First-Person Commands With ας / να

The true Greek imperative — the form with its own special endings — exists only in the second person: Πες! (Say!), Πείτε! (Say! to several people). First-person proposals therefore come from a small inventory of ordinary forms: a bare first-person plural, or να / ας before a first-person verb. This page ranks those choices for "let's" and "let me." Third-person ας and the particle's concessive, dismissive and reproach readings belong on the particle ας.

The first-person inventory

The forms do not simply fill identical cells; they present the proposal with different conversational stances:

Only a second-person form such as δες / δείτε is a morphological imperative. The first-person choices above do comparable conversational work without being extra imperative forms.

Πάμε! — the bare hortative

The most common "let's" needs no particle at all. Πάμε! is the bare first-person-plural present form of πάω, used with falling intonation as a direct, energetic "Let's go!" The pattern is productive in conversation: rising intonation can turn the same bare form into a consultation.

Να: "shall we?" and gentle suggestions

Να + first-person plural is often a question — the deliberative "Shall we…? / Should we…?" — where the speaker floats the idea rather than deciding it. It can also make a non-question suggestion. This standalone, main-clause να is covered in full on να without a main verb.

For first-person singular, the inventory is wider than a literal translation of English let. Ας δω is a self-prompt; Να σου πω; asks for the floor; Άσε να δω is the conversational "let me see"; Δώσε να δοκιμάσω asks to take a turn; and Έλα να δούμε invites the other person into a joint look. The detailed deliberative uses of να remain on να without a main verb.

The same errand, three stances

A bare form is brisk, να commonly asks for agreement, and ας can soften the move or concede to someone else's preference:

The negative: ας μην / να μην

Because ας and να introduce a subjunctive, they negate with μη(ν), never with δεν. "Let's not" is ας μη(ν) or να μη(ν), with the final ν following its normal sound rule.

Bare Δεν πάμε is grammatical, but it states or asks whether "we aren't going"; it does not by itself issue a negative hortative.

A note for English speakers

English let hides several Greek strategies. Άσε με να δω can be a literal request for permission, while shorter conversational Άσε να δω often works as "let me see." A self-prompt uses Ας δω, and an offer to speak uses Να σου πω; Translate the conversational job, not the English word. See modal particles overview for how ας and να sit among Greek's other function words.

Common Mistakes

1. Negating the hortative with δεν. After ας / να the negator is μη(ν).

2. Using a second-person imperative to include yourself. The imperative is a perfectly good command, but it addresses "you" and leaves the speaker out.

3. Treating Δεν πάμε as "let's not go." It is a statement or, with question intonation, a question. Add ας / να + μη(ν) for a proposal.

4. Stacking the proposal particles. ας and να are alternatives in the same slot: use ας πάμε or να πάμε, not ×ας να πάμε.

Key Takeaways

• The real imperative is second-person only; first-person proposals use bare 1pl, να or ας. Third-person uses belong on the ας particle page.
• A bare 1pl such as Πάμε! / Φεύγουμε! is decisive; rising Ξεκινάμε; can consult the group.
• Να
  • 1st plural is often the deliberative "Shall we…?" and softens suggestions (Να πάμε σινεμά;).
• Ας
  • 1st plural often softens or concedes; ας / να also build self-directed "let me" formulas.
• Negate with μη(ν), not δεν: Ας μην πάμε, Να μην αργήσουμε. Bare Δεν πάμε is a statement or question.