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Unit: 2, Lesson: 1

Imperative Sentences

In Tamil, the imperative form of a verb is not only used to issue commands but also regularly used to make requests. This is done in Tamil in two ways: a) an impolite and/or intimate/informal way and b) a polite or formal way.

Informal/Impolite Imperative

Informal imperative form is used only to address young persons, servants, and children. It is also used among close friends. Addressing elders and respectable persons with impolite forms would result either an embarassing moment or would offend. In anger people use this form to address or insult each other, without regard to age or status. The impolite or intimate form of an imperative verb is just the root form without any inflection. For example,

பார் means 'See (sing.)'

போ means 'Go (sing.)'

சாப்பிடு means 'Eat (sing.)'

Polite imperative

The polite imperative is made by attaching the plural marker to the root, instead of having a separate word like 'Please.'

It can also be used to issue imperatives to plural addresses. For example, using பாருங்கள் to ask someone and a group of people respectively to see/look at something, or when used with a single person, to politely ask that person to see/look.

The following table shows the inflections for polite imperative and plural imperative form for a set of verbs in Tamil.

Verb	Written form	Spoken form	Meaning
பார் 'see'	பாருங்கள்	பாருங்க	'Please see/look at'
கொடு 'give'	கொடுங்கள்	கொடுங்க	'Please give'
பேசு 'speak'	பேசுங்கள்	பேசுங்க	'Please speak'
எழுது 'write'	எழுதுங்கள்	எழுதுங்க	'Please write'
சாப்பிடு 'eat'	சாப்பிடுங்கள்	சாப்பிடுங்க	'Please eat'
ஓடு 'run'	ஓடுங்கள்	ஓடுங்க	'Please run'
உட்கார் 'sit'	உட்காருங்கள்	உக்காருங்க	'Please sit'
Note the doubling in verbs with minimal word configuration
சொல் 'say'	சொல்லுங்கள்	சொல்லுங்க	'Please say/reveal'
செய் 'do'	செய்யுங்கள்	செய்யுங்க	'Please do'
Note the difference of how the following verbs are inflected for imperative
போ 'go'	போங்கள்	போங்க	'Please go'
வா 'come'	வாருங்கள்	வாங்க	'Please come'
வை 'put'	வையுங்கள்	வைங்க	'Please put'
நட 'walk'	நடங்கள்	நடங்க	' Please walk'

Making requests using the imperative

One can also attach ஏன் (cf. 'Why?')to the polite imperative to make an imperative even more polite, as a request or indirect command. For example,

பாருங்களேன் means 'Why don't see/look'

சொல்லுங்களேன் means 'Why don't you say'

வருங்களேன் means 'Why don't you come', or 'Why not come' The word கொஞ்சம் 'some/little' can also be used with imperatives to make them for deferential (see cultural lesson below).
Translate the following. (add உங்கள் with verb)
1) Please make Idli. இட்லி செய்யுங்கள்.
2) Please sit here.
3) Please sing a song.
4) Please go to your house.
5) Please cook food.
6) Please read this story.
7) Please walk.
8) Come to my house tomorrow.
9) Tell me a story.
10) Leave your book here.

II. Translate:
1) Come to my house with you younger brother.
2) Go to school in a car.
3) Eat Idly at your house.
4) Buy a good Tamil book from the store.
5) Come to my house from your house in a bike.

Dialogue: unit_02/section_A/lesson01.html