Imperatives and vocatives
Imperative or Command
The imperative is used to give orders,
to tell someone to do something
Aperi ianuam! Open the door!
Portate saccos! Bring the bags!
Noli scribere nomen tuum!
Don’t write your name!
The Imperative singular
When you are addressing one person, the
imperative form is very easy.
Take the present active infinite (i.e., 2nd principle
part) and remove the –re.
iacta! Throw! (from iactare)
cave! Beware (from cavere)
disce! Learn (from discere)
audi! Listen (from audire)
The imperative plural
• Imperative plural is made by adding –te to the
singular imperative (except in the 3rd
conjugation).
iacta! iactate! Throw! (from iactare)
cave! cavete! Beware! (from cavere)
audi! audite! Listen (from audire)
rd
3
conjugation imperative plural
In the 3rd conjugation, the –e of the singular
Disce!
Lege!
Preme!
Becomes an –i in the plural (mimicking the 4th
conjugation).
Discite!
Legite!
Premite!
The Imperative singular
irregulars
• All verbs follow this rule except for theses three
(and sometimes their compounds)
Dic! (from dico, dicere)
Duc! (from duco, ducere)
Fac! (from facio, facere)
• Some people add fer to make the easily
remembered dic, duc, fac, fer. But fer actually
follows the rules (remove the –re from the
infinitive ferre)
Irregulars are regular in the imperative
Fer! (from fero, ferre)
Ferte!
I!
(from eo, ire)
Ite!
Other irregulars
sum, esse, fui, futurus (to be)
possum, posse, potui (to be able)
volo, velle, volui (to wish, want)
and their compounds as a general rule are not used
in the imperative and have special forms that are
used if needed.
No irregular plurals
• All three irregular imperatives are from the 3rd
conjugation and form regular plural imperatives
Dic! (from dico, dicere) Dicite!
Duc! (from duco, ducere) Ducite!
Fac! (from facio, facere) Facite!
Negative imperatives
To tell someone not to do something
Noli plus an infinitive is used.
The plural of noli is nolite.
Noli iactare saccos!
Don’t throw the bags!
Nolite audire! Don’t listen!
In poetry, the word
ne
plus the positive imperative
can be used
Ne curre! Don’t run!
Ne timete! Don’t fear!
(The present subjunctive can also be used as a type of
imperative, but that will be treated later)
Imperatives are often used with a noun
that you are addressing
Puella, porta saccos! Girl, carry the bags!
Duces, accedite ad oppidum!
Leaders, approach the town.
This word of address is called the vocative, and the
form is the same as the nominative except in the
2nd declension singular:
Serve, aperi ianuam!
-us to –e, ius to –e
only in the 2nd declension
A 2nd declension word that ends in –ius will use -i
in the vocative: filius: fili!
A 2nd declension word that ends in –us will use -e
in the vocative: servus: serve!
So if you address Marcus Tullius Cicero directly,
you will call: Marce Tulli Cicero!
(corpus, tempus are 3rd declension words and thus do
not use this form)