Egyptian Arabic uses a special imperative for a positive command addressed directly to one or more people: اكتب “write,” استنى “wait,” روح “go.” It is not a present or future tense. The command itself makes the requested action nonfactual and addressee-directed.
The Cairene imperative agrees with the addressee: masculine singular, feminine singular, or plural. English normally says write! in all three cases, so the visible Egyptian agreement is the main habit an English speaker must build.
Rule 1: start from the bare second-person stem, not b-
The ordinary b-imperfect says what someone does or is doing: بتكتب bitiktib. A command removes بـ and uses the imperative stem. If that would begin with an impossible consonant cluster, Egyptian supplies an initial vowel, as in اكتب iktib.
| Addressee | b-imperfect | Positive command | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | بتكتب bitiktib | اكتب iktib | write! |
| feminine singular | بتكتبي bitiktibi | اكتبي iktibi | write! |
| plural | بتكتبوا bitiktibu | اكتبوا iktibu | write! |
اكتب رقمك هنا.
iktib raʾamak hina.
Write your number here. (to a man)
اكتبي العنوان في الرسالة.
iktibi l-ʿunwān fi r-risāla.
Write the address in the message. (to a woman)
اكتبوا أساميكم على الورقة.
iktibu ʾasāmīkum ʿala l-waraʾa.
Write your names on the sheet. (to several people)
This is a practical pattern, not a license to predict every verb. Weak and hamzated verbs have high-frequency commands such as روح rūḥ “go,” تعالى taʿāla “come,” كل kol “eat,” and خد khod “take.” Learn those with their perfect and imperfect stems.
Rule 2: the imperative marks a command, not future time
Compare an instruction with a prediction. The command has no b- or ḥa-. A future statement needs the future marker, written here consistently as joined حـ; spellings with هـ are also widespread in Egyptian writing.
اكتب التقرير دلوقتي.
iktib it-taʾrīr dilwaʾti.
Write the report now.
حتكتب التقرير بكرة.
ḥa-tiktib it-taʾrīr bokra.
You’ll write the report tomorrow.
The first sentence tries to bring an action about. The second locates an expected action in the future. Calling both forms “future” because both concern an unrealized event hides the grammatical difference.
Formal MSA has its own imperative vowel patterns and mood system (formal/MSA). Everyday Cairene اكتب is iktib, not a formal citation such as uktub, and it takes no MSA case or mood ending.
Rule 3: make a negative command with ما...ش
The positive imperative cannot simply receive ما...ش. A normal negative command uses ما + the bare second-person imperfect + ش, written as one word. That restores the second-person تـ:
| Addressee | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | اكتب iktib | ماتكتبش ma-tiktibsh |
| feminine singular | اكتبي iktibi | ماتكتبيش ma-tiktibīsh |
| plural | اكتبوا iktibu | ماتكتبوش ma-tiktibūsh |
افتح الشباك، بس ماتفتحش الباب.
iftaḥ ish-shobbāk, bass ma-tiftaḥsh il-bāb.
Open the window, but don’t open the door.
For a much stronger warning, Egyptian also uses إوعى + bare imperfect. See strong prohibitions.
Rule 4: keep clitics on the command
Object and indirect-object pronouns attach directly to the imperative. The complement frame belongs to the verb: ابعت لحد “send to someone” can surface as ابعتلي “send me,” while روح لحد “go to someone” gives روحله “go to him.”
ابعتلي العنوان لما توصل.
ibʿatli l-ʿunwān lamma tūṣal.
Send me the address when you arrive.
اقفلها كويس قبل ما تمشي.
iʾfilha kuwayyis ʾabl ma timshi.
Close it properly before you leave.
روحله بكرة وخد معاك الورق.
rūḥlo bokra wi-khod maʿāk il-waraʾ.
Go to him tomorrow and take the papers with you.
Directness and polite alternatives
A bare command is normal among family, friends, colleagues coordinating a task, and adults directing children (informal/everyday). Tone and relationship determine whether it sounds efficient or abrupt. With a stranger or in a service situation, add من فضلك or use ممكن + bare imperfect.
من فضلك اقفل الباب وراك.
min faḍlak iʾfil il-bāb warāk.
Please close the door behind you.
ممكن تستنى دقيقة؟
momkin tistanna daʾīʾa?
Could you wait a minute?
A two-turn Cairo dialogue
أجيب إيه وأنا جاي؟
ʾagīb ēh wi-ʾana gāy?
What should I bring when I come?
هات عيش، وماتنساش المية.
hāt ʿēsh, wi-ma-tinsāsh il-mayya.
Bring some bread, and don’t forget the water.
The reply naturally combines the irregular positive command هات with a negative command. It does not insert a subject pronoun because the addressee is already encoded by the command form.
Common Mistakes
Keeping b- in a positive command
❌ بتكتب رقمك هنا.
Incorrect as a command—بـ makes this an ordinary imperfect statement or question.
✅ اكتب رقمك هنا.
iktib raʾamak hina.
Write your number here.
Using a command when a future statement is intended
❌ تكتب التقرير بكرة.
Incorrect as a neutral future prediction—the bare form needs a licensing context.
✅ حتكتب التقرير بكرة.
ḥa-tiktib it-taʾrīr bokra.
You’ll write the report tomorrow.
Negating the imperative stem directly
❌ ماكتبش العنوان.
Incorrect as a command—the negative command needs the second-person تـ: ماتكتبش.
✅ ماتكتبش العنوان هنا.
ma-tiktibsh il-ʿunwān hina.
Don’t write the address here.
Ignoring the addressee’s gender
❌ اكتب العنوان يا منى.
Incorrect in the Cairene baseline—the feminine singular command needs -ي.
✅ اكتبي العنوان يا منى.
iktibi l-ʿunwān ya Mona.
Write the address, Mona.
Separating an attached pronoun
❌ ابعت لي العنوان.
Incorrect for the intended clitic reading—لي is attached to the command in ordinary Egyptian spelling.
✅ ابعتلي العنوان.
ibʿatli l-ʿunwān.
Send me the address.
Key Takeaways
- Positive commands address only second-person masculine singular, feminine singular, or plural listeners.
- Build the command without بـ; learn irregular command stems individually.
- A negative command uses joined ما + second-person bare imperfect + ش.
- Attach object and indirect-object clitics directly to the command.
- Use request softeners when a bare imperative would be too direct.
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Start learning Arabic →Related Topics
- Person Prefixes and Suffixes in Egyptian ImperfectsA1 — Build the eight Cairene imperfect person forms and see how b-, ḥa-, negation, and object clitics attach around them.
- Strong Prohibitions with إوعى and ما...شA2 — Choose between ordinary negative commands and forceful Cairene warnings with إوعى, with full addressee agreement.
- Imperative Gender and Number FormsA2 — Choose masculine singular, feminine singular, and plural command endings across regular and high-frequency Egyptian verbs.
- Commands with Object PronounsA2 — Attach direct and recipient pronouns to Egyptian commands in the right order, including agreement and negative -ش.
- Polite Egyptian Requests beyond the Bare ImperativeA2 — Choose natural Cairene request frames with ممكن, لو سمحت, من فضلك, and ياريت according to relationship and force.
- ما...ش in Negative CommandsA2 — Form ordinary Cairene prohibitions by wrapping ما...ش around a second-person bare imperfect and its object clitics.