This page is the quick-lookup companion to The imperative: formation. Where that page teaches the reasoning step by step, this one lays everything on a few tables you can scan when you just need the form. The one principle that makes it all hang together — and that beginners most often forget — is that the imperative is built from the present/future stem (the они́-form minus its ending), not the infinitive. Find the они́-form, strip the ending, and the last sound of the stem plus the stress tell you which of three endings to use. Everything below assumes that one step.
The formation rule in one table
Take the они́-form, drop -ют / -ут / -ят / -ат, look at what's left.
| Stem (after dropping они́-ending) ends in… | Add | Example (они́ → ты-imperative) |
|---|---|---|
| Vowel (the -ай/-яй/-ей/-уй type) | -й | чита́ют → чита́й; де́лают → де́лай; рису́ют → рису́й |
| Consonant, and the я-form is end-stressed (or stem ends in two consonants) | -и (stressed) | говоря́т → говори́; пи́шут (пишу́) → пиши́; иду́т → иди́ |
| Single consonant, and the stress is fixed on the stem | -ь | гото́вят (гото́влю) → гото́вь; вста́нут → встань |
So the three triggers are: vowel → -й, consonant + end-stress → -и, single consonant + stem-stress → -ь. The reason you can't shortcut from the infinitive is verbs like писа́ть: it looks like a vowel stem, but its они́-form is пи́шут (stem пиш-, a consonant), so the imperative is пиши́, not *писа́й.
Чита́й вслух, так ле́гче запо́мнить.
Read aloud, it's easier to remember that way. — чита́ют → чита́й (vowel stem, -й).
Говори́ гро́мче, тебя́ пло́хо слы́шно.
Speak up, you're hard to hear. — говоря́т / говорю́ → говори́ (consonant, end-stress, -и).
Гото́вь у́жин, а я накро́ю на стол.
Make dinner, and I'll set the table. — гото́вят / гото́влю → гото́вь (single consonant, stem-stress, -ь).
The plural / polite -те
Whatever the singular ты-form is, add -те to address more than one person or to be polite to one person (the Вы register). Nothing else changes. This row applies to every verb, regular or irregular.
| ты (informal, one person) |
|
|---|---|
| чита́й | чита́йте |
| говори́ | говори́те |
| гото́вь | гото́вьте |
| дай | да́йте |
Проходи́те, пожа́луйста, и сади́тесь.
Come in, please, and have a seat. — polite plural -ите / -итесь.
Ребя́та, не шуми́те на уро́ке!
Kids, don't make noise in class! — шуми́те, addressed to several people.
Reflexive verbs: -ся / -сь
A reflexive verb (ending in -ся — see reflexive verbs) forms its imperative by the rules above, then adds the reflexive particle. The shape depends on the preceding sound:
- -ся after a consonant (so after -й and -ь);
- -сь after a vowel (so after -и and -те).
| Infinitive | ты | plural / polite |
|---|---|---|
| учи́ться (to study) | учи́сь | учи́тесь |
| сади́ться (to sit down) | сади́сь | сади́тесь |
| волнова́ться (to worry) | волну́йся | волну́йтесь |
Не волну́йся, всё бу́дет хорошо́.
Don't worry, everything will be fine. — волну́й + -ся (after the consonant й).
Учи́сь на свои́х оши́бках.
Learn from your own mistakes. — учи́ + -сь (after the vowel и).
The irregulars to memorize
A handful of very common verbs don't follow the rule and must be learned as fixed forms. The headline trap is е́хать, whose imperative is the suppletive поезжа́й — never ехай or едь.
| Infinitive | ты | plural / polite | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| дать | дай | да́йте | give! |
| есть | ешь | е́шьте | eat! |
| пить | пей | пе́йте | drink! |
| петь | пой | по́йте | sing! |
| лечь | ляг | ля́гте | lie down! |
| встать | встань | вста́ньте | stand up / get up! |
| е́хать | поезжа́й | поезжа́йте | go! (by vehicle) |
Поезжа́й пря́мо, а на све́тофоре напра́во.
Go straight, and turn right at the lights. — е́хать → поезжа́й (never *ехай / *едь).
Дай мне, пожа́луйста, во́ды.
Please give me some water. — дать → дай.
Ешь, пока́ не осты́ло.
Eat up before it gets cold. — есть → ешь.
Negative imperatives: aspect carries the meaning
In a negative command the formation is the same — не in front of the imperative — but the aspect changes what you're actually saying:
- не + imperfective = a prohibition: don't (ever) do this deliberate thing. Не кури́ здесь "Don't smoke here."
- не + perfective = a warning: mind you don't accidentally let this happen. Не упади́! "Mind you don't fall!"
Не тро́гай провода́, э́то опа́сно.
Don't touch the wires, it's dangerous. — не + imperfective тро́гай: a prohibition.
Осторо́жно, не упади́ на льду!
Careful, mind you don't fall on the ice! — не + perfective упади́: a warning against an accident.
The full account is on Negative imperatives and warnings and, for the aspect logic, Aspect in the imperative.
"Let's" and third-person commands
Two more command-type forms round out the reference:
- First person plural ("let's"): дава́й / дава́йте
- a perfective future (дава́йте начнём "let's begin") or + an imperfective infinitive for a process (дава́й игра́ть "let's play").
- Third person ("let / let them"): пусть (or more formal пуска́й) + the present/future verb (пусть зайдёт "let him come in").
| Type | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Let's (one action) | дава́й(те) + perfective future | дава́йте пойдём — "let's go" |
| Let's (a process) | дава́й(те) + imperfective infinitive | дава́й игра́ть — "let's play" |
| Let / let them (3rd person) | пусть + present/future | пусть подождёт — "let him wait" |
Дава́йте начнём собра́ние, все уже́ собрали́сь.
Let's start the meeting, everyone's here now. — дава́йте + perfective future начнём.
Пусть де́ти поигра́ют ещё немно́го.
Let the kids play a bit longer. — пусть + perfective future поигра́ют (3rd-person command).
These are covered in full on Let's and third-person commands.
Common Mistakes
❌ Писа́й мне ча́ще.
Wrong — the imperative comes from the present stem пиш-, not the infinitive: пиши́, not *писа́й.
✅ Пиши́ мне ча́ще.
Write to me more often.
❌ Ехай домо́й, уже́ по́здно.
Wrong — е́хать has a suppletive imperative поезжа́й (never *ехай / *едь).
✅ Поезжа́й домо́й, уже́ по́здно.
Go home, it's late.
❌ Готови́ за́втрак.
Wrong — гото́вить is stem-stressed (гото́влю), so its imperative takes -ь: гото́вь, not the end-stressed *готови́.
✅ Гото́вь за́втрак.
Make breakfast.
❌ Не волну́йсь.
Wrong reflexive particle — after the consonant й it must be -ся: волну́йся, not *волну́йсь.
✅ Не волну́йся.
Don't worry.
❌ Говорийте поме́дленнее.
Wrong — the plural is the bare ты-form + -те: говори́ → говори́те, not *говорийте.
✅ Говори́те поме́дленнее.
Speak a bit more slowly. (polite/plural)
Key Takeaways
- Build from the они́-stem, never the infinitive: vowel → -й (чита́й), consonant + end-stress → -и (говори́), single consonant + stem-stress → -ь (гото́вь).
- Add -те for plural/polite (чита́йте); add -ся / -сь for reflexives (учи́сь, не волну́йся).
- Learn the irregulars cold: дай, ешь, пей, пой, ляг, встань, and especially поезжа́й (never ехай/едь).
- Negative commands keep the same shape but aspect carries the sense: не + imperfective = prohibition (не кури́), не + perfective = warning (не упади́).
- "Let's" = дава́й(те)
- perfective future / imperfective infinitive; third-person = пусть
- present/future.
- perfective future / imperfective infinitive; third-person = пусть
Now practice Russian
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Start learning Russian→Related Topics
- The Imperative: FormationA2 — To build a Russian command you start from the PRESENT/FUTURE stem (the они-form minus its ending), not the infinitive: a vowel stem adds -й (чита́ют → чита́й), a consonant stem with end-stressed 1sg adds -и (говоря́т → говори́, пиши́, иди́), and a consonant stem with fixed stem-stress adds -ь (гото́вят → гото́вь, брось). Add -те for the plural/polite form, and -ся/-сь for reflexives. A handful of high-frequency irregulars (дай, ешь, пей, пой, ляг, поезжа́й) have to be memorized.
- Imperatives: Usage, Softening, and PolitenessB1 — A bare Russian imperative can sound blunt, so this page shows how commands actually work in conversation: ты vs. вы (Извини́ vs. Извини́те), softening with пожа́луйста and не могли́ бы вы…, 'let's' with дава́й(те), third-person пусть/пуска́й, and the crucial twist that invitations take the imperfective (Сади́тесь!, not Ся́дьте!).
- Negative Imperatives and WarningsB1 — Negative commands force an aspect choice that changes their force: не + imperfective is a standing prohibition (Не кури́! Не открыва́й окно́! Не волну́йся!), while не + perfective is a warning against an accidental, undesired result (Не упади́! Не забу́дь ключи́! Смотри́ не опозда́й!) — plus the softeners Не на́до and Не сто́ит.
- Let's and Third-Person Commands (давай, пусть)B1 — Russian builds commands outside the 2nd person analytically: 'let's' is дава́й(те) plus a perfective 1st-plural future (дава́й пойдём) or an imperfective infinitive (дава́йте чита́ть), or just the bare 1pl (пойдём!); 'let him/them' is the invariable пусть/пуска́й plus an ordinary present/future verb (пусть он войдёт) — there is no special verb form, which is why these structures have no single-word English equivalent.
- Aspect in the ImperativeB1 — Commands force an aspect choice too: perfective for a single concrete request expecting completion (Прочита́й э́то! Купи́ хлеб!), imperfective for process, habit, and — crucially — polite invitations and 'go ahead' permission (Сади́тесь! Входи́те!); and negative commands flip the default, with imperfective for a prohibition (Не открыва́й!) but perfective for a warning against an accidental result (Не упади́! Не забу́дь!).
- Reflexive Verbs (-ся / -сь)A2 — The particle -ся (after a consonant) / -сь (after a vowel) attaches AFTER the personal ending — умыва́ю → умыва́юсь, у́чится, учи́лся / учи́лась / учи́лись. It rarely means 'oneself': most -ся verbs are intransitive (открыва́ться), reciprocal (встреча́ться), or emotional (боя́ться, смея́ться, нра́виться). The key pattern is the transitive/intransitive pair открыва́ть / открыва́ться.