The Imperative: Giving Commands

When you tell someone directly to do something — Γράψε! (Write!), Έλα! (Come!), Πρόσεχε! (Be careful!) — you are using the imperative. Greek's imperative looks simple on the surface, but it hides three features that trip up English speakers: it forces you to choose an aspect (a bounded instruction vs. an action viewed from within), it attaches object pronouns to the end of the verb, and it has no negative form at all — "don't" is built with a completely different structure. This page is the map; each feature has its own detailed page linked below.

Two persons: singular and plural

The Greek imperative exists only in the second person — the person you are talking to. There is a singular (one person you address as εσύ) and a plural (several people, εσείς). Crucially, that plural form doubles as the polite singular: you use it for one person you are addressing formally, exactly as εσείς serves as the polite "you."

The aspect choice: γράψε vs γράφε

This is the feature with no English parallel. Every Greek command comes in two flavours built on two different stems, and you must pick one:

• Perfective imperative — built on the perfective (aorist) stem. It packages the instruction as a bounded whole: Γράψε το γράμμα. (Write the letter.) A bounded whole may be one act or a finite, delimited series.
• Imperfective imperative — built on the present stem. It presents the action from within, often as something to continue, repeat openly, or follow as a standing rule: Γράφε καθαρά. (Write neatly — as a general practice.)

The first presents writing down this number as a bounded task. The second is a standing instruction — a way to behave whenever the situation arises. Warnings, "carry on" commands, and general life advice therefore tend toward the imperfective; a delimited task tends toward the perfective. Context can reshape either viewpoint, so event count alone is not the rule. The full logic of choosing lives on Aspect in the Imperative, and the two forms get their own workshops:

• Perfective Imperative — γράψε / γράψτε, the bounded-viewpoint command.
• Imperfective Imperative — γράφε / γράφετε, the "keep doing it" command.

Reflexive and passive verbs: the mediopassive imperative

Common mediopassive verbs in -ομαι / -άμαι — including many reflexive verbs and verbs of feeling or motion — build their imperatives differently. The singular commonly ends in -ου, while the plural commonly ends in -είτε (often after a changed stem):

Many of these are high-frequency and slightly irregular (κάτσε, σήκω, έλα), so they get a dedicated page: Mediopassive Imperative.

Object pronouns go AFTER the command

In a plain statement, weak object pronouns come before the verb: Μου το δίνει (He gives it to me). But after a positive imperative they flip to the end and lean on it:

The verb and its pronouns form a single stress unit, which can force a second written accent (Δώσε μού το) and even contraction (Γράψε το → Γράψ' το). All of that — the placement, the accent, the double-clitic order — is on Clitics With the Imperative.

There is no negative imperative

Here is the rule that surprises everyone: you cannot negate the imperative form. You cannot say ×μη γράψε or ×μη έλα. Greek has no negative command verb at all. Instead, "don't" is expressed with the particle μη(ν) plus the subjunctive (the plain present or aorist form):

Two things flip in the negative: the aspect distinction survives (Μη γράφεις vs Μη γράψεις), and the pronouns move back in front of the verb (Μη μου το λες, not ×μη λες μου το). The whole prohibition system is on Negative Commands: μη(ν) + Subjunctive.

The high-frequency irregulars

A handful of the commonest commands have short, unpredictable forms you simply memorise. They are worth learning as vocabulary from day one:

The full set — including ανέβα (go up), κατέβα (go down), βρες (find), μπες (get in) — is on Irregular Imperatives.

"Let's...": first-person commands

The imperative has no first-person form, so "let's go / let me see" is built with the particles ας or να plus a first-person verb:

This construction is covered on First-Person Commands With ας / να.

Common Mistakes

1. Negating the imperative directly. English "don't" plus a command tempts you into ×μη + imperative. There is no such form.

2. Putting the object pronoun before a positive command. After a positive imperative the pronoun goes after the verb.

3. Treating the polite plural as a grammaticality test. The singular command remains grammatical; it is simply familiar and may be socially inappropriate with a stranger. Match the form to the relationship.

4. Turning cues such as πάντα or a deadline into mechanical switches. An open standing warning favors the imperfective, but a finite regimen can be packaged perfectively even when it repeats.

Key Takeaways

• The imperative is 2nd person only, singular (εσύ) and plural; the plural doubles as the polite singular.
• Every command chooses an aspect: perfective γράψε packages a bounded task or finite series, while imperfective γράφε views an action internally or as an open practice.
• Many common mediopassive commands use singular -ου and plural -είτε (ντύσου / ντυθείτε), often with stem changes; several high-frequency forms are irregular.
• Object pronouns attach after a positive command (Δώσε μου το) but move before the verb in the negative.
• There is no negative imperative: prohibitions use μη(ν) + subjunctive (Μην το κάνεις).
• "Let's" is not an imperative — it uses ας / να with a first-person verb.