# mediopassive imperative



## dukaine

I read that the mediopassive imperative isn't really used, but what form or conjugation do you use for mediopassive verbs in the imperative?

Sleep (κοιμάμαι) upstairs tonight. 

Remember (θυμάμαι) to take your medicine.

Sit (κάθομαι)here for a second.

Look like (φαίνομαι?) you know what you're doing.


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## Tr05

Hello! Actually, It's very commonly used.

Κοιμάμαι ---> Κοιμήσου/Κοιμηθείτε

Θυμάμαι ---> Θυμήσου/Θυμηθείτε

Κάθομαι ---> Κάθισε (or: Κάτσε)/Καθίστε

Φαίνομαι ---> There's no pure imperative form. Instead, one can use the Present Subjunctive (Να φαίνεσαι/Να φαίνεστε) or the Aorist Subjunctive (Να φανείς/Να φανείτε) instead, depending on context. The Subjunctive can be used for the aforementioned verbs, too. English doesn't have an exact equivalent of this, it's rather something that borders on both "do something" and "you should do something".

In your last sentence, however, doesn't the imperative sound a bit clumsy for the English as well?


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## dukaine

Tr05 said:


> Hello! Actually, It's very commonly used.
> 
> Κοιμάμαι ---> Κοιμήσου/Κοιμηθείτε
> 
> Θυμάμαι ---> Θυμήσου/Θυμηθείτε
> 
> Κάθομαι ---> Κάθισε (or: Κάτσε)/Καθίστε
> 
> Φαίνομαι ---> There's no pure imperative form. Instead, one can use the Present Subjunctive (Να φαίνεσαι/Να φαίνεστε) or the Aorist Subjunctive (Να φανείς/Να φανείτε) instead, depending on context. The Subjunctive can be used for the aforementioned verbs, too. English doesn't have an exact equivalent of this, it's rather something that borders on both "do something" and "you should do something".
> 
> In your last sentence, however, doesn't the imperative sound a bit clumsy for the English as well?


Is there a rule for how it's formed or is it just a memorize it type thing?


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## Tr05

The imperative? I'd say it's not as consistent as one would like it to be, but let's wait for someone else to weigh in as well.


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## Perseas

"Λύνομαι":

Present indicative: *λύν*ομαι (stem *λυν*)
Aorist indicative (Simple past): *λύθ*ηκα (stem *λυθ*)

The Present imperative is replaced by the forms of subjunctive: να *λύν*εσαι/*λύν*εστε (stem *λυν*)
Aorist imperative: The second person singular is formed by the stem of the active aorist (έ*λυσ*α) and the ending -*ου: λύσου. *The 2nd person plural is formed by the stem of the passive aorist (*λύθ*ηκα) and the ending *-είτε: λυθείτε.*

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"Κοιμάμαι, θυμάμαι, φαίνομαι":

Present indicative: *κοιμ*άμαι, *θυμ*άμαι, *φαίν*ομαι.
Aorist indicative (Simple past): *κοιμήθ*ηκα, *θυμήθ*ηκα, *φάν*ηκα.

The present imperative is replaced by the forms of subjunctive: να κοιμάσαι/κοιμάστε, να θυμάσαι/θυμάστε, να φαίνεσαι/φαίνεστε.
Aorist imperative: *κοιμήσ*ου/*κοιμηθ*είτε, *θυμή**σ*ου/*θυμηθ*είτε ,* φαν*ού (not used) /*φαν*είτε.
(In order to form the imperative aorist you need to know the aorist indicative. Imperative is formed by the aorist stem -- watch out though for the *σ* in _κοιμή*σ*ου_ & _θυμή*σ*ου_ -- and the imperative ending. Also, it does not refer to the past).


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## dukaine

Perseas said:


> "Λύνομαι":
> 
> Present indicative: *λύν*ομαι (stem *λυν*)
> Aorist indicative (Simple past): *λύθ*ηκα (stem *λυθ*)
> 
> The Present imperative is replaced by the forms of subjunctive: να *λύν*εσαι/*λύν*εστε (stem *λυν*)
> Aorist imperative: The second person singular is formed by the stem of the active aorist (έ*λυσ*α) and the ending -*ου: λύσου. *The 2nd person plural is formed by the stem of the passive aorist (*λύθ*ηκα) and the ending *-είτε: λυθείτε.*
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> "Κοιμάμαι, θυμάμαι, φαίνομαι":
> 
> Present indicative: *κοιμ*άμαι, *θυμ*άμαι, *φαίν*ομαι.
> Aorist indicative (Simple past): *κοιμήθ*ηκα, *θυμήθ*ηκα, *φάν*ηκα.
> 
> The present imperative is replaced by the forms of subjunctive: να κοιμάσαι/κοιμάστε, να θυμάσαι/θυμάστε, να φαίνεσαι/φαίνεστε.
> Aorist imperative: *κοιμήσ*ου/*κοιμηθ*είτε, *θυμή**σ*ου/*θυμηθ*είτε ,* φαν*ού (not used) /*φαν*είτε.
> (In order to form the imperative aorist you need to know the aorist indicative. Imperative is formed by the aorist stem -- watch out though for the *σ* in _κοιμή*σ*ου_ & _θυμή*σ*ου_ -- and the imperative ending. Also, it does not refer to the past).


Thanks so much for this awesome expansion!


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## διαφορετικός

Perseas said:


> Aorist imperative: The second person singular is formed by the stem of the active aorist (έ*λυσ*α) and the ending -*ου: λύσου.*


The problem with κοιμάμαι and the other deponent verbs is, that we don't know their formally active aorist, but only the mediopassive. So there is no rule for this case, right?

Since the aorist imperative singular of κοιμάμαι is κοιμήσου, i suppose the active aorist first person singular would be κοίμησα.


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## Perseas

@dukaine You are welcome.



διαφορετικός said:


> Since the aorist imperative singular of κοιμάμαι is κοιμήσου, i suppose the active aorist first person singular would be κοίμησα.


Yes, your way of thinking is right! "ἐκοίμησα" [from "κοιμῶ (κοιμάω)"] is the active aorist first person in Ancient Greek.
In Modern Greek this verb has only mediopassive forms.

In Mod. Greek there is the verb "κοιμίζω" ("put someone to sleep"), which makes aorist "κοίμισα".


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## διαφορετικός

Thanks for your reply, Perseas.

Well, I don't know the Ancient Greek verbs. And I was not aware that there is the verb "κοιμίζω". I've invented a hopefully useful rule to build the "mediopassive singular imperative" of deponent verbs:

Create an artificial active present from the passive present, just by exchanging the ending. Example: *ονειρεύομαι* ==> ονειρεύω
Derive the artificial active aorist stem from the artificial present, by means of the usual rules. Examlpe: ονειρεύω ==> ονειρεψ
Add "ου" and put the τόνος on the last syllable before "ου". Example: *ονειρέψου*
There are exceptions:

έρχομαι - έλα
κάθομαι - κάτσε
σέβομαι - σέβου
...


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## Perseas

@διαφορετικός
Exactly.  
And if you can't reach directly from "ονειρεύομαι" to "ονειρεψ", you can think of other verbs in -εύω, e.g. πιστεύω>πίστεψα, ταξιδεύω>ταξίδεψα.
But there are also verbs like  "δημοσιεύομαι" (active aor. "δημοσίευσα") whose  passive aorist imperative is "δημοσιεύσου".  In any case it's complicated.


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## διαφορετικός

Perseas said:


> In any case it's complicated.


Yes, it is.


διαφορετικός said:


> a hopefully useful rule


Probably the results are better if you apply one of the following transformations of the ending from the passive aorist stem to the (hypothetical) active aorist stem:

-θ ==> -σ (example: κοιμηθώ ==> κοιμήσου)
-στ ==> -σ (example: καταραστώ ==> καταράσου)
-φτ ==> -ψ (example: σκεφτώ ==> σκέψου)
-υτ ==> -ψ (example: ονειρευτώ ==> ονειρέψου)
-χτ or -χθ ==> -ξ (example: εξελιχτώ ==> εξελίξου)


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## Perseas

@διαφορετικός 
I think it works.  

It is ονειρεύτηκα > ονειρέψου but δημοσιεύτηκα > δημοσιεύσου


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## διαφορετικός

Thanks for your comment, Perseas. I agree, there are still exceptions, as e.g. δημοσιεύσου and many others.


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## Perseas

You are welcome, διαφορετικέ.


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## διαφορετικός

διαφορετικός said:


> exceptions, as e.g. δημοσιεύσου


Well, δημοσιεύσου is not really an exception to my rule, because the rule I have given applies only to deponent verbs (verbs without active forms). If there are active forms, as in the case of δημοσιεύω, there is no need to guess them from the passive forms.


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## larshgf

Thank you dukaine for a very relevant question and to the rest of you for your interesting and usefull answers!!


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## Αγγελος

Σκέψου and δέξου are  two other déponent aorist imperative forms that are very commonly used.


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