# All Slavic: imperative 1st person plural - is it used in the colloquial language?



## ilocas2

Hello, is the 1st person plural imperative used in the colloquial register of your language? In Czech not, so I wonder how it is in other Slavic languages.


----------



## Panceltic

Of course it is! How else are you gonna say "let's do this", "let's go there" etc.


----------



## ilocas2

In colloquial Czech indicitave is used instead, mostly future tense.


----------



## Hachi25

Serbo-Croatian uses it regularly.

The form is made by combining the second person singular imperative form with the first person plural present tense ending (-mo). For example:
infinitive: p(j)evati
imperative, second person singular: p(j)eva*j*
indicative, first person plural: p(j)eva*mo*
imperative, first person plural: p(j)eva*jmo*


----------



## francisgranada

ilocas2 said:


> ...In Czech not ...


Isn't it  due to the formal coincidence of the imperative with the indicative in some cases (in the spoken language)? Or simply the indicative is used _consequently instead _of the imperative?

For example, don't you say _vizme _but _vidíme _instead? Or instead of _pojďme_, exclusively _pujdem_ is used in the colloquial speech? ...


----------



## ilocas2

1. I don't hink there is a case where indicative and imperative 1st person plural are the same.

2. Imperative of _vidě_t is practically never used. _Viz_ changed its meaning and _vizte_ and _vizme_ are very obsolete. There are _viď_ and _viďte_ but they are also not used as imperative.

3. Yes, instead of _pojďme_, we say _půjdeme_ which is pronounced _pudeme_ or _pudem_ colloquially, or _jdeme_ which is pronounced _deme_ or _dem_ colloquially.


----------



## francisgranada

Thanks. This is interesting for me, because even though this phenomenon is "spontaneously" known to me (as I was born and living in Czechoslovakia), but I've never paid attention to it from the linguistic point of view.


----------



## ilocas2

So in Slovak you use normally imperative 1st person plural in the everyday language?


----------



## francisgranada

ilocas2 said:


> So in Slovak you use normally imperative 1st person plural in the everyday language?


Yes, absolutely. E.g. _poďme, prečítajme, napíšme, sadnime si,_ ... are normally used in the everyday language (i.e. they are not substituted by the indicative forms _pôjdeme, prečítame,  napíšeme, sadneme si_ ...).


----------



## jasio

In Polish it's the same, imperative forms are used regularly: chodźmy, przeczytajmy, napiszmy, usiądźmy, zjedzmy, wypijmy, zaśpiewajmy. In indicative mood it would be chodzimy/idziemy, przeczytamy, napiszemy, usiądziemy, zjemy, wypijemy, zaśpiewamy respectively. 'Pójdźmy" also exists, but it's archaic - although indicative "pójdziemy" is still in use. 

Although, on the other hand, it does happen that the indicative mood is used to convey imperative meaning, not only in 1st person, btw, but I have an impression that in plural it's more natural. In such cases it often means something like 'it's not a request or order, (let's) consider it a decided fact so (let's) do it now'.


----------



## francisgranada

jasio said:


> ... Although, on the other hand, it does happen that the indicative mood is used to convey imperative meaning, not only in 1st person, btw, but I have an impression that in plural it's more natural. In such cases it often means something like 'it's not a request or order, (let's) consider it a decided fact so (let's) do it now'.


Yes, but it doesn't seem to be a Slavic specialty, it works in other languages, too. E.g. _(Slovak) Teraz všetci ideme domov!_; _(Polish) Teraz wszyscy idziemy do domu!_;  _(Hungarian) Most mindnyájan haza megyünk!_; _(Spanish) Ahora ¡todos vamos a casa!_; etc ....


----------



## Ukrainito

*In Russian*, besides a few set one-word expressions for the 1-person-plural imperative _(Пойдём(те)! Идём(те)! Пошли! Бежим!)_, the analytical form is used, requiring the auxiliary verb *давайте, айда* + infinitive _(Давайте работать! Айда купаться!)_

*In Ukrainian*, all verbs can have the 1-person-plural imperative endings *-імо/-аймо* _(Ходíм(о)! Біжíм(о)! Співáймо!)._ However, most people would just use the analytical form with the auxiliary verbs *давайте, нумо *+ infinitive _(Давайте працювати! Нумо танцювати!)_


----------



## Daniel.N

Although BCMS has -*mo* (*jedimo* = let's eat) it seems that - in speech - *ajmo* (colloq. form of *hajdemo*) + inf prevails in Croatia: *ajmo jesti*.


----------



## aprendiendo argento

Also, in Croatian:

_da vidimo _- let's see
_idemo plesati _ (_ajmo plesat_ in colloquial style) - let's (go) dance

_idemo _(indicative) is always used instead of _idimo _(indicative) for _let's go_
compare it with Spanish  _vamos _instead of _vayamos_...


----------

