Imperative Mood in Polish

Overview

The imperative mood is used for commands, requests, suggestions, and instructions. At the B1 level, mastering imperatives allows you to give directions, make requests, and use common everyday expressions. Polish imperatives are formed from the present tense stem and exist in second person singular, first person plural (let's), and second person plural forms.

For indirect commands to third persons, Polish uses niech + third person verb form. Polite requests use proszę (please) + infinitive or proszę + imperative, softening the directness of the command.

The imperative is also important for understanding fixed expressions and instructions that appear everywhere in daily life: signs, recipes, directions, and advice.

How It Works

Formation from present tense stem

Present 2nd sg.	Imperative 2nd sg.	Rule
piszesz	pisz!	Drop -esz, keep stem
mówisz	mów!	Drop -isz, keep stem
czytasz	czytaj!	Drop -asz, add -aj
kupujesz	kupuj!	Drop -esz, keep -uj

Full imperative paradigm: pisać (write)

Form	Imperative
2nd singular	pisz!
1st plural	piszmy!
2nd plural	piszcie!

Indirect commands (3rd person)

Niech + 3rd person present: Niech pan siada. (Please sit down, sir.)

Polite forms

• Proszę + infinitive: Proszę usiąść. (Please sit down.)
• Proszę + imperative: Proszę, mów wolniej. (Please speak more slowly.)

Examples in Context

Polish	English	Note
Pisz!	Write!	2nd person singular
Proszę, mów wolniej.	Please speak more slowly.	Polite request
Chodźmy!	Let's go!	1st person plural
Niech pan siada.	Please sit down. (formal)	Indirect command
Czytaj głośno.	Read aloud.	2nd person singular
Nie rób tego!	Don't do that!	Negative imperative
Piszcie zadanie.	Write the assignment.	2nd person plural
Proszę zamknąć drzwi.	Please close the door.	proszę + infinitive
Niech pomyśli.	Let him/her think.	3rd person indirect
Jedźmy do domu!	Let's go home! (by vehicle)	1st person plural

Common Mistakes

Using infinitive as command (Russian style)

• Wrong: Pisać! (as a command)
• Right: Pisz! or Proszę pisać.
• Why: Polish does not use bare infinitives as commands (unlike Russian). Use the imperative form or proszę + infinitive.

Wrong stem for imperative

• Wrong: Mówij! (adding -j to the wrong stem)
• Right: Mów!
• Why: Conjugation II verbs drop the -i-/-y- in imperative. The ending depends on the conjugation class.

Using ty/wy with niech

• Wrong: Niech ty idziesz.
• Right: Idź! (direct) or Niech pan idzie. (formal indirect)
• Why: Niech is for third person (indirect commands), not second person.

Usage Notes

Direct imperatives can sound blunt in Polish. Adding proszę softens them significantly. In formal contexts, niech pan/pani + 3rd person is the standard polite command form. Among friends, direct imperatives are perfectly natural and not rude.

Practice Tips

1. Convert ten common verbs from present tense to imperative: mówisz → mów, czytasz → czytaj, piszesz → pisz.
2. Practice polite requests using proszę: Proszę mówić wolniej. Proszę powtórzyć.
3. Use chodźmy/jedźmy to suggest activities: Chodźmy na kawę! Jedźmy do Krakowa!

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Conjugation I (-ę, -esz) -- imperative derives from present stem