Russian commands and the imperative mood.

How to form Russian imperatives

The rule has two steps:

1. Take the 3rd-person plural present form (они читают, они говорят, они идут).
2. Drop the personal ending (-ют, -ат, -ят, -ут). What's left is the stem.
3. If the stem ends in a vowel, add -й for ты, -йте for вы.
4. If the stem ends in a consonant, add -и for ты, -ите for вы.
5. If the stem ends in a soft consonant and stress falls on the stem, the imperative often ends in a soft sign (-ь): встань / встаньте.

ты vs вы: informal vs polite/plural

Russian distinguishes between informal ты ("you" singular, used with close friends, family, kids, animals) and вы ("you" formal singular OR "you" plural). The imperative form follows that distinction:

• ты form - one person you know well: Маша, открой окно (Masha, open the window)
• вы form - one person formally OR multiple people: Откройте окно, пожалуйста (Open the window, please)

Adding -те to the ты imperative gives the вы form. This is the simplest, most reliable pattern in Russian.

Aspect in the imperative

Both imperfective and perfective verbs form imperatives, and they mean different things.

Perfective imperative: do this once, completely

Use the perfective when you want a single completed action with a clear result. Most one-time commands are perfective:

• Открой окно. - Open the window.
• Закрой дверь. - Close the door.
• Скажи правду. - Tell the truth.
• Принеси мне воды. - Bring me some water.

Imperfective imperative: keep doing this / start doing this

The imperfective imperative emphasises the process, the duration, or a repeated habit. It's also the choice for invitations and general encouragements.

• Читай громче. - Read louder (continue reading, just louder).
• Не спеши. - Don't hurry. (negative + imperfective)
• Звони мне почаще. - Call me more often.
• Заходите, пожалуйста! - Come in, please (the welcoming form).

Negative imperatives: always imperfective

When telling someone not to do something, Russian almost always uses the imperfective. The perfective negative imperative (don't do X completely) exists but is rare and means something specific (warning against accidentally doing it).

• Не звони ему. - Don't call him. (imperfective)
• Не закрывайте окно. - Don't close the window. (imperfective)
• Не упади! - Don't fall! (perfective, warning against accident)

Softening a command

A bare imperative in Russian can sound abrupt or even rude to a stranger. Polite Russian softens commands with these tools:

• Пожалуйста (please): Передайте, пожалуйста, соль. Pass the salt, please.
• Не могли бы вы... (could you...): Не могли бы вы открыть окно? Could you open the window?
• Можно... (may I...): Можно мне воды? May I have some water?
• Давай(те) for "let's": Давайте пойдём в кино. Let's go to the cinema.
• Imperfective imperative over perfective for invitations: Заходите! (Come in, do come in) feels more inviting than Зайдите.

The бы construction (conditional) is the strongest polite form: Вы не могли бы... is the equivalent of "would you mind..." or "could you possibly..." in English. See the conditional mood page.

"Let's" - the 1st-person plural imperative

To suggest doing something together, Russian uses two patterns:

• Давай(те) + imperfective infinitive: Давайте говорить по-русски. Let's speak Russian.
• Давай(те) + 1st-person plural future of perfective: Давайте пойдём в кафе. Let's go to the cafe.
• Пойдём! (bare 1st-person plural perfective future as suggestion): "Let's go!"

The давайте version is the safest default. Just дава́й is the informal ты version for one person.

Common pitfalls

Always using the perfective for negative commands

"Don't close the door" is Не закрывай (imperfective), not не закрой (perfective). The default for negative commands is imperfective. Perfective negative imperatives exist but mean "be careful not to (accidentally)" - Не упади! = "Don't fall!" (as a warning).

Forgetting -те for plural/formal

Saying "Открой!" to someone you address as вы is grammatically wrong and socially blunt. The correct form is "Откройте!" - same root, plus -те.

Bare imperatives to strangers

"Скажи!" to a stranger sounds like an order from a parent. Add пожалуйста, switch to вы, or use the conditional: Скажите, пожалуйста, or Не могли бы вы сказать...

Imperative from перфектив verbs that don't have one

Most perfective verbs have imperatives, but a few don't (or are very rare). For example, смочь (to be able to, perfective) almost never appears in the imperative. When in doubt, use the imperfective: Можешь это сделать? rather than the awkward смоги.

Frequently asked questions

How do I form a command in Russian?

Take the 3rd-person plural present-tense form of the verb (они читают), drop the personal ending, and add -й if the stem ends in a vowel (читай) or -и if it ends in a consonant (говори). For the formal/plural form, add -те: читайте, говорите. For perfective verbs, use the same rule with the perfective 3rd-person plural (они скажут → скажи / скажите).

What's the difference between ты and вы imperatives?

Ты imperatives are for one person you address informally (close friends, family, kids). Вы imperatives are for one person you address formally OR for multiple people. The вы form is just the ты form plus -те: открой / откройте, скажи / скажите, иди / идите. When in doubt with strangers, default to вы - the ту form sounds presumptuous from a stranger.

Which aspect should I use for commands?

Use perfective for one-time, complete commands with a clear result ('Open the window' = Открой окно). Use imperfective for ongoing processes, repeated actions, or invitations ('Come in!' = Заходите, 'Read louder' = Читай громче). Negative commands almost always use the imperfective: 'Don't call him' = Не звони ему, not Не позвони.

Why is the imperfective the default for negative commands?

Telling someone NOT to do something is by nature about not doing it as a process or habit - 'don't smoke,' 'don't worry,' 'don't open the door.' The imperfective captures this open-ended 'don't engage in the activity at all' meaning. The perfective negative imperative does exist but means something more specific: a warning against accidentally completing the action - 'Не упади!' (Don't fall!). Use it only for warnings.

How do I make a Russian command sound polite?

Several softeners work. (1) Add пожалуйста: 'Передайте, пожалуйста, соль.' (2) Use the conditional 'не могли бы вы...': 'Не могли бы вы открыть окно?' (3) Reframe as a question with можно: 'Можно мне воды?' (May I have water?). (4) For invitations, prefer the imperfective: 'Заходите!' (Do come in!) feels warmer than the perfective 'Зайдите.' Bare imperatives are fine with friends but feel curt with strangers.

How do you say 'let's' in Russian?

Use давай (informal, one person) or давайте (formal/plural) plus either an imperfective infinitive or a 1st-person plural future. 'Let's speak Russian' = Давайте говорить по-русски (imperfective infinitive). 'Let's go to the cafe' = Давайте пойдём в кафе (perfective future). You can also just say the 1st-person plural future of a perfective verb on its own as a suggestion: 'Пойдём!' = Let's go!

Are there irregular Russian imperatives?

A few common verbs have slightly irregular imperatives worth memorising: дать → дай / дайте (give), есть → ешь / ешьте (eat), пить → пей / пейте (drink), петь → пой / пойте (sing), лечь → ляг / лягте (lie down). The pattern usually follows the 3rd-person plural stem, but stress and softening can vary. For most verbs, the regular rule works.