The imperative verb in Arabic | الْفِعْلُ الأَمْرُ
Introduction
In Arabic, the imperative refers to the command form of a verb. This command can be categorized into:
- Direct Command: Addressed to the second person.
- Indirect Command: More subtle or implied.
For the Direct Command, here are some examples:
اِضْرِبْ
(you) hit
اُنْظُرْ
(you) look
اِشْرَبْ
(you) drink
In Arabic, commands can also be directed towards the first or third person. This form is termed the indirect command, or الْأَمْرُ لِلْغَائِبِ و الْمُتَكَلِّمِ.
Illustrative examples include:
لِيَضْرِبْ
He should hit
لِأَنْصُرْ
I should help
لِأَشْرَبْ
I should drink
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1. Direct Imperative - أَمْرٌ لِلْمُخَاطَبِ
As previously mentioned, the direct imperative is derived from the imperfect tense in the second person, for both masculine and feminine forms. Let’s explore how the second person imperfect tense transitions into the imperative verb form.
A. The imperative form of فَعَلَ
2nd person masculine
Singular
تَفْعَلُ
You do / will do
Dual
تَفْعَلانِ
You both do / will do
Plural
تَفْعَلُوْنَ
You all do / will do
2nd person feminine
Singular
تَفْعَلِيْنَ
You do / will do
Dual
تَفْعَلانِ
You both do / will do
Plural
تَفْعَلْنَ
You all do / will do
Step 1: Refer to the provided imperfect tense table and remove the indicator of the second person imperfect tense, “تَ”, as illustrated in the table below:
2nd person masculine
Singular
فْعَلُ
Dual
فْعَلانِ
Plural
فْعَلُوْنَ
2nd person feminine
Singular
فْعَلِيْنَ
Dual
فْعَلانِ
Plural
فْعَلْنَ
Step 2: Replace the ‘ت’ with a hamza. If the second radical of the imperfect tense carries a fatha or kasrah, the prefixed hamza will take a kasrah. If the second radical has a dammah, the prefixed alif will also have a dammah. Note that the prefixed hamza in the command form will never have a fatha.
2nd person masculine
Singular
اِفْعَلُ
Dual
اِفْعَلانِ
Plural
اِفْعَلُوْنَ
2nd person feminine
Singular
اِفْعَلِيْنَ
Dual
اِفْعَلانِ
Plural
اِفْعَلْنَ
The prefixed hamza is termed as ‘hamzatul wasl’ – هَمْزِةُ الْوَصْلِ, meaning ‘the joining hamza’. While it is represented in writing, it isn’t pronounced. Instead, it seamlessly connects the preceding word to the subsequent one.
Step 3: In the masculine singular form, the final letter will have a sukoon. All instances of the letter ‘nun’ ن are omitted, except in the feminine plural. The resulting command form will appear as follows:
2nd person masculine
Singular
اِفْعَلْ
Do
Dual
اِفْعَلا
Do (you both)
Plural
اِفْعَلُوْا
Do (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
اِفْعَلِيْ
Do
Dual
اِفْعَلا
Do (you both)
Plural
اِفْعَلْنَ
Do (you all)
B. The imperative form of فَتَحَ
2nd person masculine
Singular
اِفْعَلِيْ
Do
Singular
اِفْتَحْ
Open
Dual
اِفْتَحَا
Open (you both)
Plural
اِفْتَحُوْا
Open (you all)
Dual
اِفْعَلا
Do (you both)
Plural
اِفْعَلْنَ
Do (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
اِفْتَحِيْ
Open
Dual
اِفْتَحَا
Open (you both)
Plural
اِفْتَحْنَ
Open (you all)
C. The Imperative form of ضَرَبَ
2nd person masculine
Singular
اِفْتَحِيْ
Open
Dual
اِفْتَحَا
Open (you both)
Plural
اِفْتَحْنَ
Open (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
اِضْرِبِيْ
Strike
Dual
اِضْرِبا
Strike (you both)
Plural
اِضْرِبْنَ
Strike (you all)
D. Imperative form of نَصَرَ
2nd person maculine
Singular
اُنْصُرْ
Help
Dual
اُنْصُرَا
Help (you both)
Plural
اُنْصُرُوا
Help (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
اُنْصُرِيْ
Help
Dual
اُنْصُرَا
Help (you both)
Plural
اُنْصُرْنَ
Help (you all)
Example of the direct command of the imperative verbs in the Holy Quran
وَأَنِ اعْبُدُونِي ۚ هَـٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ
And that you worship [only] Me? This is a straight path. (36:61)
ارْكُضْ بِرِجْلِكَ ۖ هَـٰذَا مُغْتَسَلٌ بَارِدٌ وَشَرَابٌ
[So he was told], “Strike [the ground] with your foot; this is a [spring for] a cool bath and drink.” (38:42)
وَقُلْنَا يَا آدَمُ اسْكُنْ أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ الْجَنَّةَ
And We said, “O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise (2:35)
2. The Hamazated verb at the imperative form
A. First radical hamza
In Arabic, the imperative is constructed by eliminating the prefix ت, which indicates the imperfect tense. Additionally, for verbs beginning with a hamza, this initial hamza is also omitted. Unlike other verbs, there’s no need to add a prefixed hamza when forming the imperative for such verbs.
The imperative form of hamzated verb أَكَلَ
2nd person masculine
Singular
كُلْ
Eat
Dual
كُلَا
Eat (you both)
Plural
كُلُوْا
Eat (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
كُلِيْ
Eat
Dual
كُلَا
Eat (you both)
Plural
كُلْنَ
Eat (you all)
Examples of the hamzated verbs of the imperative form used in the Noble Quran
فَكُلِي وَاشْرَبِي وَقَرِّي عَيْنًا
So eat and drink and be contented (19:26)
خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِم بِهَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ
Take, [O, Muhammad], from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase, and invoke [Allah ‘s blessings] upon them (9:103)
وَكُلَا مِنْهَا رَغَدًا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا
and eat therefrom in [ease and] abundance from wherever you will. (2:35)
Some hamzated verbs, however, diverge from this standard pattern and adopt the hamzatul wasl when crafted into the imperative form.
The imperative form of hamzated verb أَذِنَ
2nd person masculine
Singular
اِئْذَنْ
Permit
Dual
اِئْذَنَا
Permit (you both)
Plural
اِئْذَنُوْا
Permit (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
اِئْذَنِي
Permit
Dual
اِئْذَنَا
Permit (you both)
Plural
اِئْذَنَّ
Permit (you all)
B. Second radical Hamza
The imperative form of the hamzated verb سَأَلَ
2nd person masculine
Singular
سَلْ – اِسْأَلْ
Ask
Dual
سَلَا – اِسْأَلَا
Ask (you both)
Plural
سَلُوْا- اِسْأَلُوْا
Ask (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
سَلِي – اِسْأَلِيْ
Ask
Dual
سَلا – اِسْأَلا
Ask (you both)
Plural
سَلْنَ – اِسْأَلْنَ
Ask (you all)
The pattern for سَأَلَ can be formulated either with the inclusion of hamzatul wasl or without it, as illustrated in the preceding table.
Examples of Hamzated Verbs from the Holy Quran
سَلْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ كَمْ آتَيْنَاهُم مِّنْ آيَةٍ بَيِّنَةٍ
Ask the Children of Israel how many a sign of evidence We have given them. (2:211)
وَاسْأَلِ الْقَرْيَةَ الَّتِي كُنَّا فِيهَا
And ask the city in which we were (12:82)
C. Third radical Hamza
The imperative form of the hamazated verb قَرَأَ
2nd person masculine
Singular
اِقْرَأْ
Read
Dual
اِقْرَءَا
Read (you both)
Plural
اِقْرَءُوْا
Ask (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
اِقْرَئِي
Read
Dual
اِقْرَءَا
Read (you both)
Plural
اِقْرَئْنَ
Ask (you all)
Example used in the Noble Quran
اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ
Recite in the name of your Lord who created (96:1)
3. Formulating the Imperative for Weak Verbs in Arabic
A. Weak verbs: First radical و or ى
For weak verbs beginning with و, the ت from the imperfect tense is omitted, resulting in the formation of the Arabic imperative without incorporating the hamzatul wasl.
The imperative form of the weak verb يَئِسَ
2nd person masculine
Singular
إِيْئَسْ
Grieve
Dual
إِيْئَسا
Grieve (you both)
Plural
إِيْئَسْنُوْا
Brieve (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
إِيْئَسِي
Grieve
Dual
إِيْئَسَا
Grieve (you both)
Plural
إِيْئَسْنَ
Brieve (you all)
For weak verbs where the first radical is ى, the ت from the imperfect tense is eliminated, and the imperative is then formed by introducing the hamzatul wasl
The imperative form of the weak verb وَعَدَ
2nd person masculine
Singular
عِدْ
Promise
Dual
عِدَا
Promise (you both)
Plural
عِدُوْا
Promise (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
عِدِي
Promise
Dual
عِدَا
Promise (you both)
Plural
عِدْنَ
Promise (you all)
3. Formulating the Imperative for Hollow Verbs in Arabic
The imperative form of قَالَ
In this case, the imperative is created by omitting the ت from the imperfect tense, without adding the hamzatul wasl.
2nd person masculine
Singular
قُلْ
Say
Dual
قُولَا
Say (you both)
Plural
قُولُوْا
Say (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
قُولِي
Say
Dual
قُولَا
Say (you both)
Plural
قُلْنَ
Say (you all)
The imperative form of بَاعَ
2nd person masculine
Singular
بِعْ
Sell
Dual
بِيْعَا
You sell (you both)
Plural
بِيْعُوْا
Sell (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
بِيْعِي
Sell
Dual
بِيْعَا
You sell (you both)
Plural
بِعْنَ
Sell (you all)
4. Formulating the Imperative for Defective verbs in Arabic
In this instance, the ت from the imperfect tense is omitted, and the imperative form is prefixed with hamzatul wasl. For both masculine and feminine singular forms, the weak letters of the verb are excluded.
A. The imperative form of the weak verb دَعَا
2nd person masculine
Singular
أُدْعُ
Call
Dual
أُدْعُوَا
Call (you both)
Plural
أُدْعُوْا
Call (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
أُدْعِي
Call
Dual
أُدْعُوَا
Call (you both)
Plural
أُدْعُوْنَ
Call (you all)
B. The imperative form of رَمَى
2nd person masculine
Singular
إِرْمِ
Throw
Dual
إِرْمِيَا
Throw (you both)
Plural
إِرْمُوْا
Throw (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
إِرْمِي
Throw
Dual
إِرْمِيَا
Throw (you both)
Plural
إِرْمِيْنَ
Throw (you all)
C. The imperative form of the weak verb لَقِيَ
2nd person masculine
Singular
اِلْقَ
Meet
Dual
اِلْقَيَا
Meet (you both)
Plural
اِلْقُوْا
Meet (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
اِلْقِي
Meet
Dual
اِلْقَيَا
Meet (you both)
Plural
اِلْقَيْنَ
Meet (you all)
D. The imperative form of the weak verb رَأَى
2nd person masculine
Singular
رَ
See
Dual
رَيَا
See (you both)
Plural
رَوْا
See (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
رَيْ
See
Dual
رَيَا
See (you both)
Plural
رَيْنَ
See (you all)
Since رَأَى is a hamzated weak verb, it exhibits a unique pattern deviation.
Examples of Imperative Forms of Weak Verbs Found in the Holy Quran
كُلُوا وَارْعَوْا أَنْعَامَكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّأُولِي النُّهَىٰ
Eat [therefrom] and pasture your livestock. Indeed, in that are signs for those of intelligence. (20:54)
قُلْ فَأْتُوا بِالتَّوْرَاةِ فَاتْلُوهَا إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
“So bring the Torah and recite it, if you should be truthful.” (3:93)
ادْعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ
Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best. (16:125)
4.Imperative Conjugation of Doubly Weak Verbs
In this case, the imperative is constructed by omitting the weak letter ى and the indicator of the imperfect tense, ت.
A. The imperative form of وَقَى
2nd person masculine
Singular
قِ
Save
Dual
قِيَا
Save (you both)
Plural
قُوْا
Save (you all)
2nd person feminine
Singular
قِيْ
Save
Dual
قِيَا
Save (you both)
Plural
قِيْنَ
Save (you all)
Examples from the Holy Quran
وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
But among them is he who says, “Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” (2:201)
5. Imperative for doubled verbs
The imperative is made by prefixing hamzatul wasl after dropping the sign of the imperfect tense ت.
The imperative form of غَضَّ
2nd person masculine
Singular
أُغْضُضْ
Lower your voice /eyes
Dual
أُغْضُضَا
Lower (you both) your voice /eyes
Plural
أُغْضُضُوا
Lower (you all) your voice /eyes
2nd person feminine
Singular
أُغْضُضِ
Lower your voice /eyes
Dual
أُغْضُضَا
Lower (you both) your voice /eyes
Plural
أُغْضُضْنَ
Lower (you all) your voice /eyes
Examples used in the Holy Quran
وَاقْصِدْ فِي مَشْيِكَ وَاغْضُضْ مِن صَوْتِكَ ۚ إِنَّ أَنكَرَ الْأَصْوَاتِ لَصَوْتُ الْحَمِيرِ
And be moderate in your pace and lower your voice; indeed, the most disagreeable of sounds is the voice of donkeys.” (31:19)
6. Indirect Command of the imperative verb
The indirect command is conveyed using the third and first-person imperfect tense. This is achieved by prefixing the jussive with the letter لِ. This specific prefix is termed the ‘lam of command’ or لَامُ الْأَمْرِ.
Indirect form of the imperative verb - فَعَلَ
3rd person masculine
Singular
لِيَفْعَلْ
He should do
Dual
لِيَفْعَلَا
They both should do
Plural
لِيَفْعَلُوْا
They all should do
3rd person feminine
Singular
لِيَفْعَلْ
He should do
Dual
لِيَفْعَلَا
They both should do
Plural
لِيَفْعَلْنَ
They all should do
1st person masculine/feminine
Singular
لِأَفْعَلْ
I should do
Dual
–
Plural
لِنَفْعَلْ
We should do
When the ‘lam of command’ (لِ) is added to the imperfect tense, the final letter of both the third-person singular and first-person singular and plural takes a sukoon.
For the dual and plurals, the ن is omitted, with the exception of the third-person feminine plural.
Examples of Indirect Commands from the Holy Quran
وَنَادَوْا يَا مَالِكُ لِيَقْضِ عَلَيْنَا رَبُّكَ ۖ قَالَ إِنَّكُم مَّاكِثُونَ
And they will call, “O Malik, let your Lord put an end to us!” He will say, “Indeed, you will remain.” (43:77)
Note: When lam of command لِ is preceded by a و or a ف, the kasrah of the لِ is changed to sukoon.
فَلْيَعْبُدُوا رَبَّ هَـٰذَا الْبَيْتِ
Let them worship the Lord of this House, (106:3)
قُلْ مَن كَانَ فِي الضَّلَالَةِ فَلْيَمْدُدْ لَهُ الرَّحْمَـٰنُ مَدًّا ۚ
Say, “Whoever is in error – let the Most Merciful extend for him an extension [in wealth and time] (19:75)
Conclusion
Concluding our Arabic Lesson: We have now wrapped up this lesson on Arabic commands. In our upcoming session, insha’Allah, we will delve into transitive and intransitive verbs in Arabic.
At Al-dirassa Center, we provide you with the opportunity to learn Arabic seamlessly under the guidance of experienced instructors. If you’re keen to further your understanding, please reach out to us.
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