L6.1: Imperative and Cohortative#

The imperative is the form for commands.

  • It occurs only in the second person.

  • The form of the imperative is essentially the preterite without a prefix.

  • It expresses a possitive comand. It can not be negated. For the negated command see the prohibitive.

  • Thus the theme vowel is always that of the preterite:

Example

  • Preterite: iprus “he divided”

  • Imperative: purus “divide!”

  • The ending for the feminine singular is -ī.

  • The ending for the plural communis -ā.

  • When endings are added, the unstressed vowel of the second syllable is elided;

Example

    1. masc. sing.: purus “divide!”

    1. fem. sing.: pursī “divide!”

  • pl. com.: pursā “divide!”

  • The only exception to this rule are the following five verbs of the a-class verbs:

Exceptions

  • lamādum “to learn” → limad

  • palāhum “to fear, worship” → pilah

  • pašāhum “to refresh oneself” → pisah

  • rakābum “to ride, mount* → rikab

  • takālum “to trust” → tikal

Conjugation of the Imperative#

2ms

2fs

pl.com.

G a-u

purus

pursī

pursā

G i

širiq

širqī

širqā

G a

ṣabat

ṣabtī

ṣabtā

G u

muqut

muqtī

muqtā

The Cohortative#

This is the form for commands in the 1. plural:

  • It is built with the particle i and the preterite:

Example

i niprus “We want to divide / Let’s divide”