 | Imperative |
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Hi! I want to know how native greek speakers use the imperative for the pronoun "we". I understand the imperative grammar rules for the pronouns "εσύ" and "εσείς". Example: βοηθάω Imperative Present βοήθα/βοηθάτε μην βοηθάς /μην βοηθάτε Imperative Aorist βοήθησε/βοηθήστε μην βοηθήσεις /μην βοηθήσετε In my native language (Spanish) we use subjunctive mood for negative sentences too and we also use subjunctive mood for "we" in afirmative and negative sentences but with the meaning of an order. If I wanna say in greek: Let's watch TV. // Let's go! Are these translations correct ? ας δούμε (την) τηλεόραση // (ας) πάμε! Do I always have to use "ας" before the subjunctive for "we"? Do you always use subjunctive for the pronoun "we" with the meaning of an order too? Thanks in advance. |
| Re: Imperative |
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First, a comment on terminology: To avoid potential confusion for other students, I'll use the LGO terms and call your "Imperative Present" the continuous (or imperfective) imperative and "Imperative Aorist" the non-continuous (or perfective) imperative. As to your question, Greek is similar to Spanish in that: a) Positive commands for 2nd person use the true imperative; positive commands for 1st or 3rd person are normally formed with να or ας + subjunctive, either continuous or non-continuous depending (in theory) on the aspectual context of the action. b) Negative commands in Greek for all three grammatical persons (1st, 2nd, and 3rd) are formed with μη(ν) + subjunctive, again either continuous or non-continuous depending (in theory) on the aspectual context of the action. So in your examples, the positive commands for "we" are: να (or ας) δούμε τηλεόραση! να (or ας) πάμε! (or commonly simply πάμε!) The negative commands are: να (or ας) μη δούμε τηλεόραση! να (or ας) μην πάμε! (or simply μην πάμε!) Lesson 60 introduces commands & prohibitions (both continuous & non-continuous) of active stem-stressed verbs; Lesson 100 presents the imperative (continuous & non-continuous) of active end-stressed verbs. LGO does not, however, mention the imperatives of either stem-stressed or end-stressed verbs in middle/passive voice. Regards, Greg Brush |
