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Imperative

Positive Imperative

English

In English (and in Latin), the positive imperative is a command. For example:

• Do it!
• Stop, in the name of love!
• Take out the garbage!

Latin

In Latin, the imperative singular is found by taking the last two letters off of the infinitive. The six exceptions to this rule are dicere (dic), ducere (duc), facere (fac), velle, malle (infinitives not used) and nolle (noli). Ferre (fer) and esse (es) are often considered irregular due to the lack of a vowel at the end but we can see that applying the rule of removing the last two letters forms the imperatives correctly.

Examples:

Run, boy!

Curre, puer!^[1] (from curro, currere; to run)

Go!

I! (from eo, ire; to go)

Seize the day!

Carpe diem! (from carpo, carpere; to pluck)

1. ↑ In many cases, the vocative will be used with the imperative, unless the imperative is used in a conversation or at a reader, as in a letter or guide.

Questions

Write out:

1. Love me, Octavia! (to love = amo, amare)
2. Come to Rome! (to come = venio, venire; Rome = Roma, Romae, f.)

Plural

To form the plural imperative in Latin, take the 2nd person plural present form of the verb (eg. amatis, sedetis, regitis, venitis) and replace the is at the end with e. The only exceptions to the rule are velle, malle (imperatives not used) and nolle (nolite). Ferre (ferte) and esse (este) are often considered irregular but applying the rule (fertis -> ferte, estis -> este) correctly forms the imperatives.

Go home, boys!

Ite domum, pueri.

Stay, all of you!

Manete, omnes!

Exercises

Write out:

1. Take them, men! (to take = adripio, adripere)
2. Fear me, children! (to fear = timeo, timere; children = liberi)

Negative Imperative

English

In English, we use the word "don't" for prohibitions, or negative imperatives. For example:

• Don't do it!

• Don't say that!

Latin

Similarly, in Latin the negative imperative is formed with two words, the imperative of nolo, nolle and the infinitive.

Nolo by itself means "I do not want," but in its imperative it means "do not...!"

Nolle is irregular, and its imperative forms are noli and nolite.

Examples

Do not fear me!

Noli me timere!

Don't build the aqueduct there, soldiers!

Nolite aquaductum ibi aedificare, milites!

Don't wash the dog, boys!

Nolite, pueri, canem lavare!

Exercises

Translate:

1. Don't cry, daughter! (to cry = fleo, flere)
2. Don't hurt me, friends! (to hurt = vulnero, vulnerare)
3. Don't go into the water, boys!
4. Don't hurt them, soldiers! (them = use eos, masculine accusative plural of is, ea, id)