Affirmative Imperatives

An affirmative imperative tells someone to do something: Entra, Espereu un moment, Passi, senyora. Catalan chooses the form according to whom you address and how formally you address them. It has distinctive imperative forms for tu and vosaltres; commands with vostè, nosaltres, and vostès use forms shared with the present subjunctive.

English usually uses one bare verb for every addressee—“come in”—so person and social relationship remain implicit. Catalan builds both into the verb. A correct ending is therefore part of the message, not optional decoration.

The complete regular pattern

The following paradigms show the five command persons. There is no ordinary first-person singular imperative: speakers do not normally command themselves with a dedicated “I” form.

Regular tu commands often match the third-person singular present indicative: parla, perd, dorm. Regular vosaltres commands often match the second-person plural present indicative: parleu, perdeu, dormiu. This resemblance helps with common verbs, but it is not a universal recipe: high-frequency verbs such as dir, fer, and anar have forms that must be learned separately.

The polite pronouns vostè and vostès refer to the addressee but trigger third-person agreement: passi vostè; passin vostès. In English, polite address does not change verb agreement, so this is easy to overlook.

Why three persons use subjunctive-shaped forms

Only the direct second persons have a dedicated imperative contrast. “Let us...” and commands directed through formal third-person agreement are supplied by present-subjunctive forms: parlem, parli, parlin. The semantic link is natural. A command does not assert that an action is happening; it tries to bring about an outcome.

This borrowing explains irregular stems such as faci and facin, used for polite commands from fer. It also explains why regional present-subjunctive morphology appears in those persons. Do not, however, replace a regular tu command with a subjunctive form: Central parla! is the ordinary affirmative command to one familiar person, not parlis!.

The nosaltres form usually proposes shared action rather than issuing an order from above: Comencem! “Let's start!” Its inclusive force depends on context. The more colloquial particle va can reinforce it: Va, comencem! (informal).

Weak pronouns follow affirmative commands

Weak object and adverbial pronouns attach after an affirmative imperative. They form one accentual unit with the verb and are written with hyphens or apostrophes according to normal clitic spelling.

Compare Ho expliques “you explain it” with Explica-ho! “Explain it!” and M'ho expliques with Explica-m'ho!. The object roles do not change; only their position does. After a negative command, the pronouns move before the verb: No m'ho expliquis ara. The full system is treated on the imperative pronouns page.

Stress, spelling, and attached pronouns

The command keeps its lexical stress, while clitics remain unstressed. Written accents follow the spelling of the whole combination: dona'm, explica-m'ho, ves-te'n. Hyphens are not optional spaces. Apostrophes mark elision where the clitic system requires it.

Commands also preserve ordinary spelling alternations that keep consonant sounds stable. Present-subjunctive-shaped forms include toqui from tocar, pagui from pagar, and comenci from començar: Toqui el timbre; paguin a la caixa; comencem ara. These changes reflect spelling and sound, not a different command meaning.

Directness, politeness, and register

An imperative is not automatically rude. Intonation, si us plau, vocatives, reasons, and the choice of address shape its force. Seu, si us plau can be warm and ordinary (informal); Segui, si us plau is polite singular. In service encounters and instructions, an imperative is common, though a question such as Podria signar aquí? is softer.

Vosaltres is the ordinary familiar plural in most Catalan varieties. Vós takes second-person plural agreement while referring to one person; it survives in some administrative, religious, and traditional contexts (formal) or (regional), but learners should not use it as the default polite form. Vostè/vostès take third-person forms.

(regional: Valencian) The imperative system follows the Valencian subjunctive in polite persons: parle vostè, parlen vostès. (regional: Balearic) and other varieties also have established regional forms, especially among irregular verbs. This page uses the Central baseline and labels major alternatives where they affect production.

Affirmative commands are not descriptions

Mira la pantalla is an instruction. Mires la pantalla is ordinarily a present-indicative statement or question, not a command in the standard paradigm. Similarly, English “Keep waiting” does not require a Catalan progressive. Espera una mica més is the natural command. Continua esperant explicitly emphasizes continuation.

Do not confuse command forms of anar with past or prospective constructions. Ves a casa commands movement. Va anar a casa is a periphrastic past, “he/she went home.” Va a comprar pa means “he/she goes to buy bread,” with a + infinitive. These strings have different subjects, time reference, and syntax.

Mini-dialogue: setting up a call

Obre, espera, and activa address one familiar person. Digues is irregular and carries enclitic -me. Comencem proposes joint action.

Common Mistakes

1. Using an infinitive as an ordinary spoken command.

2. Giving vostè second-person agreement.

3. Putting a weak pronoun before an affirmative command.

4. Using the affirmative form after no.

5. Copying a Spanish irregular command.

Key Takeaways

• Use dedicated affirmative forms for tu and vosaltres; vostè, nosaltres, and vostès use present-subjunctive-shaped forms.
• Polite vostè/vostès require third-person agreement.
• Attach weak pronouns after an affirmative command with the required hyphens and apostrophes.
• Choose a command form from the intended addressee and stance, not from an English bare verb.