Russian Imperative: Complete Conjugation Guide with Examples & Exercises

Q: When should I use imperfective vs. perfective imperative?

Use imperfective for: general instructions (Читай больше! — Read more!), polite invitations (Садитесь — Please sit), repeated actions, and most negative commands (Не трогай! — Don't touch!). Use perfective for: specific one-time requests (Прочитай эту статью — Read this article), urgent commands (Встань! — Stand up!), and rare negative warnings (Не урони! — Don't drop it!).

Introduction to the Russian Imperative

The imperative mood (повелительное наклонение) in Russian is used to give commands, make requests, offer suggestions, or provide instructions. Whether you're telling someone to sit down, asking a friend to wait, or giving directions, you'll need to master Russian imperative conjugation to communicate effectively.

Unlike English, which uses the same verb form for all commands ("Go!", "Read!", "Listen!"), Russian imperatives change based on whether you're addressing one person informally (ты) or formally/to a group (вы). Russian also uses verb aspect (imperfective vs. perfective) to convey different nuances in commands—something that doesn't exist in English.

Formation of the Russian Imperative

To form the imperative in Russian, start with the third person plural (они) form of the present tense (for imperfective verbs) or future tense (for perfective verbs). Remove the ending to find the stem, then add the appropriate imperative suffix.

Basic Formation Rules

The Russian imperative conjugation follows these patterns:

Stem Ends In	Singular (ты)	Plural/Formal (вы)	Example
Vowel	-й	-йте	читают → чита- → читай / читайте
Single consonant (stressed ending)	-и	-ите	говорят → говор- → говори / говорите
Single consonant (unstressed ending)	-ь	-ьте	встанут → встан- → встань / встаньте
Consonant cluster	-и	-ите	помогут → помог- → помоги / помогите

Step-by-Step Formation

Step 1: Take the они form of the present/future tense (e.g., читают, говорят, пишут)
Step 2: Remove the ending (-ут/-ют or -ат/-ят) to get the stem
Step 3: Check what the stem ends in and whether the ending is stressed
Step 4: Add the appropriate imperative ending based on the rules above

15 Common Verbs: Imperative Forms

Infinitive	Meaning	Они Form	Singular (ты)	Plural/Formal (вы)
читать	to read	читают	читай	читайте
говорить	to speak	говорят	говори	говорите
писать	to write	пишут	пиши	пишите
слушать	to listen	слушают	слушай	слушайте
смотреть	to watch	смотрят	смотри	смотрите
ждать	to wait	ждут	жди	ждите
идти	to go (on foot)	идут	иди	идите
сидеть	to sit	сидят	сиди	сидите
встать	to stand up	встанут	встань	встаньте
помочь	to help	помогут	помоги	помогите
открыть	to open	откроют	открой	откройте
закрыть	to close	закроют	закрой	закройте
взять	to take	возьмут	возьми	возьмите
сказать	to say	скажут	скажи	скажите
показать	to show	покажут	покажи	покажите

Irregular Imperatives

Some common verbs have irregular imperative forms that must be memorized:

Infinitive	Meaning	Singular (ты)	Plural/Formal (вы)	Note
быть	to be	будь	будьте	Used in set phrases: будь здоров!
есть	to eat	ешь	ешьте	Stem change from ед- to еш-
дать	to give	дай	дайте	Doesn't follow standard rules
ехать	to go (vehicle)	поезжай	поезжайте	Not едь or ехай
лечь	to lie down	ляг	лягте	Complete stem change
бежать	to run	беги	бегите	Stem change from бег- pattern

Imperfective vs. Perfective Imperatives

Choosing the right aspect is one of the trickiest parts of Russian imperatives. The aspect changes the meaning significantly:

Context	Aspect	Example	Meaning
General instruction	Imperfective	Читай каждый день!	Read every day! (ongoing habit)
Specific request	Perfective	Прочитай эту книгу!	Read this book! (one-time, complete it)
Polite invitation	Imperfective	Садитесь, пожалуйста.	Please, sit down. (welcoming tone)
Urgent command	Perfective	Сядь!	Sit down! (do it now)
General prohibition	Imperfective	Не открывай окно.	Don't open the window. (general rule)
Warning about specific action	Perfective	Не урони!	Don't drop it! (careful, right now)

Key rule for negatives: Negative imperatives almost always use the imperfective aspect. The rare exceptions are warnings about specific one-time events (Не забудь! — Don't forget! Не урони! — Don't drop it!).

Давай/Давайте and Пусть: Indirect Imperatives

Beyond direct commands, Russian has important constructions for "let's" and "let him/her/them":

Давай / Давайте — "Let's"

Used to make suggestions and proposals for doing something together:

Pattern	Example	Translation
Давай + imperfective infinitive	Давай играть!	Let's play! (general activity)
Давайте + perfective мы form	Давайте пойдём!	Let's go! (specific action)
Давай + perfective мы form	Давай посмотрим фильм.	Let's watch a movie.
Давайте + imperfective infinitive	Давайте танцевать!	Let's dance! (formal/group)

Use давай with people you address as ты, and давайте in formal situations or with groups.

Пусть / Пускай — "Let him/her/them"

Used for third-person imperatives (commands or permissions about someone else):

Пусть он войдёт. — Let him come in.
Пусть она решает сама. — Let her decide herself.
Пусть дети играют. — Let the children play.
Пускай идёт дождь! — Let it rain! (пускай is more colloquial)

Да — Elevated/Literary "Let"

Used in set phrases and formal/literary contexts:

Да здравствует мир! — Long live peace!
Да будет свет! — Let there be light!

Softening Commands

To make commands more polite in Russian, you can:

Add пожалуйста (please): Помогите, пожалуйста. (Help, please.)
Use the formal вы form even with one person
Use imperfective aspect for invitations: Садитесь. (Sit down — welcoming)
Add the particle -ка for friendly suggestions: Подожди-ка! (Wait a sec!) Дай-ка мне посмотреть. (Let me have a look.)
Use question forms: Не мог бы ты помочь? (Could you help?) Можно закрыть окно? (May I close the window?)

Real-World Examples

Here are practical examples showing Russian imperative conjugation in everyday contexts:

At Home

Открой окно, пожалуйста. — Open the window, please.
Не забудь выключить свет. — Don't forget to turn off the light.
Убери свою комнату! — Clean your room!

Giving Directions

Идите прямо, потом поверните направо. — Go straight, then turn right.
Перейдите дорогу и поверните налево. — Cross the road and turn left.
Покажите мне на карте, пожалуйста. — Show me on the map, please.

At a Store / Restaurant

Дайте, пожалуйста, два кофе. — Give me two coffees, please.
Покажите мне вот это. — Show me that one.
Подождите минутку. — Wait a minute.

Common Set Phrases

Будь здоров! / Будьте здоровы! — Bless you! (after sneezing) / Be well!
Скажите, пожалуйста... — Tell me, please... (polite way to start a question)
Извини(те)! — Excuse me! / Sorry!
Осторожно! — Careful! (technically an adverb, but functions as a command)

Common Mistakes

Learners often struggle with these aspects of Russian imperative conjugation:

Confusing ты and вы forms: Using the informal singular form with strangers or in formal situations is considered rude. When in doubt, use the вы form.
Wrong aspect choice: Using perfective when imperfective is needed (and vice versa). Remember: imperfective for general/repeated actions and polite requests; perfective for specific, one-time actions.
Forgetting consonant mutations: Some verbs have stem changes (писать → пишут → пиши, not *писай). Always derive from the они form.
Incorrect stress placement: The stress in imperatives can differ from the infinitive. For example: писа́ть → пиши́ (stress moves).
Using perfective in negative commands: Negative imperatives almost always use imperfective. Say Не пиши, not *Не напиши.
Forgetting irregular forms: Verbs like ехать (поезжай, not *едь or *ехай) and есть (ешь) must be memorized.
Confusing давай and давайте: Давай is for informal (ты) situations, давайте is formal/plural. Mixing them up sounds odd.

Practice Exercises

Test your understanding of Russian imperative conjugation.

Exercise 1: Form the Imperative

Give the ты and вы imperative forms for each verb:

делать (to do) — они: делают
Show answer
делай / делайте — stem делa- ends in vowel → -й / -йте
учить (to study/teach) — они: учат
Show answer
учи / учите — stem уч- ends in consonant, stressed ending → -и / -ите
готовить (to prepare/cook) — они: готовят
Show answer
готовь / готовьте — stem готов- ends in single consonant, unstressed ending → -ь / -ьте
крикнуть (to shout) — они: крикнут
Show answer
крикни / крикните — stem крикн- ends in consonant cluster → -и / -ите

Exercise 2: Choose the Right Aspect

Pick the correct imperative form (imperfective or perfective):

You want to tell a friend to read every day: ___ каждый день! (читай / прочитай)
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Читай — imperfective for repeated/habitual actions
You're asking someone to close the door right now: ___ дверь! (закрывай / закрой)
Show answer
Закрой — perfective for a specific one-time action
A general prohibition sign: Не ___! (трогайте / потрогайте)
Show answer
Не трогайте! — imperfective for negative commands (general prohibition)
Welcoming a guest to sit down: ___, пожалуйста. (Садитесь / Сядьте)
Show answer
Садитесь — imperfective for polite invitations

Exercise 3: Translate to Russian

Let's go to the cinema.
Show answer
Давай пойдём в кино. (informal) or Давайте пойдём в кино. (formal/group)
Let him wait.
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Пусть он подождёт.
Don't forget your keys! (formal)
Show answer
Не забывайте ключи! (imperfective for negative command)
Tell me, please, where is the metro?
Show answer
Скажите, пожалуйста, где метро?

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I use imperfective vs. perfective imperative?

Use imperfective for: general instructions (Читай больше! — Read more!), polite invitations (Садитесь — Please sit), repeated actions, and most negative commands (Не трогай! — Don't touch!). Use perfective for: specific one-time requests (Прочитай эту статью — Read this article), urgent commands (Встань! — Stand up!), and rare negative warnings (Не урони! — Don't drop it!).

How do I make a Russian command polite?

Use the вы form instead of ты, add пожалуйста (please), use imperfective aspect, or add the particle -ка for friendly softening. For very polite requests, switch to a question form: Не могли бы вы... (Could you...) or Будьте добры... (Be so kind as to...).

What is the difference between давай and давайте?

Both mean "let's" but давай is informal (used with people you address as ты) and давайте is formal or used with groups (people you address as вы). Давай пойдём = Let's go (to a friend). Давайте пойдём = Let's go (to colleagues or a group).

Why does ехать become поезжай and not *едь?

Ехать is one of Russian's most irregular imperative verbs. The expected forms *едь or *ехай don't exist in standard Russian. Instead, the prefixed form поезжай/поезжайте (from поехать) is used. This is simply an irregularity that must be memorized. Similarly, есть (to eat) becomes ешь (not *едь), and лечь (to lie down) becomes ляг.