Levantine Arabic Imperative: How to Give Commands

The imperative ("do it!") is built from the present stem. There are three forms: to a man, to a woman and to a group.

Making the imperative

Take the bare present for inta, inti or intu, drop the t- prefix, and add i- at the front if the stem starts with two consonants.

• اكتب اسمك هونiktob ismak hoonWrite your name here. (to a man)
• شوفي هاداshuufi haadaLook at this. (to a woman)
• استنّوا شويistannu shwayWait a bit. (to a group)

Common irregular commands

Don't…

A negative command uses la + the full present:

• لا تكتبla tiktobDon't write. (to a man)
• لا تنسيla tinsiDon't forget. (to a woman)
• لا تتأخرواla tit2akhkharuDon't be late. (to a group)