Russian · Chapter 9 · Lesson 8 · Grammar primer
The imperative
Built from the ты-stem, and aspect still matters: a perfective command asks for a result.
The short version
Build the imperative from the oni form
Take the oni form and drop the ending. A vowel stem adds -y (delayut, delay), a consonant stem adds -i when the ya form is end-stressed (skazhu, skazhi) and a soft sign when it is not (zabudu, zabud). Add -te for vy: skazhite.
Skazhite, pozhaluysta, gde dom?
Don't is imperfective; don't forget is not
A prohibition bans the whole activity, so negative commands are nearly always imperfective: ne govori, don't say it. The exception is a warning about an accident. Nobody forgets on purpose, so don't forget is the perfective ne zabud.
Ne zvoni mne.
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