The Imperative: Active and Passive Paradigms and Formation Rules

1. Meaning of the imperative and its imperfect base

An imperative (amr) expresses a demand or instruction to do an action. The perfect normally reports a past event, the imperfect a present or future event, and the imperative issues an instruction. Imperatives are derived from the imperfect, so person, number, gender and voice still matter.

Word / formMeaning / explanation
يَكْتُبُhe writes or will write.
اُكْتُبْwrite! (to one man).
لِيَكْتُبْlet him write.

The first reports; the latter two direct someone to act, but they address different persons.

2. Imperatives for third, second and first person

The imperative paradigm is not restricted to a present addressee. The third person requests an absent person to act, the second person directly instructs an addressee, and the first person can express a resolve or exhortation involving oneself.

Word / formMeaning / explanation
لِيَفْعَلْlet him do.
اِفْعَلْdo! (one male).
لِأَفْعَلْlet me do.
لِنَفْعَلْlet us do.

The paradigm has six third-person slots, six second-person slots and two first-person slots: fourteen positions in all.

3. Active and passive imperatives

An active imperative asks a person to perform an action. A passive imperative calls for an action to be done to someone or something, without explicitly identifying the doer. Internal imperfect vowels help distinguish these voices.

Word / formMeaning / explanation
لِيَفْعَلْlet him do.
لِيُفْعَلْlet it be done to him.
اِفْعَلْdo! (one male).
لِتُفْعَلْlet it be done to you (male).

The imperative lām alone does not tell us the voice; it is the verbal structure that does.

4. The imperative lām before third- and first-person forms

The ordinary third- and first-person imperative is formed with lām al-amr «لِـ» before an imperfect. The verb becomes jussive: a regular singular usually ends in sukūn, while an inflectional nūn is removed where applicable.

Word / formMeaning / explanation
يَفْعَلُ ← لِيَفْعَلْlet him do.
يَفْعَلَانِ ← لِيَفْعَلَاlet the two men do.
يَفْعَلُونَ ← لِيَفْعَلُواlet the men do.
أَفْعَلُ ← لِأَفْعَلْlet me do.

The verbal root stays constant; the prefix and inflectional ending change to express the command.

5. Forming passive commands without naming the agent

Apply lām al-amr to a passive imperfect to form a passive imperative. The passive vowel pattern, including the initial ḍamma, remains identifiable, while the ending follows the jussive rules.

Word / formMeaning / explanation
يُفْعَلُ ← لِيُفْعَلْlet it be done to him.
تُفْعَلُ ← لِتُفْعَلْlet it be done to you.
يُفْعَلُونَ ← لِيُفْعَلُواlet it be done to those men.

Active لِيَفْعَلْ and passive لِيُفْعَلْ differ in meaningful vowels: «يَ» versus «يُ».

6. Why the direct active imperative is different

The direct active imperative uses a special method. First make the second-person active imperfect jussive, then remove its imperfect prefix tāʾ. If the next consonant already bears a vowel, no new initial hamzah is needed.
تُعَلِّمُ ← تُعَلِّمْ ← عَلِّمْ — teach! (Form II).
تَدْرُسُ ← تَدْرُسْ ← دْرُسْ — this leaves an initial consonant without a vowel, so deleting tāʾ alone is not enough.
The vowel state of the consonant now at the start decides whether hamzat al-waṣl is required.

7. Why hamzat al-waṣl is needed

Arabic does not begin a spoken word with a vowelless consonant. If removing the second-person prefix leaves such a consonant, a hamzat al-waṣl is supplied to make initial pronunciation possible.
تَضْرِبُ ← تَضْرِبْ ← ضْرِبْ ← اِضْرِبْ — strike!
تَنْصُرُ ← تَنْصُرْ ← نْصُرْ ← اُنْصُرْ — help!
This initial hamzah is not an original root consonant. It makes the beginning pronounceable, and its kasrah or ḍamma is determined by the morphological rule.

8. When the connecting hamzah takes kasrah

In regular Form I second-person active commands, kasrah is used on the initial connecting hamzah when the middle root consonant (ʿayn al-kalimah) carries fatḥa or kasrah in the imperfect. “Middle root consonant” is a morphological position, not merely the second written letter.

Word / formMeaning / explanation
تَضْرِبُ → اِضْرِبْstrike; rāʾ takes kasrah.
تَفْتَحُ → اِفْتَحْopen; tāʾ takes fatḥa.
تَسْمَعُ → اِسْمَعْlisten; mīm takes fatḥa.

The initial kasrah belongs to hamzat al-waṣl; the root and its imperfect pattern remain distinguishable.

9. When the connecting hamzah takes ḍamma

If the middle root consonant has ḍamma in the Form I imperfect, the hamzat al-waṣl at the beginning of the direct active imperative also takes ḍamma. Consequently, the ordinary imperative of a ya-fʿulu verb may start differently from that of a ya-fʿilu verb.

Word / formMeaning / explanation
تَنْصُرُ → اُنْصُرْhelp.
تَكْتُبُ → اُكْتُبْwrite.
تَدْخُلُ → اُدْخُلْenter.

It is incorrect to prefix every imperative with «اِ» mechanically. The vowel follows the underlying imperfect pattern.

10. No new hamzah after a vowelled first consonant

When removing the imperfect prefix leaves a consonant that already has a vowel, no connecting hamzah is needed. This often arises in derived verb forms where the consonant following the imperfect prefix is not sākin.
تُعَلِّمُ → عَلِّمْ — teach!
تُقَدِّمُ → قَدِّمْ — present!
By contrast, تَضْرِبُ → اِضْرِبْ needs hamzat al-waṣl because the ḍād left at the beginning would be sākin. The distinction is the vowel on the new initial consonant, not the word’s length.

11. Removing the inflectional nūn in imperatives

In the five inflected imperfect patterns, an indicative inflectional nūn appears at the end. The jussive imperative removes this nūn, while the dual alif, masculine plural wāw and second-person feminine singular yāʾ remain.

Word / formMeaning / explanation
تَفْعَلَانِ → اِفْعَلَاyou two do.
تَفْعَلُونَ → اِفْعَلُواyou men do.
تَفْعَلِينَ → اِفْعَلِيyou (female singular) do.

The rule does not delete every final letter. Specifically, the inflectional nūn is removed, preserving signs of number and gender.

12. The feminine-plural nūn is not an inflectional nūn

The nūn al-niswah in feminine plural imperfect forms is not the same as the indicative inflectional nūn. It is preserved in an imperative because it identifies a feminine-plural subject.
تَفْعَلْنَ → اِفْعَلْنَ — you women do.
يَفْعَلْنَ → لِيَفْعَلْنَ — let those women do.
But in تَفْعَلِينَ → اِفْعَلِي, the inflectional nūn is deleted. A written nūn can therefore perform two different morphological functions, with different rules for imperative formation.

13. Imperative lām versus emphatic lām

Lām al-amr conveys an injunction and normally makes the imperfect jussive, whereas the emphatic lām of the preceding chapter strengthens a future assertion. The consonant lām appears in both, but its grammatical role differs.

Word / formMeaning / explanation
لِيَفْعَلْlet him do.
لَيَفْعَلَنَّhe will certainly do.
لِيَفْعَلَنَّlet him certainly do (emphatic imperative).

In the last form, imperative lām is combined with an emphatic nūn, so it remains a reinforced command, not merely a report about the future.

14. Adding the heavy emphatic nūn to commands

An imperative can be reinforced with the heavy emphatic nūn, recognised by its shaddah. A regular singular then has fatḥa before the nūn, while dual and plural forms undergo their own changes.

Word / formMeaning / explanation
اِفْعَلْ → اِفْعَلَنَّdo it definitely!
لِيَفْعَلْ → لِيَفْعَلَنَّlet him certainly do.
اِفْعَلُوا → اِفْعَلُنَّyou men must certainly do.

Masculine plurals have ḍamma before the heavy nūn; feminine plurals use a separating alif. A single ending cannot simply be pasted onto every person form.

15. Light emphatic nūn and its missing person slots

The light emphatic nūn is sākin and lacks a shaddah. It can reinforce imperatives too, but the original chart leaves six light-nūn positions empty: both third-person duals, both second-person duals, and both feminine plurals.

Word / formMeaning / explanation
اِفْعَلَنْcertainly do (masculine singular).
لِيَفْعَلَنْlet him certainly do.
اِفْعَلَانِّyou two must certainly do (heavy nūn); the corresponding light-nūn entry is absent.

Hence each heavy-nūn paradigm covers fourteen positions while the light-nūn counterpart covers only eight listed positions.

16. Protecting number and gender under emphasis

Emphatic commands create special sound combinations involving nūns and number markers. The feminine-plural nūn al-niswah remains, and a separating alif stands before the heavy emphatic nūn. The dual alif remains as well.

Word / formMeaning / explanation
اِفْعَلْنَ → اِفْعَلْنَانِّyou women must certainly do.
لِيَفْعَلْنَ → لِيَفْعَلْنَانِّlet those women certainly do.
اِفْعَلَا → اِفْعَلَانِّyou two must certainly do.

Compare masculine-plural اِفْعَلُنَّ: feminine plural, masculine plural and dual do not have identical endings.

17. Applying the rules to three textbook exercise verbs

The exercise asks students to conjugate verbs such as اِسْمَعْ، اُكْتُبْ and اِجْتَنِبْ. All three have the ordinary second-person singular imperative ending in sukūn, but they differ in their conjugational base and initial vowel.

Word / formMeaning / explanation
تَسْمَعُ → اِسْمَعْlisten; Form I with fatḥa on the middle root consonant.
تَكْتُبُ → اُكْتُبْwrite; Form I with ḍamma on the middle root consonant.
تَجْتَنِبُ → اِجْتَنِبْavoid; Form VIII (iftīʿāl).

The Form VIII medial ت belongs to the derived pattern and remains; only the imperfect prefix tāʾ is removed.

18. Paradigm — third-person masculine singular and third-person masculine dual

third-person masculine singular
Ordinary active: لِيَفْعَلْ
Ordinary passive: لِيُفْعَلْ
Heavy active: لِيَفْعَلَنَّ
Heavy passive: لِيُفْعَلَنَّ
Light active: لِيَفْعَلَنْ
Light passive: لِيُفْعَلَنْ
third-person masculine dual
Ordinary active: لِيَفْعَلَا
Ordinary passive: لِيُفْعَلَا
Heavy active: لِيَفْعَلَانِّ
Heavy passive: لِيُفْعَلَانِّ
Light active: —
Light passive: —
The dual retains its alif but loses its inflectional nūn; the source leaves both light-nūn cells for the dual blank.

19. Paradigm — third-person masculine plural and third-person feminine singular

third-person masculine plural
Ordinary active: لِيَفْعَلُوا
Ordinary passive: لِيُفْعَلُوا
Heavy active: لِيَفْعَلُنَّ
Heavy passive: لِيُفْعَلُنَّ
Light active: لِيَفْعَلُنْ
Light passive: لِيُفْعَلُنْ
third-person feminine singular
Ordinary active: لِتَفْعَلْ
Ordinary passive: لِتُفْعَلْ
Heavy active: لِتَفْعَلَنَّ
Heavy passive: لِتُفْعَلَنَّ
Light active: لِتَفْعَلَنْ
Light passive: لِتُفْعَلَنْ
The ordinary masculine plural retains wāw, whereas emphatic forms lose it and mark the plural with ḍamma. The feminine singular begins with تَ.

20. Paradigm — third-person feminine dual and third-person feminine plural

third-person feminine dual
Ordinary active: لِتَفْعَلَا
Ordinary passive: لِتُفْعَلَا
Heavy active: لِتَفْعَلَانِّ
Heavy passive: لِتُفْعَلَانِّ
Light active: —
Light passive: —
third-person feminine plural
Ordinary active: لِيَفْعَلْنَ
Ordinary passive: لِيُفْعَلْنَ
Heavy active: لِيَفْعَلْنَانِّ
Heavy passive: لِيُفْعَلْنَانِّ
Light active: —
Light passive: —
Feminine dual forms can resemble masculine dual forms; context fixes their subject. The feminine plural retains the nūn al-niswah.

21. Paradigm — second-person masculine singular and second-person masculine dual

second-person masculine singular
Ordinary active: اِفْعَلْ
Ordinary passive: لِتُفْعَلْ
Heavy active: اِفْعَلَنَّ
Heavy passive: لِتُفْعَلَنَّ
Light active: اِفْعَلَنْ
Light passive: لِتُفْعَلَنْ
second-person masculine dual
Ordinary active: اِفْعَلَا
Ordinary passive: لِتُفْعَلَا
Heavy active: اِفْعَلَانِّ
Heavy passive: لِتُفْعَلَانِّ
Light active: —
Light passive: —
The direct active has اِفْعَلْ, but the second-person passive has لِتُفْعَلْ: imperative lām plus the passive imperfect.

22. Paradigm — second-person masculine plural and second-person feminine singular

second-person masculine plural
Ordinary active: اِفْعَلُوا
Ordinary passive: لِتُفْعَلُوا
Heavy active: اِفْعَلُنَّ
Heavy passive: لِتُفْعَلُنَّ
Light active: اِفْعَلُنْ
Light passive: لِتُفْعَلُنْ
second-person feminine singular
Ordinary active: اِفْعَلِي
Ordinary passive: لِتُفْعَلِي
Heavy active: اِفْعَلِنَّ
Heavy passive: لِتُفْعَلِنَّ
Light active: اِفْعَلِنْ
Light passive: لِتُفْعَلِنْ
The ordinary second-person masculine plural retains wāw, and the feminine singular retains yāʾ; these drop when the heavy emphatic nūn is attached.

23. Paradigm — second-person feminine dual and second-person feminine plural

second-person feminine dual
Ordinary active: اِفْعَلَا
Ordinary passive: لِتُفْعَلَا
Heavy active: اِفْعَلَانِّ
Heavy passive: لِتُفْعَلَانِّ
Light active: —
Light passive: —
second-person feminine plural
Ordinary active: اِفْعَلْنَ
Ordinary passive: لِتُفْعَلْنَ
Heavy active: اِفْعَلْنَانِّ
Heavy passive: لِتُفْعَلْنَانِّ
Light active: —
Light passive: —
The two second-person dual genders share a visible form, and feminine-plural nūn remains. All four light-nūn cells on this slide are intentionally blank.

24. Paradigm — first-person singular and first-person plural

first-person singular
Ordinary active: لِأَفْعَلْ
Ordinary passive: لِأُفْعَلْ
Heavy active: لِأَفْعَلَنَّ
Heavy passive: لِأُفْعَلَنَّ
Light active: لِأَفْعَلَنْ
Light passive: لِأُفْعَلَنْ
first-person plural
Ordinary active: لِنَفْعَلْ
Ordinary passive: لِنُفْعَلْ
Heavy active: لِنَفْعَلَنَّ
Heavy passive: لِنُفْعَلَنَّ
Light active: لِنَفْعَلَنْ
Light passive: لِنُفْعَلَنْ
First-person exhortative commands express a demand or resolution involving oneself. The أ marks first-person singular and ن first-person plural.

25. Worked morphological practice across roots

Correct imperative derivation requires more than changing one end letter. Identify the imperfect person, its verb form and the middle-root vowel, then apply either the special direct-active second-person rule or the general lām al-amr rule.

Word / formMeaning / explanation
تَسْمَعُ → اِسْمَعْ → اِسْمَعَا → اِسْمَعُواlisten (one male), you two listen, you men listen.
تَكْتُبُ → اُكْتُبْ → اُكْتُبِي → اُكْتُبْنَwrite (one male), one female, women plural.
يَكْتُبُ → لِيَكْتُبْlet him write.

The final example refers to the third person, so it uses imperative lām rather than the connecting hamzah of the direct active command.