The plain imperative
Grammar: Prohibition
The plain imperative is the bare command:
- 待て！ “wait!”
- 逃げろ！ “run!”
A godan verb shifts its final sound to the え row; an ichidan verb swaps る for ろ.
Usage Notes
The plain imperative suits urgency, anger, authority, or a speaker pretending to have authority. Between friends, sentence-final よ can soften it: 見ろよ “hey, look”.
The irregular forms are 来い and しろ. The imperative くれ produces the rough request 〜てくれ, “do it for me”.
Formation
- Godan verb (え-row)
- 止まれ！
- "Stop!"
- Ichidan verb ＋ ろ
- 早く逃げろ！
- "Run, now!"
- する → しろ、来る → 来い
- こっちへ来い
- "Come here."
- 〜てくれ (rough request)
- ちょっと待ってくれ
- "Give me a second. (Wait, I'm asking you.)"
- Note: くれ is the imperative of くれる; it turns a command into a blunt request.
- Imperative ＋ よ (softened)
- ほら、見ろよ
- "Hey, look at that."
- 〜なさい (gentle command)
- 早く寝なさい
- "Go to bed now."
- Note: なさい after the ます-stem is the parental/teacherly command (firm but not rough).
Common Uses
Simple Command
Most commonly, the plain imperative tells someone to do (or not do) something. Sanae’s teacher, Mr. Tanabe, has proposed to her older sister, who is also a teacher at the school.
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Urgent Commands
Emergencies strip speech down to the imperative. In a game of hide-and-seek, Conan and Ayumu find they’re hiding on the same bench. Their conversation attracts the seeker, Genta, leading him to find Conan. As Ayumu sneaks away unseen, she signals an apology to Conan.
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Battle Cries
Fights run on imperatives, from taunts to finishing moves.
Rough Requests with てくれ
Blunt masculine speech asks favors with 〜てくれ. Yotsuba and her father are driving to their new home. As they pass a school letting out, Yotsuba waves to a student. When the student waves back, Yotsuba tells her father to wave too.
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Gentle Requests with なさい
This is a softened command, and is used socially downward, such as from a parent to a child or from a teacher to a student. Upon hearing Usami say she’s stopping by the school library, Uchimaki says he wants to go with, and Colette tags along.
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Although Usami and Uchimaki are the same age and in the same club, Usami’s command comes across like a teacher scolding a noisy student.
Signs and Cheers
The imperative also appears impersonally, such as on signs and in cheering.
Related Grammar
- The prohibitive な
- The negative command uses the dictionary form plus な.
- Commanding with 〜たまえ
- A condescending, old-fashioned command form.
- Contracting 〜る＋な to 〜んな
- A casual contraction of the prohibitive.
- Volitional with 〜う・〜よう
- The volitional urges "let's"; the imperative orders "do".
Supplemental Examples
