命令. Grammar, syntax, and sentence patterns of giving commands, issuing orders, and related acts such as some requests and the equivalent of English "let's".
Questions tagged [imperatives]
74 questions
41
votes
6 answers
Does -ou / -you / -mashou conjugation have a negative form?
Does the -ou / -you / -mashou (the "let's X") form have a negative counterpart? For example, how do I say "let's not X" for the following?:
行こう
食べよう
寝ましょう
As far as I can remember, the Japanese courses I took in college did not teach me the…
Lukman
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16
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3 answers
About the な part in negative imperative verb form (e.g. 飲むな)
In the Japanese version of "don't drink and drive" slogan, 【乗るなら飲むな】 (also 【飲んだら乗るな】), what part of speech is the な that follows the plain verb 飲む (or 乗る in the second variation) to form the negative imperative verb form?
At first I thought it was…
Lukman
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15
votes
2 answers
How many verb endings to express "do this (please)"?
I'm familiar with the て and てください forms of a verb to give a command/request and request, respectively. However, I've run across these other forms and really don't know which to use in what situation. I'll just list all the ones I've run…
dotnetN00b
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1 answer
Difference between 一段 imperatives ～よ・～ろ
一段 verbs may be conjugated to form imperative forms of ～よ or ～ろ.
For example:
見る forms either 見よ or 見ろ
食べる forms either 食べよ or 食べろ
How did the two forms come about?
What is the difference in usage of the imperatives?
When will one form be used…
Flaw
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12
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"Irregular" 命令形 of some verbs
Recently I've noticed several verbs where the imperative form is used in a way that is not the "correct" conjugation.
くれる → くれ！ → The one we're all used to
つける → つけ！ → An example from my プログレッシブ dictionary: 「気をつけ」と先生が号令をかけた。
はじめる → はじめ！ → Said…
istrasci
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1 answer
Is 「うそおっしゃい」 to be taken literally here?
In the video game Ripening Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love, the protagonist Tingle meets a fortune teller who demonstrates her powers to him. She asks him, "You come from a far away town, right?" If Tingle answers, "No", she responds:
うそ おっしゃい ! おばさん…
waldrumpus
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3 answers
Imperative used instead of conditional form
This quesion:
と言っても vs とは言え .
reminded me of a similar case:
どっちにしても vs どっちにしろ
which are also synonymous as far as I can tell.
That got me thinking:
Is this coincidental? Are there other cases where the imperative is used instead of the…
dainichi
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Meaning and usage of 〜してからにしろ
From the manga yotsubato!, casual conversation:
早く寝るのはいいけど、せめて晩飯食って風呂入ってからにしろ
In this sentence how does からにしろ at the end change it? I know the full sentence means this:
It's ok to go to bed early, but at least eat dinner, and take a bath.
But…
jale
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10
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2 answers
The meaning of ～がいい
I've read a lot of mangas and I've noticed the use of がいい after a verb
e.g.
見る{みる}がいい。
諦めた{あきらめた}ほうがいい。
Does it work as an adverb?
Williem F.
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10
votes
1 answer
Plain form as imperative
Is the plain form ever used to give a command? What does "sugu ni tatsu" mean?
Axe
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9
votes
1 answer
What does よ bring in 「〜ないでよね」？
I sometimes hear or read sentences such as:
行かないでよね！
聞かないでよね！
I get 「行かないでね！」and 「行かないでよ！」 but I wonder what nuance is added when both of them are used like in these examples.
I have the feeling that these are often used by young girls but I am…
Gumamori
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9
votes
2 answers
understanding hōgejaku -- an archaic imperative?
I would like to understand this Zen calligraphy:
I gather that it says "hōgejaku" and that this means something like "let it go", "throw it away", "throw it down". According to this page, the kanji…
joriki
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What form of imperative is this? 是非この機会お見逃しなく！
The following statement seems like an imperative but does not have the structure of the imperative:
是非{ぜひ}この機会{きかい}お見逃{みのが}しなく！ Make sure not to miss this opportunity!
Is なく 連用形 of ない? If yes, how can a sentence end on 連用形?
Is て implied after…
user1602
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Using な in positive instead of negative imperative (e.g. 行きな)
Putting な after a plain verb turns it into negative imperative.
But I noticed that in spoken Japanese, putting な after conjunctive form (連用形) turns it into positive imperative. For example:
遊びに行きなよ。
Is this usage standard or colloquial? Also, it…
Lukman
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8
votes
2 answers
しろ vs. せよ imperative forms
While browsing Youtube, I came across a comment which said the following:
はじめしゃしょーを思い出した人は返信せよ
My question is about the ending. I understand that せよ is an imperative form of する just like しろ. However, I was wondering what difference, if any, this…
M Palmer
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