Verbs · 43/60

The imperative: the verbs you need most

To a man, to a woman, to several people

The imperative is formed from the future tense by dropping the prefix. In everyday speech the future itself often sounds more natural and polite (תָּבוֹא! תֵּשֵׁב!); the short forms are used for the most common verbs. A prohibition is always אַל + future: אַל תֵּלֵךְ — don't go.

Meaning	To a man	To a woman	To several
come	בּוֹאbo	בּוֹאִיbo'i	בּוֹאוּbo'u
go	לֵךְlech	לְכִיlechi	לְכוּlechu
take	קַחkach	קְחִיkchi	קְחוּkchu
give	תֵּןten	תְּנִיtni	תְּנוּtnu
sit down	שֵׁבshev	שְׁבִיshvi	שְׁבוּshvu
get up	קוּםkum	קוּמִיkumi	קוּמוּkumu
listen	שְׁמַעshma	שִׁמְעִיshim'i	שִׁמְעוּshim'u
look	תִּרְאֶהtir'e	תִּרְאִיtir'i	תִּרְאוּtir'u
say, tell	תַּגִּידtagid	תַּגִּידִיtagidi	תַּגִּידוּtagidu
speak	דַּבֵּרdaber	דַּבְּרִיdabri	דַּבְּרוּdabru
wait	חַכֵּהchake	חַכִּיchaki	חַכּוּchaku
sorry, excuse me	סְלַח לִיslach li	סִלְחִי לִיsilchi li	סִלְחוּ לִיsilchu li
open / close	פְּתַח / סְגֹרptach / sgor	פִּתְחִי / סִגְרִיpitchi / sigri	פִּתְחוּ / סִגְרוּpitchu / sigru
write / read	כְּתֹב / קְרָאktov / kra	כִּתְבִי / קִרְאִיkitvi / kir'i	כִּתְבוּ / קִרְאוּkitvu / kir'u
eat / drink	תֹּאכַל / תִּשְׁתֶּהtochal / tishte	תֹּאכְלִי / תִּשְׁתִּיtochli / tishti	תֹּאכְלוּ / תִּשְׁתּוּtochlu / tishtu
be careful!	תִּזָּהֵרtizaher	תִּזָּהֲרִיtizahari	תִּזָּהֲרוּtizaharu
don't worry	אַל תִּדְאַגal tid'ag	אַל תִּדְאֲגִיal tid'agi	אַל תִּדְאֲגוּal tid'agu
don't be afraid	אַל תְּפַחֵדal tefached	אַל תְּפַחֲדִיal tefachadi	אַל תְּפַחֲדוּal tefachadu
don't touch	אַל תִּגַּעal tiga	אַל תִּגְּעִיal tig'i	אַל תִּגְּעוּal tig'u
don't forget	אַל תִּשְׁכַּחal tishkach	אַל תִּשְׁכְּחִיal tishkechi	אַל תִּשְׁכְּחוּal tishkechu

The plural forms do not distinguish gender: בּוֹאוּ is used for both men and women. Literary feminine plurals (בּוֹאנָה) are not used in speech.

Practise it in the app. Shoresh has conjugation, tense and binyan trainers, and the dictionary shows the forms of any word.