The Imperative
To give a direct command Greek uses the IMPERATIVE, and the everyday one is built on the PERFECTIVE stem (a single act): γράφω → γράψε! (“write!”, to one person) / γράψτε! (to several or politely). Group-2 verbs work the same way: αγαπώ → αγάπησε! / αγαπήστε!. A few are irregular and must be learnt: λέω → πες! / πείτε! (“say!”), δίνω → δώσε! / δώστε! (“give!”). There are just two positive-command forms to learn per verb - the singular (-ε) and the plural (-τε).
The rule
For a direct command Greek uses the imperative, and the everyday one is built on the perfective stem - a single act: γράφω → γράψε! to one person, γράψτε! to several or politely. Group 2 works the same way: αγαπώ → αγάπησε! / αγαπήστε!. There are only two positive-command forms per verb, the singular -ε and the plural -τε, so the whole positive imperative of a regular verb is two words. A few high-frequency verbs are irregular and have to be learnt outright: λέω → πες! / πείτε!, δίνω → δώσε! / δώστε!. Note what the imperative is not: it has no negative of its own («μη γράψε» does not exist - see the negative command), and the plural form doubles as the polite singular, exactly as the plural verb ending does everywhere else in Greek.
Paradigm
| Number | Form |
|---|---|
| Singular | γράψε† |
| Plural | γράψτε† |
- Perfective (everyday) imperative 2sg - the command form. mood:"imperative" keys it distinctly from the present γράφεις.
- Perfective imperative 2pl (also the polite singular).
| Number | Form |
|---|---|
| Singular | αγάπησε† |
| Plural | αγαπήστε† |
- Perfective imperative 2sg.
- Perfective imperative 2pl uses the contracted -ήστε (αγαπήστε), NOT the dependent αγαπήσετε.
| Number | Form |
|---|---|
| Singular | πες† |
| Plural | πείτε† |
- Suppletive imperative 2sg of λέω (stem π-), unrelated to the present λέ-.
- Suppletive imperative 2pl of λέω. Its surface coincides with the dependent 2pl πείτε but keys distinctly by mood.
| Number | Form |
|---|---|
| Singular | δώσε† |
| Plural | δώστε† |
- Non-transparent perfective stem δωσ- (δίν- → δωσ-). The everyday command "give!".
- Perfective imperative 2pl on the δωσ- stem.