Commands and Imperatives in Irish

Overview

The imperative mood is used to give commands, instructions, and requests. In Irish, forming commands is relatively straightforward: the second person singular imperative is simply the verb root itself. This makes it one of the easiest verb forms to learn, since you already know the root from the dictionary form.

For the second person plural (telling a group of people to do something), you add the suffix -igí or -aigí to the root. There is also a first person plural form ("let us") using -imis or -aimis, which is equivalent to English "let's." These forms allow you to give instructions to individuals, groups, or suggest shared actions.

To make a negative command ("don't"), Irish uses the particle ná followed by lenition: Ná bris é! (Don't break it!). This is different from the regular negative particle ní and is only used with imperatives.

How It Works

Forming the Imperative

Person	Rule	Example	English
2nd sg.	verb root	Suigh síos!	Sit down!
2nd pl.	root + -igí/-aigí	Suígí síos!	Sit down! (pl.)
1st pl.	root + -imis/-aimis	Suímis síos!	Let's sit down!

Regular Verb Examples

2nd Singular	2nd Plural	1st Plural	English
Dún!	Dúnaigí!	Dúnaimis!	Close!
Léigh!	Léigí!	Léimis!	Read!
Scríobh!	Scríobhaigí!	Scríobhaimis!	Write!
Ól!	Ólaigí!	Ólaimis!	Drink!
Ith!	Ithigí!	Ithimis!	Eat!

Irregular Verb Imperatives

Verb	2nd Singular	2nd Plural	English
bí	bí	bígí	be
abair	abair	abraigí	say
déan	déan	déanaigí	do/make
tabhair	tabhair	tugaigí	give
tar	tar	tagaigí	come
téigh	téigh	téigí	go
feic	feic	feicigí	see/look

Negative Commands with "ná"

Positive	Negative	English
Bris é!	Ná bris é!	Don't break it!
Bí buartha!	Ná bí buartha!	Don't be worried!
Téigh ann!	Ná téigh ann!	Don't go there!
Déan é!	Ná déan é!	Don't do it!

Examples in Context

Irish	English	Note
Tar anseo!	Come here! (sg.)	Irregular: tar
Suígí síos!	Sit down! (pl.)	Plural imperative
Ná bí buartha!	Don't be worried!	Negative + bí
Éistimis!	Let us listen!	1st person plural
Oscail an doras, le do thoil.	Open the door, please.	Polite command
Ná déan dearmad!	Don't forget!	"dearmad" = mistake/forgetting
Léigh an téacs seo.	Read this text.	Simple instruction
Ná habair é sin!	Don't say that!	Irregular: abair
Tagaigí isteach!	Come in! (pl.)	Irregular plural: tar → tagaigí
Bígí ciúin!	Be quiet! (pl.)	Irregular plural: bí → bígí

Common Mistakes

Adding endings to the singular imperative

• Wrong: Taraim anseo! or Tarann anseo!
• Right: Tar anseo!
• Why: The second person singular imperative is just the bare root — no endings.

Using "ní" instead of "ná" for negative commands

• Wrong: Ní bris é!
• Right: Ná bris é!
• Why: Negative commands use ná (+ lenition), not ní. Ní is for statements, not imperatives.

Forgetting the plural imperative when addressing a group

• Wrong: Tar anseo! (to a group)
• Right: Tagaigí anseo!
• Why: When speaking to more than one person, use the plural imperative form with -igí/-aigí.

Practice Tips

1. Practice giving instructions for a simple recipe or task using imperatives: Oscail an bosca. Cuir an t-uisce isteach. Dún an doras.
2. Convert positive commands to negative ones: Téigh → Ná téigh, Bí → Ná bí, etc.

Related Concepts

• Regular Verbs - Present Tense — the verb roots that form the basis of imperatives