The imperative only deals with two subjects: the second person singular and the second person plural.
The normal construction of the imperative in Persian is by adding a [bé-] prefix to the present stem, as in[tag resources imp001] بگو [/tag]bégu! ‘say!’, [tag resources imp002]بنشین [/tag]bénešin! ‘sit!’, etc. For the plural, the second person plurarl ending is added as well, as in [tag resources imp003]بگویید[/tag],[tag resources imp004] بنشینید[/tag], etc. The [bé-] prefix always takes the primary stress, as in bé׀gu, bé׀nešin.
Vocalic Mutations. In certain phonetic contexts, the following vocalic mutations might take place in colloquial Persian:
When the [bé-] prefix is followed by an [-o-] in the following syllable, its vowel changes to /ó/:
[tag resources imp005]گذاشتن[/tag]
gozāštan
‘to put, let’:
[tag resources imp006] !بگذار [/tag]bégozār! > [tag resources imp007]bógozār[/tag]/[tag resources imp008]bógzār[/tag]
[tag resources imp009]رفتن[/tag]
raftan
‘to go’:
[tag resources imp010] !برو [/tag]béro! > [tag resources imp011]bóro[/tag]
[tag resources imp012]گریختن[/tag]
gorixtan
‘to flee’:
[tag resources imp013] !بگریز [/tag]bégoriz! > [tag resources imp014]bógoriz[/tag]/[tag resources imp015]bógriz[/tag]
When the [bé-] prefix is followed by an [-u-] in the following syllable, its vowel changes to /ú/:
[tag resources imp016]گفتن[/tag]
goftan
‘to say, tell’:
[tag resources imp017]!بگو [/tag]bégu! > [tag resources imp018]búgu[/tag]
[tag resources imp019]پوشیدن[/tag]
pušidan
‘to wear’:
[tag resources imp020] !بپوش [/tag]bépuš! > [tag resources imp021]búpuš[/tag]
[tag resources imp022]خواندن[/tag]
xāndan
‘to read, sing, recite’, colloquial xundan:
[tag resources imp023] !بخون [/tag]béxun! > [tag resources imp024]búxun[/tag]
When the [bé-] prefix is followed by an [-i-] in the following syllable, its vowel changes to /í/:
[tag resources imp025]نشستن[/tag]
nešastan
‘to sit’:
[tag resources imp026] !بنشین [/tag]bénešin! > [tag resources imp027]bešin[/tag] > [tag resources imp028]bíšin[/tag]
[tag resources imp029]گرفتن[/tag]
gereftan
‘to take, get’:
[tag resources imp030] !بگیر [/tag]bégir! > [tag resources imp031]bígir[/tag]
[tag resources imp032]ریختن[/tag]
rixtan
‘to pour, spill’:
[tag resources imp033] !بریز[/tag]bériz! > [tag resources imp034]bíriz[/tag]
Two verbs are basically irregular in Persian and in most phonetic contexts they behave differently than other verbs. These two verbs are[tag resources imp035] بودن [/tag]budan ‘to be’ and[tag resources imp036] داشتن [/tag]dāštan ‘to have’.
The imperative of budan takes the different verbal stem باش, which in its infinitival form ([tag resources imp037]باشیدن [/tag]* * bāšidan) does not exist in New Persian any more. In the imperative, this verb does not take the [be-] prefix:
[tag resources imp038] !باش [/tag]
bāš!
‘be!’
[tag resources imp040] !آدم باش[/tag]
ādam bāš!
‘be a true human!’
[tag resources imp041] !در همین اتاق باش٬ تا من برگردم[/tag]
dar hamin otāq bāš tā man bar gardam!
‘be/stay in this room, until I return!’
The imperative of the verb dāštan is constructed with the past participle of this verb and the imperative of budan, that is, bāš, bāšid:
[tag resources imp042] !این را داشته باش [/tag]
in rā dāšte bāš!
‘have this; hold this’
[tag resources imp043] !این مسأله را در نظرداشته باشید [/tag]
in mas’ale rā dar nazar dāšte bāšid!
‘bear this in mind’
Note: If the verb[tag resources imp044] داشتن [/tag]is the verbal component of a complex verb, the verbal stem would be[tag resources imp045] دار- [/tag]as in,[tag resources imp046] !بردار[/tag]
The negative imperative (that is, preventive) takes a [ná-] prefix, which, like its affirmative counterpart, takes the primary stress, as in, ná׀ro ‘don’t go!’ ná׀nešin ‘don’t sit (down)!’:
[tag resources imp047]نشستن[/tag]
nešastan
‘to sit’:
[tag resources imp048]!ننشین [/tag]nánešin!
[tag resources imp049]گرفتن[/tag]
gereftan
‘to take, get’:
[tag resources imp050]!نگیر [/tag]nágir!
[tag resources imp051]ریختن[/tag]
rixtan
‘to pour, spill’:
[tag resources imp052]!نریز [/tag]náriz!
Note: In classical Persian the preventive prefix was [má-], which is still used mostly in formal versified material:[tag resources imp053] مگو [/tag]mágu ‘don’t say, tell’,[tag resources imp054] منشین [/tag]mánešin ‘don’t sit’, etc.
In formal spoken Persian, if the initial syllable of the present stem is an open syllable with [-e-] or [-o-] (that is Ce, Co), this vowel may optionally be dropped in both affirmative and negative imperative:
[tag resources imp047]نشستن[/tag]
nešastan‘to sit’:
[tag resources imp058]بنشینید [/tag]bénšinid ,[tag resources imp057]بنشین[/tag]bénšin[tag resources imp056] بنشینید [/tag] bénešinid [tag resources imp055]بنشین [/tag]bénešin
[tag resources imp060] ننشینید[/tag] nánešinid,[tag resources imp059]ننشین [/tag]nánešin or [tag resources imp062]ننشینید[/tag]nánšinid [tag resources imp061] ننشین[/tag] nánšin
[tag resources imp005]گذاشتن[/tag]
gozāštan‘to put, let’
[tag resources imp064]بگذارید[/tag]bógozārid, [tag resources imp063]بگذار[/tag] bógozār or [tag resources imp066] بگذارید[/tag]bógzārid, [tag resources imp065]بگذار[/tag]bógzār
[tag resources imp068]نگذارید[/tag]nágozārid ,[tag resources imp067]نگذار[/tag]nágozār or [tag resources imp070]نگذارید [/tag]nágzārid [tag resources imp069]نگذار[/tag]nágzār
[tag resources imp076] فروختن [/tag]
foruxtan ‘to sell’
[tag resources imp075](نفروش(ید[/tag]náf(o)ruš(id) [tag resources imp072]بفروشید [/tag]béforušid, [tag resources imp071]بفروش[/tag]béforuš or [tag resources imp074]بفروشید[/tag], béfrušid[tag resources imp073]بفروش[/tag]béfruš
[tag resources imp082] گریختن [/tag]
gorixtan ‘to flee’
[tag resources imp081](نگریز(ید[/tag]nág(o)riz(id), [tag resources imp078]بگریزید[/tag]bógorizid, [tag resources imp077]بگریز[/tag]bógoriz or [tag resources imp080]بگریزید[/tag]bógrizid, [tag resources imp079]بگریز[/tag]bógriz
In Colloquial Persian, the initial syllable of the stem is sometimes dropped [tag resources imp083]بزار[/tag]bézār,[tag resources imp084]بزارید[/tag]bézārid;[tag resources imp085]بگذار[/tag]bégozār, [tag resources imp086]بگذارید[/tag]bégozārid, [tag resources imp087]بشین[/tag]béšin, [tag resources imp088] بشینید[/tag]bešinid, [tag resources imp089]بنشین[/tag]bénešin, [tag resources imp090]بشینید[/tag]bénešinid unless the word is too formal, in which case it is used reservedly, as in [tag resources imp091] بگذارید [/tag]bégzarid or [tag resources imp092]بگذارید[/tag]bógzarid ‘pass! let it go! let it alone!’ [tag resources imp093] گذشتن [/tag]gozaštan ‘to pass’.
If the vowel of the initial syllable of the stem is a or ā, that syllable is retained, as in, [tag resources imp094]ببر[/tag]bébar, [tag resources imp095]ببرید[/tag]bébarid ‘take away! carry away! win! (in a game)’; [tag resources imp096]بباز[/tag]bébāz, [tag resources imp097]ببازید[/tag]bébāzid ‘lose! (especially in a game)’; [tag resources imp098]بکار[/tag]békār, [tag resources imp099]بکارید[/tag]békārid ‘plant! sow!’, etc.
If the initial sound of the verbal stem is a or ā (that is, aC, āC), an euphonic y intervenes between the [bé-] and [ná-] prefix. Then, the é of the affirmative prefix assimilates into the y and the á of the preventive become an open front a:
[tag resources imp100]آمدن[/tag]
āmadan
‘to come’:
[tag resources imp101]!بیا[/tag]
biyā!,
[tag resources imp102]!نیا[/tag]
nayā!
[tag resources imp103]آوردن[/tag]
āvardan
‘to bring’:
[tag resources imp104] !بیاور [/tag]
biyāvar!,
[tag resources imp105] !نیاور [/tag]
nayāvar!
افتادن
oftādan
‘to fall (down)’:
[tag resources imp112]!بیفت[/tag]
biyoft!,
[tag resources imp113] !نیفت [/tag]
nayoft!
انداختن
andāxtan
‘to throw, toss’:
[tag resources imp114] !بیانداز [/tag]
biyandāz!,
[tag resources imp115] !نیانداز [/tag]
nayandāz!
In compound verbs, the imperative and preventive prefixes are infixed before the verbal component of the compounds and the non-verbal element is left untouched. The primary stress still falls on the [bé-], [ná-] prefix:
[tag resources imp116]در زدن[/tag]
dar zadan
‘to knock at the door’:
[tag resources imp117]!در بزن[/tag]
dar bézan!
[tag resources imp118]!در نزن[/tag]
dar názan!
[tag resources imp119]غصّه خوردن[/tag]
γosse xordan
‘to grieve, be sad’:
[tag resources imp120]غصّه بخور [/tag]
γosse béxor! náxor!
[tag resources imp121]کوتاه آمدن[/tag]
kutāh āmadan
‘to let go (in a quarrel)’:
[tag resources imp122] !کوتاه بیا[/tag]
kutāh biyā!, nayā!
The majority of the compound verbs in Persian have کردن as the verbal component of the compound. Normally verbs with کردن, شدن, do not take the [bé-] prefix, however, it is optional. With the rest of the compound verbs, the [bé-] prefix is used (and the euphonic rules are applied), especially in emphatic cases:
[tag resources imp123]باز کردن[/tag]
bāz kardan
‘to open’:
[tag resources imp124] !در را باز کن[/tag]
dar rā bāz kon!
[tag resources imp125] !باز بکن[/tag]
bāz békon!/bókon!
[tag resources imp126]گریه کردن[/tag]
garye kardan
‘to cry’:
[tag resources imp127]! گریه کن [/tag]
garye kon!
[tag resources imp128] !گریه بکن[/tag]
garye békon!/bókon!
[tag resources imp129]بیدار شدن[/tag]
bidār šodan
‘to wake up’:
[tag resources imp130] !بیدار شو [/tag]
bidār šo!
[tag resources imp131] !بیدار بشو [/tag]
bidār béšo!/bóšo!
[tag resources imp132]گم شدن[/tag]
gom šodan
‘to get lost’:
[tag resources imp133]!گم شو[/tag]
gom šo!
[tag resources imp134] !گم بشو [/tag]
gom béšo!/bóšo!
Compound verbs with داشتن dāštan also do not take the [bé-] prefix; and just like the simple verb dāštan, they use the participial form plus the imperatives bāš and bāšid:
[tag resources imp135]به خاطر داشتن[/tag]
be xāter dāštan
‘to remember, bear in mind’
[tag resources imp136] !این را به خاطر داشته باش[/tag]
in rā be xāter dāšte bāš
‘bear this in mind!’
[tag resources imp137]دوست داشتن[/tag]
dust dāštan
‘to love, like’
[tag resources imp138]!آن را دوست داشته باش[/tag]
ān rā dust dāšte bāš
‘like that!’
[tag resources imp139]!او را دوست داشته باش[/tag]
u rā dust dāšte bāš
‘like him/her!’
In complex verbs with بر- bar- (and its variation ور- var-) prefix, normally the [bé-] prefix is not used. Unlike the simple and compound verbs, complex verbs with dāštan take the different stem دار- dār-.:
[tag resources imp141] (برداشتن (ورداشتن [/tag]
bar-dāštan
‘to pick up, lift’:
[tag resources imp142]بردار[/tag]\[tag resources imp143]وردار[/tag]
bar-dār/var-dār!
[tag resources imp145] (برچیدن (ورچیدن[/tag]
bar-čidan
‘to pick or gather’ (as in birds picking seeds off the ground):
[tag resources imp146]برچین [/tag]\[tag resources imp147]ورچین[/tag]
bar-čin/var-čin!