The imperative (наказо́вий спо́сіб) is how Ukrainian gives a command, makes a request, or issues an invitation — Read!, Sit down!, Let's go!, Long live Ukraine! The good news for a learner: the forms are built from a stem you already know — the present stem — and there are only a handful of endings. The single most useful fact is structural: Ukrainian builds the imperative from the present stem with -и / -й / -ь, and it has dedicated forms not just for "you" but for "let's" (the 1st-plural hortative in -мо) and "let him/them" (the хай / неха́й command). This page covers all of them, with a master table for four key verbs. For which aspect to choose, see aspect in the imperative; for politeness and softening, see imperative usage.
Start from the present stem
Every imperative is built on the present-tense stem, which you get by stripping the ending off the 3rd-person plural (the "they" form). That base already carries any consonant mutation, so the imperative inherits it automatically.
| Verb | 3pl (вони́…) | Present stem |
|---|---|---|
| чита́ти 'read' | чита́ють | чита́й- |
| писа́ти 'write' | пи́шуть | пиш- |
| нести́ 'carry' | несу́ть | нес- |
| роби́ти 'do' | ро́блять | роб- |
Once you have the stem, the 2nd-person singular form depends on how the stem ends and where the stress falls. That gives the three-way split below.
The 2nd-person singular (ти): -й / -и / -ь
This is the foundation; every other imperative is built from it. There are three endings, chosen by the shape of the stem.
1. After a vowel-stem → -й
If the present stem ends in a vowel (the iotated -й- stems like чита́й-, гра́й-, ду́май-), add -й.
Чита́й уважні́ше, там є важли́ва дета́ль.
Read more carefully, there's an important detail there. (Vowel stem чита́й- → чита́й.)
Грай ти́хіше, бра́тик спить.
Play more quietly, your little brother is sleeping. (грати → грай.)
Не хвилю́йся, усе́ бу́де до́бре.
Don't worry, everything will be fine. (хвилюватися → не хвилю́йся.)
2. After a consonant, stressed or after a cluster → -и
If the stem ends in a consonant and the imperative ending is stressed, or the stem ends in a consonant cluster, add -и. This is the classic пиши́! / неси́! / говори́! pattern.
Пиши́ розбі́рливо, я не мо́жу прочита́ти.
Write legibly, I can't read it. (пиш- + stressed -и → пиши́.)
Неси́ су́мки сюди́, я підтрима́ю две́рі.
Bring the bags over here, I'll hold the door. (нес- + stressed -и → неси́.)
Говори́ повільні́ше, будь ла́ска.
Speak more slowly, please. (говор- + stressed -и → говори́.)
A consonant cluster at the end of the stem also forces -и, even without end-stress, because a bare consonant ending would be unpronounceable:
Не моргни́, бо все зіпсу́єш!
Don't blink, or you'll ruin everything! (cluster -ргн- → моргни́.)
3. After a single consonant, unstressed → bare consonant or soft -ь
If the stem ends in a single consonant and the ending is not stressed, the -и drops away. Two outcomes:
- A hard consonant → bare (no ending): роби́ти → роби́ (colloquially the -и is kept here under stress; the bare form appears in unstressed single-consonant stems like сядь below).
- A consonant that can be soft → soft sign -ь: сі́сти → сядь, ста́ти → встань, бу́ти → будь, рі́зати → ріж, ля́гти → ляж.
Сядь біля ме́не, тут є мі́сце.
Sit down next to me, there's room here. (сяд- → soft -ь → сядь.)
Будь обере́жний на доро́зі.
Be careful on the road. (буд- → будь.)
Встань, бо проспи́ш усе́ на сві́ті.
Get up, or you'll sleep through everything. (встан- → встань.)
The 2nd-person plural / polite (ви): add -те
To address more than one person — or one person formally (with ви) — take the ти form and add -те. Almost mechanical:
| ти form | ви form (+ -те) |
|---|---|
| чита́й | чита́йте |
| пиши́ | пиші́ть* |
| неси́ | несі́ть* |
| сядь | ся́дьте |
| будь | бу́дьте |
Чита́йте уважно умо́ви догово́ру.
Read the terms of the contract carefully. (чита́й + -те → чита́йте.)
Пиші́ть ро́збірливо, будь ла́ска.
Please write legibly. (пиши́ → пиші́ть — the -и raises to -і- before -ть.)
Бу́дьте, будь ла́ска, обере́жні.
Please be careful. (будь + -те → бу́дьте.)
Note the spelling shift in *-и → -і- stems: пиши́ → пиші́ть, неси́ → несі́ть, говори́ → говорі́ть. The stressed -и becomes -і- before the plural -ть. This is a regular Ukrainian sound change, not an exception to memorise verb by verb.
The 1st-person plural "let's": -мо
Ukrainian has a dedicated hortative — a one-word "let's …!" — formed by adding -мо to the 2sg imperative (or, equivalently, -ім(о) to consonant stems). This is a real morphological form, not a periphrasis.
| Verb | 2sg | 1pl 'let's' (+ -мо) |
|---|---|---|
| чита́ти | чита́й | чита́ймо — let's read |
| іти́ / йти | іди́ | ході́мо — let's go |
| сі́сти | сядь | ся́дьмо — let's sit |
| співа́ти | співа́й | співа́ймо — let's sing |
Ході́мо вже, бо запі́знимося на сеа́нс.
Let's go already, or we'll be late for the film. (ході́мо — the everyday 'let's go'.)
Заспіва́ймо щось украї́нською!
Let's sing something in Ukrainian! (заспіва́ймо — 1pl hortative.)
The 3rd-person command: хай / неха́й
To say "let him / her / them do something" — a command or wish aimed at a third party — Ukrainian uses the particle хай (neutral, informal) or неха́й (slightly more formal/emphatic) plus the ordinary present or future form of the verb. No special verb form is needed.
Хай він іде́ пе́рший, я ще не гото́ва.
Let him go first, I'm not ready yet. (Хай + present іде́.)
Неха́й говоря́ть, що хо́чуть — нам байду́же.
Let them say whatever they want — we don't care. (Неха́й + present говоря́ть.)
Хай живе́ Украї́на!
Long live Ukraine! (Хай + present живе́ — the classic slogan form.)
Неха́й щасти́ть тобі́ на і́спиті.
Good luck on your exam. (Неха́й + present щасти́ть — a set well-wish.)
Master table: чита́ти, писа́ти, бу́ти, іти́
Putting it all together for four high-frequency verbs:
| Form | чита́ти 'read' | писа́ти 'write' | бу́ти 'be' | іти́ / йти 'go' |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2sg (ти) | чита́й | пиши́ | будь | іди́ / йди |
| 2pl / polite (ви) | чита́йте | пиші́ть | бу́дьте | іді́ть / йді́ть |
| 1pl 'let's' (-мо) | чита́ймо | пиші́мо | бу́дьмо | ході́мо |
| 3rd person (хай/неха́й) | хай чита́є / чита́ють | хай пи́ше / пи́шуть | хай бу́де / бу́дуть | хай іде́ / іду́ть |
Note that іти́ has the suppletive 1pl ході́мо (from a different root, ходи́ти), which is simply the form everyone uses for "let's go" — worth learning as a fixed item.
Source-language comparison
For an English speaker, three things stand out. First, the imperative is built from the present stem plus a small set of endings (-й / -и / -ь), so once you know how a verb conjugates, its commands are predictable. Second — and this has no English equivalent — Ukrainian has a one-word "let's" (ході́мо, чита́ймо) and a one-word "let him/them" (хай іде́, неха́й говоря́ть), where English needs the multi-word "let us…" and "let him…". Third, the ви form (-те) doubles as the polite singular: you address one person formally with the plural imperative, a register distinction English doesn't mark (see usage and politeness).
For a Russian speaker, the system maps closely, but relearn the surface: Ukrainian 2sg endings are -и / -й / -ь with Ukrainian stress (пиши́, чита́й, сядь), the plural is -те with the -и → -і- shift (пиші́ть, несі́ть), the hortative -мо (ході́мо, чита́ймо) replaces Russian -м/-те, and the 3rd-person particle is хай / неха́й (not пусть). The forms differ enough that you can't transfer them blindly.
Common Mistakes
❌ Пишай розбі́рливо. (wrong ending — vowel-type -й on a consonant stem)
Incorrect — писа́ти has a consonant stem пиш- with stressed -и: Пиши́ розбі́рливо.
✅ Пиши́ розбі́рливо.
Write legibly. — consonant stem + stressed -и.
❌ Чита́ї уважно. (consonant-type -и after a vowel stem)
Incorrect — the vowel stem чита́й- takes -й: Чита́й уважно.
✅ Чита́й уважно.
Read carefully. — vowel stem → -й.
❌ Пишите розбі́рливо, будь ла́ска. (Russian-style plural, no vowel shift)
Incorrect — Ukrainian shifts -и → -і- before -ть: Пиші́ть розбі́рливо, будь ла́ска.
✅ Пиші́ть розбі́рливо, будь ла́ска.
Please write legibly. — пиши́ → пиші́ть.
❌ Дава́й ми йдемо́ вже. (periphrastic 'let's' instead of the hortative)
Stilted — the natural 'let's go' is the one-word hortative: Ході́мо вже.
✅ Ході́мо вже.
Let's go already. — the -мо hortative.
❌ Пусть він іде́ пе́рший. (Russian particle пусть)
Incorrect — the Ukrainian 3rd-person command particle is хай / неха́й: Хай він іде́ пе́рший.
✅ Хай він іде́ пе́рший.
Let him go first. — хай + present.
Key Takeaways
- Build the imperative from the present stem (strip the 3pl ending).
- 2sg (ти): vowel stem → -й (чита́й); consonant stem, stressed/cluster → -и (пиши́, неси́); single soft-able consonant, unstressed → -ь (сядь, будь).
- 2pl / polite (ви): add -те, with -и → -і- in stressed stems (пиши́ → пиші́ть, неси́ → несі́ть).
- 1pl 'let's': the -мо hortative — ході́мо! ('let's go'), чита́ймо! ('let's read').
- 3rd person 'let him/them': хай / неха́й
- present/future — Хай іде́! ('let him go'), Хай живе́ Украї́на! ('long live Ukraine!').
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- Using the Imperative (Politeness and Softening)A2 — How commands land depends on form. The bare 2sg (Дай!, Іди!) is intimate or blunt; the -те plural doubles as the POLITE singular with ви (Да́йте, будь ла́ска). Softeners — будь ла́ска, прошу́, чи не могли́ б ви, дава́йте — turn an order into a request. Invitations and offers use the imperfective for warmth (Заходьте! Сіда́йте! Пригоща́йтеся!), and prohibitions take the imperfective (Не хвилю́йтеся). The хай / неха́й forms carry wishes and slogans (Неха́й щасти́ть!).
- Aspect in the ImperativeB1 — In commands, aspect carries pragmatic weight. The PERFECTIVE imperative (Прочита́й! Закри́й! Напиши́! Зроби́!) makes a single, specific, one-off request you want completed. The IMPERFECTIVE imperative (Чита́й бі́льше! Заходь! Не закрива́й!) is for a general or repeated instruction, an invitation/process, politeness — and crucially for NEGATIVE prohibitions, which strongly prefer the imperfective. The twist: a one-time WARNING against an accidental event flips back to the perfective — Не впади́! Не забу́дь! Не загуби́ ключі́!
- Present Tense: First ConjugationA1 — The first conjugation (пе́рша дієвідмі́на) takes the present endings -у/-ю, -еш/-єш, -е/-є, -емо/-ємо, -ете/-єте, -уть/-ють, built on the theme vowel -е-/-є- with a 3pl in -уть/-ють. Drill three models: vowel-stem чита́ти (чита́ю, чита́єш…), consonant-stem нести́ (несу́, несе́ш…), mutating писа́ти (пишу́, пи́шеш…), могти́ (можу́…), and the huge -увати/-ювати class (працюва́ти → працю́ю).
- Present Tense: Second ConjugationA1 — The second conjugation (друга дієвідміна) takes the present endings -у/-ю, -иш/-їш, -ить/-їть, -имо/-їмо, -ите/-їте, -ать/-ять, built on the theme vowel -и-/-ї- with a 3pl in -ать/-ять. Drill three models: regular говори́ти (говорю́, гово́риш, гово́рить… гово́рять), labial+л in the 1sg люби́ти (люблю́, лю́биш… лю́блять), and dental mutation in the 1sg ходи́ти (ходжу́, хо́диш… хо́дять) and ба́чити (ба́чу, ба́чиш… ба́чать — -ать, not -ять, after the hushing ч). The key insight: the mutation is confined to the я-form.
- Present-Stem Consonant ChangesA2 — When you form the present stem, a stem-final consonant often mutates: д→дж, т→ч, з→ж, с→ш, ст→щ, and any labial (б п в м ф) inserts an epenthetic -л-. In the second conjugation this happens only in the 1sg (ходи́ти→ходжу́, but хо́диш); in the first conjugation it runs through the whole present (писа́ти→пишу́, пи́шеш…). The mutations are regular, so you can derive the tricky я-form instead of memorising it.
- Modal and Imperative Particles (Хай/Нехай, -но, Давай, Бодай)B1 — Ukrainian builds third-person commands and wishes with хай/нехай + a present/future verb (Хай прийде́ 'let him come', Неха́й живе́ Украї́на! 'long live Ukraine!'), says 'let's' with дава́й/дава́йте, softens or urges a direct command with the enclitic -но/-бо (Скажи́-но 'do tell', Гля́нь-но! 'just look!'), and wishes with бода́й and нехай би/хоч би 'if only'. Where English needs a whole periphrastic 'let him…' or 'do… would you', Ukrainian uses a single particle.