The Portuguese Imperative

I find the Portuguese Imperative pretty confusing! The Imperative is a mood, not a verb tense, btw. Verb tenses are the individual conjugations within a mood: eu falo, você fala, nós falamos ETC. A mood has tenses.

I try and steer beginners away from this mood because Brazilians do not use this form with consistency. What I really mean to say here is, they follow the rules of grammar, but they switch between the regular and the tu form without any real reason. But there is a method to the madness. Let me explain.

THE REGULAR VANILLA, CORRECT IMPERATIVE FORM. It's not that hard.
» For AR verbs you just replace the a with an e. FOR EXAMPLE: fala » » fale!
» For ER & IR verbs you just replace the e with an a. FOR EXAMPLE: come » » coma!
*HEY: we are just doing the ele/ela/você forms here! LET'S KEEP IT SIMPLE 😉

Forming the Portuguese Imperative

falar ➜ fale
Me fale tudo!
Tell me everything!

pensar ➜ pense
Pense bem!
Think about it!

responder ➜ responda
Me responda!
Answer me!

sumir ➜ suma
Suma daqui!
Get out if here!

You will hear all of these. These are correct and normal. But what about the irregular verbs? Irregular verbs take the same form as the present subjunctive (at least for the ele/ela/você forms). I told you this was confusing. It's advanced stuff because you really need to have a feel for the present subjunctive. I learned it by just getting used to hearing it in context. Only later did I learn the subjunctive. Look at some of the most common examples of irregular verbs in the imperative. Enter your best ZEN state and absorb these:

Some examples in the first person singular:

In reality, Brazilians use the tu form when conjugating the imperative. They do so for two reasons: When you're demanding something from someone you're often speaking in an extremely informal way with them. Look, check out that guy's sunglasses! - VERY INFORMAL. Eat your dinner! - VERY INFORMAL. The second reason is the tu conjugation just sounds better(!). People will argue this point but there is really no better explanation. You can't say "Olhe só!" -- No one says that. "Olha só!" just sounds better.

Abandon ye all rules. Just listen to the language.

Portuguese grammar is overall, very consistent. Much more so than English. The imperative is the exception.

Some very common examples that use the TU form:

*Se liga = literally: connect yourself. Use it to say, wake up, open your eyes, don't be ignorant ETC.

You will hear all of these almost every day. Get used to them. Se acostume!

Here is THE song for practicing the imperative. EVERY SINGLE LINE HAS A VERB IN THE IMPERATIVE! Seriously. Simply amazing. The lyrics (letra) are written on the same pager as the video clip. Love this song. Wait for ~15 seconds for the backup video to load as the 1st one has been blocked.

This short dialog shows you how to use the Portuguese Imperative

The driver of the van, João, was making his way down the coast of Rio de Janeiro. He had been driving this route for years and knew it like the back of his hand. He was used to the crowds of tourists that would pile into his van, eager to see the sights and sounds of the city.

As the van pulled up to the first stop, João turned to the boy sitting next to him. "Pegue o dinheiro, Paulo," (Take the money) he said, gesturing to the passengers as they filed off the van.

Paulo, who was responsible for taking the fares and making change, quickly got to work. He greeted each passenger with a friendly "Boa tarde," (Good afternoon) and held out his hand for their money.

As the van continued on its route, they made a stop in Rocinha - Rio de Janeiro's largest favela. The passengers on the van were visibly nervous as they stepped off, but João reassured them with a "Não se preocupem," (Don't worry) and a friendly smile.

As they drove on, João turned to Paulo once again. "Ajude os passageiros a voltarem para o ônibus," (Help the passengers get back on the bus) he said, as they made their next stop.

Paulo nodded and quickly got to work, helping the passengers back onto the van. He made sure that everyone was safely seated and then gave João a thumbs up.

The van continued on its journey, making several more stops along the way. João and Paulo worked together seamlessly, their easy camaraderie making the trip a pleasant experience for all the passengers.

As the van made its final stop and the passengers disembarked, João turned to Paulo and said "Muito bem feito, Paulo, você é um profissional." (Well done, Paulo, you are a professional) Paulo grinned, feeling proud of his work and the satisfaction of a job well done.

This short script illustrates the use of the Portuguese imperative mood in giving commands and requests. It also shows the use of the imperative mood in situations where the speaker is trying to reassure or give instructions to others. The imperative is also used to praise Paulo's work and acknowledge his professionalism.