# BCS ht(j)eti imperative



## Encolpius

Hello, is there an imperative form of the that verb and is it used? Thanks.


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## vianie

I'ld like to get to know how it seems also in the other Slavic languages.

 For the non-CS users:
Czech chtít/chtět - chtěj!
Slovak chcieť - chci!


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## Duya

In BCS, the dictionary form is _ht(j)edni_. But it is virtually never used. A more natural form would be to use perfective aspect of synonymous verb _(po)željeti>poželi_.

Tip: for similar questions, find a word in HJP and click on "Izvedeni oblici". Here's the URL for 'htjeti'


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## Encolpius

So is it possible to say: *Ne poželi znati *što me je pitao!


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## Duya

Well, yes, it is grammatical, but not something realistically uttered. We'd rather use just a simple present, as in English: _Ne želiš znati (da znaš) šta me je pitao_ 'You don't want to know what he asked me'.

For _poželi_, I can quote you a God's commandment:

_Ne *poželi* žene bližnjeg svog._


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## Encolpius

Duya said:


> Well, yes, it is grammatical, but not something realistically uttered. We'd rather use just a simple present, as in English: _Ne želiš znati (da znaš) šta me je pitao_ 'You don't want to know what he asked me'.
> 
> For _poželi_, I can quote you a God's commandment:
> 
> _Ne *poželi* žene bližnjeg svog._



OK, it just does not work in BSC. Ne želiš is no imperative. I was curious, ne želi (imperative) is possible, it is not. Hvala.


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## Duya

It is technically possible, but it sounds a bit archaic: compare English "wish not": it's something one would expect in Bible, but not in everyday speech. Not that it's foreign, just a bit... stilted.

However, a positive form, _poželi_, could fit better in a modern context. Still, when clock pointers overlap, we'd say circumlocution _zamisli želju_ 'make a wish'.


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## VelikiMag

Encolpius said:


> So is it possible to say: *Ne poželi znati *što me je pitao!


Pay attention that this is in fact a negative imperative. In that case you must use an imperfective verb. An exception to this is the verb _zaboraviti_ and few other set expressions. Thus, you can say for example: _Ne želi drugima ono što ne želiš sebi_.

The most common way to express negative imperative are constructions using _nemoj/nemojmo/nemojte_. Both verbal aspects are then possible.
_Nemoj da želiš nemoguće - Don't wish the impossible.
_
Sentences in past tense can also mean a prohibition: _Da (slučajno) nisi poželio tako nešto! - Don't you dare to wish something like that!_


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## vianie

Although the imperatives of the Proto-Slavic xъtěti are admittedly not used much in any Slavic language, I just wonder how seem the nowadays forms of it. I found that the Russian one is: хотéть - хоти́!


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## Duya

VelikiMag said:


> Sentences in past tense can also mean a prohibition: _Da (slučajno) nisi poželio tako nešto! - Don't you dare to wish something like that!_



Thanks Mag, you summarized it nicely.

Just a correction here, although Anicetus probably knows this better than you and me: "past tense"
 is a misnomer here. It is actually _optative mood_, which only takes the form of perfect. In negative form, it is actually a stronger command -- a threat, even -- than the imperative. (Thus, _optative_ 'wishing' might be a misnomer too).


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