar nkšyd

  Please do not smoke here.