Chapter 4 - The Imperative

 1. The Direct Imperative : 

The Direct Imperative is used to give an "abrupt" order, as would a boss to an employee, or a parent to a child. It is the most simple verbal form, since it is simply made of the verb radical.

If we take the verb KUFANYA for example, we simply remove the infinitive prefix KU-, which gives : FANYA ! = do !

The Direct Imperative possesses only 2 persons : the second person singular (= "you" singular) and the second person plural (= "you" plural).

The plural is formed by replacing the ending -A of the radical by the suffix -ENI.

PARTICULAR CASES:

• Monosyllabic verbs keep the prefix KU- of the infinitive :

  Kula !	eat !	Kuleni !	eat !
  Kunywa !	drink !	Kunyweni !	drink !

  
  

• Verbs of Arabic origin, behave as verbs of Bantu origin in the second person singular. In the second person plural, we add -NI at the end of the radical, without modifying the final vowel (E, I ou U) :

  
  

  Jaribu !	try !	Jaribuni !	try !
  Rudi !	come back !	Rudini !	come back !
  (Ni-)samehe !	forgive(-me) !	(Ni-)sameheni !	forgive(-me) !

EXCEPTIONS :

• The verb KULETA (= to bring) makes LETE ! (= bring !) instead of LETA in the second person singular.

• The verb KUJA (= to come) makes NJOO ! (= come !) and NJOONI ! (= come !).

• The verb KWENDA (= to go) makes NENDA ! (= go !) and NENDENI ! (= go !).

 2. THE POLITE IMPERATIVE : 

In Swahili, as in many other languages, the more you lengthen the verbal formula when giving an order, the more you soften its "abruptness", and the more you show yourself polite.
Compare for instance in English : Come ! / Can you come ! / Are you coming ? / Would you like to come ? / I wish you would come / etc...

A common way of easing the rough edge of an order is to use the subjunctive. (See: Chapter 33 - The Subjunctive.)
This is done by removing the prefix KU- of the infinitive and by replacing the ending -A with -E.
The second person singular begins with the pronominal prefix U-.
While the second person plural begins with the pronominal prefix M-.

 3. THE IMPERATIVE OF THE 1st PERSON PLURAL : 

So far we have studied the imperative of the 2nd person (singular and plural). It's now time to see the imperative of the 1st person plural (we). Actually, it is built exactly on the same pattern as the polite imperative, simply replacing the subject prefix U- (= you) by TU- (= we).

 4. THE NEGATIVE IMPERATIVE : 

There is only one negative form corresponding both to the direct imperative and to the polite imperative.

The negation is formed in the following way :

• Remove the prefix KU- of the infinitive,
• add the pronominal prefix U- for the singular and M- for the plural,
• insert the negative infix -SI- between the pronoun and the radical,
• replace the verb ending -A with -E in the case of verbs of Bantu origin.

EXAMPLES :

EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1 : Put these verbs in the Direct Imperative :

Kusikia, kurudi, kukamata, kujaribu, kuangalia, kufikiri, kula, kuleta, kutafuta, kusimama, kuja, kwenda, kufunga, kungoja, kwisha.

EXERCISE 2 : Put these verbs in the Polite Imperative :

Kubadili, kufika, kufanya, kusoma, kuweka, kubaki, kujaribu, kusamehe, kununua, kupika, kufuata, kufungua, kuja, kwenda, kusema.

EXERCICE 3 : Put these verbs in the 1st person plural of the Imperative :

Kubadili, kufika, kufanya, kusoma, kuweka, kubaki, kujaribu, kusamehe, kununua, kupika, kufuata, kufungua, kuja, kwenda, kusema.

EXERCISE 4 : Put these verbs in the Negative Imperative :

Kuja, kwenda, kuleta, kupiga, kuuza, kupenda, kusafiri, kujibu, kufikiri, kuangalia, kufika, kukaa, kununua, kujaribu, kubaki.

EXERCISE 5 : Translate into English :

1. Njoo ! Nenda ! Fuata ! Fanya ! Piga ! Lete ! Rudi ! Jaribu !

2. Njooni ! Fanyeni ! Jaribuni ! Sameheni ! Leteni ! Fuateni ! Tafuteni ! Nendeni !

3. Upike ! Usafishe ! Mfungue ! Mjaribu ! Ujue ! Uweke ! Mfaulu ! Ule !

4. Usijibu ! Usisome ! Usiende ! Usinywe ! Usiseme ! Usiangalie ! Usiwe ! Usikae !

5. Msifuate ! Msibaki ! Msirudi ! Msifikiri ! Msianguke ! Msifungue ! Msiketi ! Msione !