The Russian Imperative: How to Give Commands and Make Requests

The imperative is simply the command form of a verb — the shape you use to tell, ask or invite someone to do something ("read this," "wait a second," "come in"). English barely changes the verb at all: we just say "read." Russian adds a small ending, and the good news is that one procedure covers the vast majority of verbs. Learn it once and you can build commands on the fly instead of memorising them one by one.

The one rule: build it from the они-form

Nearly every Russian imperative starts from the они (they) form of the present or future tense — the same form you already learn when you conjugate a verb in the present. Take that form, chop off its ending (-ут/-ют/-ат/-ят) to expose the stem, and then choose your ending by looking at two things: what the stem ends in, and where the stress falls in the я (I) form.

The они-stem ends in…	Stress in the я form	Add	Example
a vowel	anywhere	-й / -йте	чита́ют → чита́й, чита́йте
a consonant	on the ending	-и / -ите	говоря́т → говори́, говори́те
a single consonant	on the stem	-ь / -ьте	бу́дут → будь, бу́дьте
two or more consonants	on the stem	-и / -ите	по́мнят → по́мни, по́мните

So чита́ть (to read) has они чита́ют; the stem чита́- ends in a vowel, so you add -й: чита́й. Говори́ть (to speak) has они говоря́т; the stem ends in a consonant and the stress in я говорю́ lands on the ending, so you add -и: говори́. The -ь ending is the one people forget — it appears only when the stem ends in a single consonant and the stress in the я form sits on the stem, as in будь (be) or гото́вь (from гото́вить, to cook: я гото́влю, stress on the stem).

The stress test in one line: say the я form. If the stress is on the last syllable (говорю́, пишу́, иду́), your ending is -и. If it sits back on the stem (гото́влю, по́мню), you use -ь after a single consonant and -и after a cluster.

Add -те to be polite (or to address a group)

Everything above gives you the ты form — the command you use with one friend, child or family member. To address several people, or one person you don't know well, add -те. That single syllable is the difference between blunt and polite, and it maps exactly onto the ты / вы distinction you already use for "you."

To a friend (ты)	Polite / plural (вы)	Meaning
скажи́	скажи́те	tell / say
извини́	извини́те	sorry / excuse me
подожди́	подожди́те	wait
иди́	иди́те	go / come

With a stranger, default to the -те form. Dropping it isn't a grammar mistake, but it can sound abrupt — the same way barking "wait!" at a shop assistant would in English.

The everyday commands worth knowing cold

A handful of imperatives do enormous work in daily life. These are the ones to have ready before you can build them from scratch — all shown in the polite -те form you'll use with strangers:

Russian	Roughly	Means
Извини́те	iz-vee-NEE-tye	Excuse me / sorry
Скажи́те, пожа́луйста…	ska-ZHEE-tye pa-ZHAL-sta	Tell me, please… (to open a question)
Повтори́те, пожа́луйста	pav-ta-REE-tye	Please repeat that
Помоги́те	pa-ma-GEE-tye	Help (me)
Да́йте, пожа́луйста…	DYE-tye	Please give / hand me…
Проходи́те	pra-kha-DEE-tye	Come in / go ahead
Сади́тесь	sa-DEE-tyes	Have a seat (reflexive: keeps -сь)

Notice сади́тесь keeps a little tail, -сь. That's the reflexive particle: you build the imperative first (сади́ → сади́те) and then reattach it — -сь after a vowel (сади́тесь), -ся otherwise (одева́йся, get dressed).

The handful you can't build — learn them whole

A few very common verbs don't follow the procedure. There aren't many, so treat them as vocabulary:

Verb	Imperative (ты / вы)	Note
дать (to give)	дай / да́йте	Not built from the stem — just memorise it.
пить (to drink)	пей / пе́йте	Also петь → пой / по́йте (sing).
есть (to eat)	ешь / е́шьте	One of the few with a bare -ь.
ехать (to go by vehicle)	поезжа́й / поезжа́йте	Ехать has no standard imperative of its own; use поезжа́й.

And one you'll use every day: дава́й / дава́йте literally means "give," but on its own it's the Russian for "let's" or "come on" — Дава́йте начнём ("Let's begin"), Дава́й! ("Go on! / See you!").

Perfective or imperfective? The choice that shapes the tone

Russian verbs come in pairs — a perfective verb views an action as a single, completed whole, and an imperfective one views it as a process or a habit. (If that pairing is new, start with Russian verb aspect.) In commands, the choice you make changes how the request lands:

A single, specific request → perfective. When you ask someone to do one particular thing now, reach for the perfective: Скажи́те, пожа́луйста ("Tell me, please"), Да́йте счёт ("Bring the bill").
A general or repeated instruction → imperfective. Advice you mean to stick, or an ongoing activity, takes the imperfective: Чита́йте ка́ждый день ("Read every day").
An invitation or welcome → imperfective. Russian hospitality runs on imperfective commands. Проходи́те, сади́тесь, бери́те ("Come in, sit down, help yourself") sound warm; the perfective equivalents can feel like clipped orders.
Telling someone not to → usually imperfective. A plain prohibition uses не + an imperfective verb: Не опа́здывайте ("Don't be late"). The perfective slips back in only for warnings about something accidental: Не забу́дь! ("Don't forget!"), Не упади́! ("Don't fall!").

Softening the edge

An imperative on its own is direct. Three easy softeners make it courteous. Add пожа́луйста ("please") anywhere in the sentence. Lead with Бу́дьте добры́ or Бу́дьте любе́зны — both mean roughly "would you be so kind." Or sidestep the command entirely with мо́жно + an infinitive, which turns a demand into "may I": Мо́жно посмотре́ть? ("May I take a look?").

Questions people actually ask

How do you form the Russian imperative? Take the они (they) form of the verb, drop the ending to find the stem, then add -й after a vowel (читай), -и after a consonant when the stress is on the ending (говори), or -ь after a single consonant when the stress stays on the stem (будь). Add -те for the polite or plural form.

When do I add -те to a Russian command? -те marks the вы form. Use it for more than one person, or for one person you address politely as вы. Скажи to a friend; скажите to a stranger or a group.

Should a Russian command use a perfective or imperfective verb? Use a perfective verb for a single, specific request: Скажите, пожалуйста. Use an imperfective verb for repeated or general instructions, for invitations (Проходите, садитесь), and for most prohibitions (Не опаздывайте).

How do I make a Russian command more polite? Add пожалуйста, or lead with будьте добры or будьте любезны, roughly 'would you be so kind'. Можно plus an infinitive turns a demand into a request: Можно посмотреть? means 'May I take a look?'

Pick five verbs you use often, find their они form, and build the imperative out loud — both the ты and the -те version. If you'd rather drill these with audio and instant correction than trust a table you'll half-remember by Thursday, that's exactly what we build — Start your seven-day free trial — no card required. New to the app? Search “Gora Academy” in the Apple App Store or Google Play, or open it on the web.