Affirmative Imperative: voi (2pl) and Politeness | Romanian Grammar

After the irregular minefield of the singular, the plural imperative is a relief: for essentially every verb in the language, the affirmative 2pl command is identical to the present indicative 2pl. If you can say "you (all) sing" — cântați — you can already give the command "Sing!" — Cântați! No new form to learn, no transitive/intransitive split, no irregular list. But the plural form carries a second, equally important job: because Romanian has no separate polite-singular imperative, the 2pl form is also how you give a command politely to a single person. The same Veniți! can mean "Come, you all!" or "Come, sir."

The form: just the indicative 2pl

Take the present indicative voi form and use it as a command. That is the entire rule.

Verb	Indicative 2pl (voi)	Imperative 2pl	Meaning
a cânta	cântați	Cântați!	Sing!
a merge	mergeți	Mergeți!	Go!
a veni	veniți	Veniți!	Come!
a citi	citiți	Citiți!	Read!
a fi	fiți	Fiți!	Be!
a face	faceți	Faceți!	Do! / Make!
a da	dați	Dați!	Give!
a sta	stați	Stați!	Stay! / Wait!

Notice that even the verbs that were wildly irregular in the singular — a veni (vino!), a fi (fii!), a da (dă!) — are perfectly regular in the plural: veniți!, fiți!, dați!. The irregularity lives entirely in the singular.

Veniți cu mine, vă arăt eu drumul.

Come with me, I'll show you the way.

Faceți loc, vă rog, trece targa!

Make room, please, the stretcher is coming through!

Stați jos, vine doctorul imediat.

Have a seat, the doctor will be here in a moment.

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The plural imperative is the easy half of the command system: it is always the indicative 2pl, with no exceptions worth worrying about. If you are ever unsure of a singular command, you can address even one person in the plural/polite form and stay correct and courteous.

The same form carries politeness

Here is the feature that has no English equivalent. Romanian distinguishes a familiar "you" (tu) from a polite/respectful "you" (dumneavoastră), much as French distinguishes tu from vous. And just as in French, the polite singular borrows the plural verb form. So when you give a command politely to one person — a stranger, an elder, a customer, an official — you use the 2pl imperative.

Domnule, veniți pe aici, vă rog.

Sir, come this way, please. (one person, polite)

Doamnă, stați liniștită, rezolvăm imediat.

Madam, don't worry, we'll sort it out right away.

Luați loc, vă rog, doamna directoare vă va primi.

Please take a seat, the director will see you.

In each of these, the listener is one person, but the form is plural, because the relationship is formal. The plural pronoun dumneavoastră (often abbreviated dvs. in writing) and the verb agreement both signal respect.

Listener	Pronoun	Command form	Example
one person, familiar	tu	2sg imperative	Vino!
one person, polite	dumneavoastră	2pl imperative	Veniți!
several people	voi / dumneavoastră	2pl imperative	Veniți!

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Because the polite singular and the true plural share one form, Veniți! is ambiguous out of context: it can be "Come, you all!" or "Come, sir/madam!". The pronoun (dumneavoastră vs voi) and the situation resolve it. When in doubt with a stranger or elder, use this form — it is never rude.

Where you actually use the polite imperative

The polite 2pl imperative is the default in service, formal, and respectful contexts: shops, restaurants, offices, addressing older people, talking to anyone you have not been invited to address as tu. Using the familiar singular with a stranger or an elder can come across as presumptuous or even disrespectful.

Spuneți-mi, vă rog, unde este gara?

Tell me, please, where is the train station? (asking a stranger)

Scuzați-mă, îmi dați și mie un pahar cu apă?

Excuse me, could you give me a glass of water too?

Așteptați aici, vă cheamă cineva în câteva minute.

Wait here, someone will call you in a few minutes.

Softening particles like vă rog (please) and vă rugăm (we ask you) almost always accompany the polite imperative; without them, even the correct form can sound curt. See the softening commands page for the full toolkit.

Reflexive plural imperatives

As in the singular, reflexive verbs attach their clitic to the end of the plural imperative — here the clitic is -vă: a se așeza → așezați-vă! (sit down!), a se grăbi → grăbiți-vă! (hurry up!).

Așezați-vă, vă rog, începem în cinci minute.

Please be seated, we're starting in five minutes.

Grăbiți-vă, trenul pleacă la și jumătate!

Hurry up, the train leaves at half past!

Common Mistakes

❌ Vino, domnule! (to a stranger)

Incorrect — the familiar singular is too informal for a respected stranger.

✅ Veniți, domnule!

Come, sir! (polite)

❌ Stai jos, vă rog. (polite)

Incorrect — mixing the familiar singular 'stai' with polite 'vă rog'.

✅ Stați jos, vă rog.

Please have a seat. (polite)

❌ Spuni-mi unde e gara.

Incorrect — that's a malformed singular; the polite command is the 2pl form.

✅ Spuneți-mi unde e gara.

Tell me where the station is.

❌ Așezați-te, vă rog.

Incorrect — the polite/plural reflexive clitic is '-vă', not '-te'.

✅ Așezați-vă, vă rog.

Please be seated.

Key Takeaways

The affirmative 2pl imperative equals the present indicative 2pl — cântați!, mergeți!, veniți!, fiți! — with no exceptions to worry about.
Verbs that are irregular in the singular (vino, fii, dă) are regular in the plural (veniți, fiți, dați).
Romanian has no dedicated polite-singular imperative: the 2pl form does double duty, used with dumneavoastră to command one respected person.
So Veniți! can mean "Come, you all!" or "Come, sir/madam!" — context and the pronoun decide.
Pair the polite imperative with vă rog to avoid sounding curt; reflexive plural clitics attach as -vă (așezați-vă!).

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