The imperative (imperativul) is the mood you use to tell someone directly to do something: Vino! (Come!), Stai! (Stop! / Stay!), Mergeți! (Go!). It is one of the first things you need in real conversation — to call a waiter, warn a child, give directions — and it is grammatically small but tricky, because its forms are irregular and, crucially, incomplete. The single most important fact to absorb up front is that the Romanian imperative only really exists for one person: the listener. There is no separate imperative for "let's", "let him", or "let them". Those jobs go to the conjunctiv.
Only two genuine forms
The Romanian imperative has exactly two true forms, and both address the person you are talking to:
- 2nd person singular (tu) — the familiar command to one person: Vino!, Stai!, Citește!
- 2nd person plural (voi) — the command to several people, and also the polite command to one person you address with dumneavoastră: Veniți!, Stați!, Citiți!
That is the whole inventory. There is no first-person imperative ("let me"), no "let's" form, and no third-person imperative ("let him / let them"). English fakes those with "let" + pronoun; Spanish has dedicated forms (vamos, venga, vengan); Romanian does not.
Vino aici, te rog.
Come here, please. (one person, familiar)
Mergeți drept înainte, apoi la stânga.
Go straight ahead, then left. (several people, or polite singular)
Stai liniștit, mă întorc imediat.
Stay calm, I'll be right back.
The command system is the imperative + the conjunctiv together
Because the imperative is defective, you cannot learn it in isolation. Every command Romanian can give is split across two moods, and the split is clean:
| Person | Meaning | Device | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2sg (tu) | do it! (familiar) | imperative | Mergi! |
| 2pl (voi) | do it! (plural/polite) | imperative | Mergeți! |
| 1pl (noi) | let's do it! | conjunctiv | Să mergem! |
| 3sg (el/ea) | let him/her do it! | conjunctiv | Să meargă! |
| 3pl (ei/ele) | let them do it! | conjunctiv | Să meargă! |
The affirmative plural usually equals the indicative 2pl
The good news for the plural: the affirmative 2pl imperative is, for almost every verb, identical to the present indicative 2pl. You already know mergeți (you go), citiți (you read), vorbiți (you speak) — and those exact forms are the commands "Go!", "Read!", "Speak!".
| Verb | Indicative 2pl (voi) | Imperative 2pl |
|---|---|---|
| a merge (to go) | mergeți | Mergeți! |
| a citi (to read) | citiți | Citiți! |
| a vorbi (to speak) | vorbiți | Vorbiți! |
| a face (to do/make) | faceți | Faceți! |
Citiți cu atenție întrebarea înainte să răspundeți.
Read the question carefully before you answer.
Vorbiți mai rar, vă rog, nu vă înțeleg.
Speak more slowly, please, I don't understand you.
The singular is the hard part — it is formed unpredictably and is the subject of its own page.
The singular is irregular — preview
Unlike the plural, the affirmative 2sg imperative is not reliably the indicative 2sg. It follows a rough transitive/intransitive split and includes a cluster of high-frequency irregulars (vino!, fii!, du-te!, fă!). For now, just notice that the singular command is its own form, often unpredictable:
Vino repede, începe filmul!
Come quickly, the film is starting!
Fii cuminte cât sunt plecată.
Be good while I'm away.
These are covered in detail on the 2sg imperative page.
Negation works completely differently
One more preview, because it is the single biggest trap: negative commands do not negate the affirmative form. You cannot just put nu in front of Vino! The negative singular reaches for the infinitive instead — Nu veni! (Don't come!), not Nu vino!. The plural uses nu + the indicative 2pl: Nu mergeți! This asymmetry has its own page.
Vino mâine. — Nu veni mâine.
Come tomorrow. — Don't come tomorrow. (note: vino → veni)
Why English speakers misjudge this
English has one imperative form that covers everything: "Go!" works for one person, many people, and (with "let's") even ourselves. So the instinct is to expect one Romanian form to do the same. It does not. You must choose between Mergi! (one familiar listener), Mergeți! (several, or one polite listener), and Să mergem! (let's). And you must remember that politeness, plurality, and the affirmative/negative distinction all change the form. The imperative is small but jagged; treat each cell as something to learn deliberately.
Common Mistakes
❌ Mergi! (addressed to a group)
Incorrect — the singular form for several people; use the plural.
✅ Mergeți!
Go! (to several people, or politely to one)
❌ Hai noi să mergem... lasă, mergem! (meaning 'let's go!')
Incorrect — there is no imperative 'let's'; use the conjunctiv.
✅ Să mergem!
Let's go!
❌ Nu vino!
Incorrect — the negative singular doesn't negate the affirmative; it uses the infinitive.
✅ Nu veni!
Don't come!
❌ Veni aici! (as a command)
Incorrect — that's the infinitive/negative stem, not the affirmative command.
✅ Vino aici!
Come here!
Key Takeaways
- The imperative has only two genuine forms: 2sg familiar (Vino!) and 2pl/polite (Veniți!).
- Everything else — "let's", "let him/her", "let them" — uses the conjunctiv (să mergem, să meargă).
- The affirmative 2pl almost always equals the present indicative 2pl (mergeți, citiți).
- The affirmative 2sg is irregular and has its own page.
- Negative commands use a different stem (Nu veni!, not Nu vino!) — learn affirmative/negative as pairs.
Now practice Romanian
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Start learning Romanian→Related Topics
- Affirmative Imperative: tu (2sg)A2 — How to form the familiar singular command — the transitive/intransitive split (cântă! vs fugi!) and the high-frequency irregulars (vino, fii, du-te, fă) you simply must memorize.
- Affirmative Imperative: voi (2pl) and PolitenessA2 — The plural imperative equals the present indicative 2pl (cântați!, mergeți!) — and because Romanian has no dedicated polite-singular command, this same form carries politeness with dumneavoastră.
- The Negative ImperativeA2 — The crucial asymmetry: the negative singular command uses nu + the short infinitive (Nu cânta!, Nu veni!), not the affirmative form — while the negative plural uses nu + the indicative 2pl.
- Standalone Conjunctiv: Commands and WishesB1 — How să + verb works on its own — with no governing verb — to give third-person commands, say 'let's', and utter blessings, curses, and wishes.
- Let's and Third-Person Commands (Hortative)B1 — How Romanian fills the missing imperative slots with the conjunctiv (să mergem, să vină) and the everyday particle hai.