Kilo Lingo
Latin grammar Part of Chapter 2

CEFR A1

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Test yourself (27 questions)

Latin Imperative: Commands like dic, fac, venite

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026

A Latin command is the verb with almost nothing on it. For one person you use the bare stem; for several you add -. For don't, you use or with the infinitive.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake.

conjugation vowel-te for several peopleWhat do the colours mean?

The rule on one screen

Drop the - from the infinitive for one person; add - for several.

InfinitiveOne personSeveralEnglish
see!
have!
believe!
listen!
come!
give!
videre, vide, videte: to see, see!, see! (all of you)

In a sentence:

  • . - Come to me.
  • . - Give me water.
  • . - Come and see (all of you).
Four panels: a male teacher with glasses, a moustache and a tie holds his palm out beside a chair with an arrow pointing down (sit down); a closed book, an arrow, then the same book lying open with a hand on its page (open the book); a round no-running sign with a red slash (do not run); a woman with long hair and a bow holds a finger to her lips (be quiet).
  3. currere
  4. Tace

Commands to one person: sede (sit down), aperi librum (open the book), tace (be quiet). Each is the infinitive minus -re. Don't run takes noli and the infinitive, below.

Third conjugation: -e, then -ite

Look at the row. The singular ends in -e, but the plural is -, not -ete:

  • . - Believe me.
  • . - Believe me (all of you).

That -- is the vowel of the you-all form. The plural command is simply that form with -tis swapped for -:

creditis, you believe, becomes credite, believe!

The four short ones: dic, duc, fac, fer

Four very common verbs drop the -e from the singular. Latin pupils have long learned them as a chant.

VerbOne personSeveralEnglish
say!
lead!
do, make!
carry!

The plurals of the first three are regular. has no vowel before its endings in several present forms (, ), so its plural is .

  • . - Tell me.
  • . - Take me to the king.
  • . - Do this.
  • . - Bring water.
  • spera. - Act, and hope. (an old motto)

Be and go: es, este, i, ite

Two of the most irregular verbs give the shortest commands of all.

VerbOne personSeveralEnglish
(be)be!
(go)go!

is also you are, so context decides which you are reading. In practice Latin usually gives be! with the longer and :

  • . - You are good. (a statement)
  • perfecti. - So be perfect. (Matthew 5:48, the Vulgate)

is a complete one-letter sentence: . - Go to your father. The plural is the dismissal at the end of a Latin Mass:

  • , . - Go, it is the dismissal.

Commands you already know

A lot of the Latin that survives in English is in the imperative.

LatinEnglishVerb
Carpe seize the daycarpere
beware of the dog
pray for us
Sapere dare to know
come here

The vowel in each command is the infinitive's vowel: carpere gives carpe, gives . The greetings are commands too. is literally be well!, so a group gets the plural:

  • , . - Hello, brothers.
  • . - Goodbye, everyone.

More on those in Latin greetings.

Don't: noli and nolite

Classical Latin does not put in front of a command. For don't, it uses (one person) or (several), followed by the infinitive.

LatinEnglish
.Do not be afraid. (one)
.Do not be afraid. (several)
.Do not say it.
.Do not come. (several)
tangere.Do not touch me.

Only changes for the plural; the infinitive stays as it is. is itself a command of , I am unwilling, so is literally be unwilling to fear. tangere is what the risen Christ says to Mary Magdalene in the Vulgate (John 20:17).

You will also meet with the perfect subjunctive: . - Do not do it. Learn first.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
diceone of the four short ones
dicetethird conjugation plural is -
(to a crowd)several people need -
don't is plus the infinitive
takes the infinitive
only marks the plural

What to do next

  1. Chant the short four aloud: , , , .
  2. For any verb you know, drop -, then add -.
  3. Run the drill below; the present tense endings explain the vowels.

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/5

Build the command from its pieces: stem, vowel, and -te for several people.

  1. venio: to several people

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. credo: to several people

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. video: to one person

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  4. dico: to several people

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  5. respondeo: to several people

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Sort into groups

0/8

A command to one person, a command to several, or a plain statement?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Tap the mistake.

Pick the right one

0/5

Choose the right command for the people you are talking to.

  1. To several people: say!

  2. To one person: do it!

  3. To several people: be! (as in: be good!)

  4. To one person: give!

  5. To several people: believe!

Translation drill

0/5

Translate the command into English.

  1. Dic mihi.

  2. Veni ad me.

  3. Da mihi aquam.

  4. Crede mihi.

  5. Respondete.

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Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Infographics

  1. Key points infographic
  2. The rule on one screen
  3. The four short ones: dic, duc, fac, fer
  4. Be and go: es, este, i, ite
  5. Commands you already know
  6. Don't: noli and nolite
  7. Mistakes English speakers make

Other formats

  1. Listicle

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a command in Latin?
Take the present infinitive and remove the -re. What is left is the singular command: gives , gives , gives . For a group, add -te: , . Third-conjugation verbs put an -i- before the -te, so and rather than credete.
Why is it dic and not dice?
Because four very common verbs lost their final -e in the singular command: dic (say), (lead), (do, make) and (carry). Early Latin still had forms like dice and face, but by the classical period the short ones had won. The plurals are regular: , , , with only being odd again in .
How do you say don't in Latin?
Use to one person and to more than one, followed by the infinitive. is do not be afraid; says the same to a crowd. is itself a command, from (I am unwilling), so the phrase literally means be unwilling to fear. You will also meet with the perfect subjunctive ( , do not do it), but is the one to learn first.
What does , mean?
It is the dismissal at the end of the Latin Mass. is the plural command of , so go, addressed to the whole congregation. is usually understood as it is the dismissal, and the traditional English rendering is go, the Mass is ended. It is also where the word Mass comes from.
Is the plural command the same as the you-all form?
Almost. Take the you-all form of the present and swap its -tis for -te: , you believe, becomes , believe! becomes and becomes . The one thing that changes is the last syllable, which is why has the same -i- as .