# Read!



## Binapesi

Hello,

Could you say "read!" the imperative form of it in your own languages, please? I am going to make a "read cloud" with photoshop using them, which is to be pressed on a bag.

Thank you.
kt.


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## ilocas2

Czech:

*čti* - imperative for 2nd person singular
*čtěte* - imperative for 2nd person plural or 2nd person singular (T-V distinction)
*čtěme* - imperative for 1st person plural


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## Rallino

Turkish:

*oku* - imperative for 2nd person singular
*okuyun* -  imperative for 2nd person plural or 2nd person cordial form (T-V distinction)


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## arielipi

Hebrew:
proper use is second person (singular/plural male/female) only and the imperative form is its own time tense, but commonly people use the future tense (except for some verbs)

proper use:
קרא kra male singular
קראי kir'i female singular
קראו kir'u plural (when there are two males and more its always male form) male (+ female); 1 male 1 female is this form.
קראנה krana plural female (if theres one male and 2+ females its this form)

common use:
תקרא tikra male singular
תקראי tikre'i female singular
תקראו tikre'u plural male/female


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## Словеса

Russian: Читай!
The second person singular works well for a bag. The exclamation mark is better to be written.


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## ahmedcowon

arielipi said:


> Hebrew:
> proper use is second person (singular/plural male/female) only and the imperative form is its own time tense, but commonly people use the future tense (except for some verbs)
> 
> proper use:
> קרא kra male singular
> קראי kir'i female singular
> קראו kir'u plural (when there are two males and more its always male form) male (+ female); 1 male 1 female is this form.
> קראנה krana plural female (if theres one male and 2+ females its this form)



Arabic:

اقرأ iqra' (male singular)
اقرأي iqra'i (female singular)
اقرئا iqra'a (dual)
اقرأوا iqra'u (male plural)
اقرأن iqra'na (female plural)


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## AutumnOwl

_*Swedish:* Läs!_


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## Outsider

Given the context, in Portuguese I would use *Leia!*


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## apmoy70

*«Διάβασε!» *['͡ðʝavase!] --> _2nd p. sing. present imperative_
*«Διαβάσ(ε)τε!»* [͡ðʝa'vas(e)te!] --> _2nd p. pl._ or _2nd p. formal present imperative_


The verb in the indicative (present tense) is *«διαβάζω»* [ði.a'vazo] or [͡ðʝa'vazo] --> _to read_ < Byz. v. *«διαβάζω» diabázō* < Classical v. *«διαβιβάζω» dĭăbĭbázō* --> lit. _to carry over or across, transport, lead over_, metaph. _to read_ < compound; prefix, adv. and preposition *«διὰ» dià*, _in two, apart, through_ (PIE *dis-, _apart_) + Classical v. *«βαίνω» baínō* (casual, *«βιβάζω» bĭbázō*) --> _to go_ (PIE *gʷem-/*gʷeh₂-, _to step, go, come, approach_ cf Skt. गच्छति (gacchati), _to go_; Lat. venīre, _to come, approach_;  Proto-Germanic *kwemaną, _to come_ > Ger. kommen, Eng. come, Dt. komen, D./Nor. (Bokmål) komme, Nor. (Nynorsk) kome/koma, Swe. komma)


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## DearPrudence

In *French*:
*Lis ! *(for one person, informal or to children) (tu)
*Lisez !* (for one person, formal or several people, formal or informal) (vous)
So I suppose the latter would work better.


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## Словеса

DearPrudence said:


> So I suppose the latter would work better.


That is actually interesting. In Russian, the singular&informal form is often used for slogans, appeals, etc (informal appeals, of course) – exactly because it is informal. The formal&plural form, instead, could be understood a bit like "read right now!", "read what's written here!", though the general meaning ("read books!") is also there.  I.e., in Russian the singular form is, I suppose, better for exactly the same reason that you suppose in French the plural form is better. If, on the same bag, some inscriptions use the singular form and other inscriptions use the plural form, that would probably look a bit strange. So?..


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## DearPrudence

Yes, that's complicated 
In commercials, on TV, radio, we are talked to as 'vous', as we are potential consumers with money (even for gambling sites or games sites, aimed at teenagers and young adults). Shopkeepers also use 'vous'. So I was quite shocked in Spain when they used 'tú' with everyone 
Here, we are not buying anything but the informal 'tu' would seem, to me, more appropriate for a children's section in a library.


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## Словеса

As far as I know, we are even less likely than you to use the informal address, and certainly less likely than Spanish or Italians (who, as far as I know, use 'lei' in stores anyway). But commercials and especially social or political slogans tend to be agressive, so in Russia they would use rather the singular number form. Commercials are written with the formal address more often than not, but with slogans, it is the other way around.
Yes, I understand your reaction. In libraries, book stores etc, it would of course be only the plural in Russian. Well, if the author of the thread wants to align for the formal variant, the Russian one is «Читайте!». I would say, it is somewhat more moralising, though I may have made this impression up.


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## Outsider

In Portugal the singular informal address (tu) is mostly used in slogans addressed specifically to the younger demographics. On the other hand, the plural (vocês) sounds a bit too formal, or even awkward, in a generic one-word sentence. So I picked the formal singular (você), which seems to be the most common in advertising.


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## ThomasK

Dutch: *Lees !*


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## YellowOnline

ThomasK said:


> Dutch: *Lees !*



And, archaically, "*Leest!*"


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## Binapesi

Thank you so much so far!
And I'm sorry because I should have emphasised that I only really need the *2nd person singular* form.

I still need many more languages and only 2 days left. Could you keep on writing please please please?


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## Binapesi

So far:

*Czech*:* čti* - imperative for 2nd person singular

*Turkish*:* oku* - imperative for 2nd person singular

*Hebrew*: (I couldn't really decide which one to use)

קרא kra male singular

*Russian*: Читай!

*Arabic*:

اقرأ iqra' (male singular)

*Swedish:* Läs!

*Portuguese*: Leia!                                                                                                                                

*Greek*: Διάβασε!

*French*: Lisez !

*Dutch*: Lees !

*Slovak*: čítaj

*Croatian/Bosnian/Serbian/Montenegrin*: čitaj

*Spanish*: lee

*Hungarian*: olvass

*Latin*: lege

*Sanskrit: *पठ

*Urdu*: پڑھو

*Persian*:بخوان

*Hindi:* पढ़ो

*Punjabi*: ਪੜ੍ਹੋ

*Gujarati*: વાંચો

*German*: Lies

I think that informal works better, but I'll use the one DearPrudence suggested for French.


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## ilocas2

Slovak: *čítaj*

Croatian/Bosnian/Serbian/Montenegrin: *čitaj*

Spanish: *lee*


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## bibax

Hungarian is interesting. All conjugated forms have two variants: indefinite and definite.

*olvass* - 2nd person singular indefinite
*olvasd* - 2nd person singular definite

Examples:

Olvass minden nap! = Read every day! _(an appeal to the children)_
Olvass és álmoss! = Read and dream!

Olvas*d* *a* Bibliát! = Read *the* Bible! (a = the _definite article_!)
Olvas*d* újra! = Read *it* once more (again)!


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## bibax

ilocas2 said:


> Spanish: *lee*



Latin: *lege

*The Spaniards lost the Latin g somewhere.


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## marrish

Sanskrit: पठ
Urdu: پڑھو
Persian: بخوان
Hindi: पढ़ो
Punjabi: ਪੜ੍ਹੋ
Gujarati: વાંચો


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## YellowOnline

marrish said:


> Sanskrit: पठ
> Urdu: پڑھو
> Persian: بخوان
> Hindi: पढ़ो
> Punjabi: ਪੜ੍ਹੋ
> Gujarati: વાંચો



How many keyboard layouts do you have? 

I noticed German was missing:

*lies!* (2nd person singular)


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## bibax

ilocas2 said:


> Croatian/Bosnian/Serbian/Montenegrin: *čitaj*


In Polish it is the same, only the orthography is different: *czytaj*


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## marrish

^ I think the pronunciation of "i" and "y" is different.

@YellowOnline: I keep enough layouts/input methods to be able to type in the languages I know  but I have also got the Belgian one.


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## Awwal12

marrish said:


> ^ I think the pronunciation of "i" and "y" is different.


Well, Polish cannot have "i" after "cz" anyway.


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## Ali Smith

arielipi said:


> Hebrew:
> proper use is second person (singular/plural male/female) only and the imperative form is its own time tense, but commonly people use the future tense (except for some verbs)
> 
> proper use:
> קרא kra male singular
> קראי kir'i female singular
> קראו kir'u plural (when there are two males and more its always male form) male (+ female); 1 male 1 female is this form.
> קראנה krana plural female (if theres one male and 2+ females its this form)
> 
> common use:
> תקרא tikra male singular
> תקראי tikre'i female singular
> תקראו tikre'u plural male/female



Is קראנה pronounced krana or krena?


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## Dymn

*Catalan*: _llegeix_!


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