Imperative Mood in Romanian

Overview

The imperative mood is used for commands, requests, instructions, and advice. At the A2 level, you need it for everyday situations: asking someone to do something, following recipes, understanding signs, and giving directions. Romanian has distinct imperative forms for the second person singular (tu — informal) and second person plural (voi — formal or multiple people).

Romanian imperatives have two key features that set them apart from many other languages. First, the affirmative and negative forms are often built differently — the negative imperative frequently uses a different construction than simply adding "nu" to the affirmative form. Second, the informal singular affirmative imperative is often identical to the third person singular present tense, which makes it easy to form but sometimes confusing to identify.

Many common verbs have irregular imperative forms that must be memorized. However, the regular patterns cover the majority of verbs, and once you learn the system, you can give commands confidently in both formal and informal registers.

How It Works

Regular Imperative Formation

Affirmative singular (tu): Often identical to the 3rd person singular present:

Infinitive	3rd Sg. Present	Imperative (tu)	English
a cânta	cântă	Cântă!	Sing!
a lucra	lucrează	Lucrează!	Work!
a citi	citește	Citește!	Read!
a dormi	doarme	Dormi!	Sleep!

Affirmative plural (voi): Uses the 2nd person plural present:

Infinitive	Imperative (voi)	English
a cânta	Cântați!	Sing! (pl./formal)
a lucra	Lucrați!	Work! (pl./formal)
a citi	Citiți!	Read! (pl./formal)
a dormi	Dormiți!	Sleep! (pl./formal)

Negative Imperative

Singular (tu): "Nu" + infinitive (without "a"):

Affirmative	Negative	English
Cântă!	Nu cânta!	Don't sing!
Vorbește!	Nu vorbi!	Don't speak!
Pleacă!	Nu pleca!	Don't leave!
Citește!	Nu citi!	Don't read!

Plural (voi): "Nu" + 2nd plural present (same as affirmative plural):

Affirmative	Negative	English
Cântați!	Nu cântați!	Don't sing! (pl.)
Vorbiți!	Nu vorbiți!	Don't speak! (pl.)
Plecați!	Nu plecați!	Don't leave! (pl.)
Citiți!	Nu citiți!	Don't read! (pl.)

Common Irregular Imperatives

Infinitive	Aff. Singular	Neg. Singular	Aff. Plural	English
a fi	Fii!	Nu fi!	Fiți!	Be!
a veni	Vino!	Nu veni!	Veniți!	Come!
a lua	Ia!	Nu lua!	Luați!	Take!
a da	Dă!	Nu da!	Dați!	Give!
a face	Fă!	Nu face! / Nu fa!	Faceți!	Do/Make!
a spune	Zi! / Spune!	Nu spune!	Spuneți!	Say/Tell!
a sta	Stai!	Nu sta!	Stați!	Stay/Stop!
a avea	Ai!	Nu avea!	Aveți!	Have!

Imperative with Clitic Pronouns

Clitics attach after the verb in affirmative imperatives:

Romanian	English	Structure
Spune-mi!	Tell me!	Verb + dative clitic
Dă-mi!	Give me!	Verb + dative clitic
Uită-te!	Look!	Verb + reflexive clitic
Ajută-mă!	Help me!	Verb + accusative clitic
Dați-mi, vă rog.	Give me, please.	Plural + dative

In negative imperatives, clitics go before the verb:

Romanian	English	Structure
Nu-mi spune!	Don't tell me!	Nu + clitic + infinitive
Nu te uita!	Don't look!	Nu + clitic + infinitive
Nu mă deranja!	Don't bother me!	Nu + clitic + infinitive

Examples in Context

Romanian	English	Note
Vino!	Come!	Irregular singular
Nu pleca!	Don't leave!	Negative = nu + infinitive
Citiți!	Read! (formal/plural)	Regular plural form
Nu vorbi!	Don't speak!	Negative singular
Spune-mi adevărul!	Tell me the truth!	With dative clitic
Stai liniștit!	Stay calm!	Irregular + adjective
Fii atent!	Be careful!	Irregular "a fi"
Dă-mi telefonul!	Give me the phone!	Irregular + clitic
Nu face zgomot!	Don't make noise!	Negative irregular
Ascultați cu atenție!	Listen carefully!	Plural formal
Ia loc!	Take a seat!	Irregular "a lua"
Nu te grăbi!	Don't rush!	Negative reflexive
Închide ușa!	Close the door!	Regular singular
Repetați, vă rog!	Please repeat!	Polite plural

Common Mistakes

Using the affirmative form with "nu" for singular negatives

• Wrong: "Nu cântă!" (this is actually a statement: "he/she doesn't sing")
• Right: "Nu cânta!" (the infinitive form without "a")
• Why: The negative singular imperative uses the short infinitive (infinitive minus "a"), not the affirmative imperative form. "Nu cânta!" (don't sing) vs. "Nu cântă" (he/she doesn't sing).

Forgetting pronoun position changes

• Wrong: "Mi spune!" (clitic before verb in affirmative imperative)
• Right: "Spune-mi!" (clitic after verb with hyphen)
• Why: In affirmative imperatives, clitic pronouns move after the verb and attach with a hyphen. In negative imperatives, they stay before the verb: "Nu-mi spune!"

Confusing singular and plural forms

• Wrong: Using "Vino!" for a group of people
• Right: "Veniți!" for plural/formal
• Why: The singular imperative is for one person you address as "tu." For "voi" (multiple people or formal), always use the plural form.

Irregular forms treated as regular

• Wrong: "Vine!" (for "Come!")
• Right: "Vino!"
• Why: "A veni" has the irregular imperative "Vino!" (not derived from any present tense form). Similarly, "a lua" → "Ia!", "a da" → "Dă!", "a face" → "Fă!"

Usage Notes

The imperative is used across all registers, but tone and surrounding words determine politeness. Adding "te rog" (please, informal) or "vă rog" (please, formal) softens commands significantly: "Dă-mi cartea, te rog" (Give me the book, please). Using the plural/formal form (voi) with strangers and elders is expected in Romanian culture.

In recipes, instructions, and signage, the imperative is standard: "Amestecați bine" (Mix well), "Nu fumați!" (No smoking!), "Apăsați butonul" (Press the button). Understanding these forms is practical for everyday life in Romania.

Romanian also uses the subjunctive as a softer alternative to the imperative: "Să vii mâine" (You should come tomorrow / Come tomorrow) sounds less direct than "Vino mâine!" This subjunctive construction becomes important at B1.

At the A2 level, memorize the irregular imperatives for the ten most common verbs and practice the regular pattern (affirmative = 3rd sg. present, negative = nu + infinitive). The pronoun placement rules are essential for practical communication.

Practice Tips

1. Learn irregular imperatives as fixed phrases. Memorize "Vino!", "Ia!", "Dă!", "Fă!", "Zi!", "Stai!", "Fii!" as individual items rather than trying to derive them from rules. They appear so frequently that you will internalize them quickly.
2. Practice affirmative/negative pairs. For each verb, say both forms: "Vorbește! / Nu vorbi!", "Pleacă! / Nu pleca!", "Citește! / Nu citi!" Notice how the negative form is different from simply adding "nu."
3. Role-play giving instructions. Pretend you are giving someone directions, cooking instructions, or classroom commands. Mix singular and plural forms: "Deschide cartea!" (to one student) / "Deschideți cărțile!" (to the class).

Related Concepts

• Parent concept: Verb Conjugation Groups — the conjugation system that determines imperative stem forms