Imperative Mood in Catalan

Overview

The imperative mood is used for commands, instructions, requests, and suggestions. At the B1 level, you need to give directions, make requests, and express instructions confidently. Catalan has imperative forms for tu (informal singular), vosaltres (informal plural), vostè (formal singular), and vostès (formal plural).

Affirmative and negative imperatives behave differently in Catalan. The affirmative imperative has its own special forms, while the negative imperative uses the subjunctive: Canta! (Sing!) but No cantis! (Don't sing!). Pronoun placement also changes: pronouns go after the verb in affirmative commands but before the verb in negative commands.

These patterns require attention, but once mastered, they let you communicate instructions clearly in any context.

How It Works

Affirmative Imperative

Person	-ar (cantar)	-er/-re (beure)	-ir pure (dormir)	-ir inchoative (servir)
tu	canta	beu	dorm	serveix
vostè	canti	begui	dormi	serveixi
nosaltres	cantem	beguem	dormim	servim
vosaltres	canteu	beveu	dormiu	serviu
vostès	cantin	beguin	dormin	serveixin

Negative Imperative (Uses Subjunctive)

Person	-ar (cantar)	-er/-re (beure)	-ir (dormir)
tu	no cantis	no beguis	no dormis
vostè	no canti	no begui	no dormi
vosaltres	no canteu	no beveu	no dormiu
vostès	no cantin	no beguin	no dormin

Pronoun Placement

Type	Example	Rule
Affirmative	Fes-ho! (Do it!)	Pronoun after verb
Negative	No ho facis! (Don't do it!)	Pronoun before verb

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Canta una cançó!	Sing a song! (sg.)	Affirmative tu
Beveu aigua!	Drink water! (pl.)	Affirmative vosaltres
No parlis tan fort!	Don't speak so loud! (sg.)	Negative tu
Fes-ho ara!	Do it now!	Irregular fer + pronoun
Vine aquí!	Come here!	Irregular venir
No et preocupis!	Don't worry!	Negative + reflexive
Escolta'm!	Listen to me!	Pronoun after
Digues-me la veritat.	Tell me the truth.	Irregular dir
No toquis això!	Don't touch that!	Negative
Seure, si us plau.	Sit down, please.	Polite (infinitive)
Anem-hi!	Let's go (there)!	Nosaltres form + hi

Common Mistakes

Using indicative forms for negative commands

• Wrong: No parla tan fort!
• Right: No parlis tan fort!
• Why: Negative imperatives require subjunctive forms, not indicative ones.

Wrong pronoun position in negative commands

• Wrong: No fes-ho!
• Right: No ho facis!
• Why: In negative commands, the pronoun goes before the verb, and the verb takes the subjunctive form.

Forgetting irregular imperative forms

• Wrong: Fe! or Fes! — both exist, but: Di! is wrong
• Right: Fes! (do!) / Digues! (say!) / Vine! (come!) / Vés! (go!)
• Why: Common irregular imperatives must be memorized individually.

Usage Notes

In informal spoken Catalan, the infinitive is sometimes used as a command form, especially in written instructions or when addressing a general audience: No tocar (Do not touch), Girar a la dreta (Turn right). In formal contexts, use the vostè/vostès forms, which are identical to the subjunctive.

Practice Tips

1. Practice giving household instructions: "Tanca la porta! Obre la finestra! No facis soroll!"
2. Learn the most common irregular tu imperatives: fes (do), digues (say), vine (come), vés (go), sigues (be).
3. Practice switching between affirmative and negative: "Fes-ho!" → "No ho facis!" / "Digues-li!" → "No li diguis!"

Related Concepts

• Present Tense: -ar Verbs — the base for regular imperative forms
• Present Subjunctive — used for negative imperatives and formal forms