Imperatives and hortatives are formed by using one of the clause-initial imperative markers. The possessive suffix is omitted from the verbalised noun:
aŋ ehrlumi kuhenu.
| aŋ |
| imp-2sg |
| ehrlu-mi |
| tongue-v |
| kuh-en-u |
| ear-1sg-pat |
Speak to me!
aŋ tzapjakmi dastu.
| aŋ |
| imp.2sg |
| tzapjak-mi |
| feet-v |
| dast-tu |
| there-dat |
Walk over there!
naŋ tzapjakmi dastu.
| naŋ |
| imp.1pl |
| tzapjak-mi |
| feet-v |
| dast-tu |
| there-dat |
Let us walk over there!
The imperative marker receives primary stress in the clause; the second element in the clause loses emphasis and only receives secondary stress.
The imperative/hortative markers are:
| (ŋu) | (1st person singular) |
| naŋ | 1st person plural |
| aŋ | 2nd person singular |
| aŋsh | 2nd person plural |
| ŋat | 3rd person singular |
| ŋut | 3rd person plural |
| ŋaht | 4th person plural |
Even though ŋu is parallel in construction to the other imperative / hortative markers, it appears to have a different interpretation, as a first person future marker instead of a hortative. See section 4.5 on “Future tense”.
Combining an indicative clause with an imperative/hortative clause has the effect of “even if”, “whether or not”:
tzapjakemi ahshapftu, ŋat voluŋmi mo'ipf shestu.
| tzapjak-en-mi |
| feet-1sg-v |
| ahshapf-tu, |
| outside-dat |
| ŋat |
| even_if |
| voluŋ-mi |
| spaceship-v |
| mo'ipf |
| monster |
| shest-tu |
| here-dat |
I will go outside, even if the monster comes here by spaceship.
The imperative construction has the effect of “Let the monster come, I will still go outside!”
The impersonal 4th person hortative ŋaht is often used in the sense of “it ought to be”, “it should be”.
ŋaht shogahrashopfni.
| ŋaht |
| 4pl.hort |
| shog-ah-hrashopf-ni |
| tool-4pl-adolescent-become-v |
Adolescents should become useful to society.
The use of the impersonal 4th person makes this statement generic, rather than referring to a specific group of adolescents.
The negated verb beshopfmi (from beshmi, “to allow”, “to let”) is used for expressing prohibitions.
beshenopfmi ehrluteku kuhetbarcheŋdu.
| besh-en-opf-mi |
| permission-1sg-neg.v |
| ehrlu-tek-u |
| tongue-2sg-pat |
| kuh-et-barcheŋ-tu |
| ear-3sg-male.buddy-dat |
I do not allow you to speak to my buddy!
beshetopfmi tzapjakenu ishtektu.
| besh-et-opf-mi |
| permission-3sg-neg-v |
| tzapjak-en-u |
| feet-1sg-pat |
| ish-tek-tu |
| home-2sg-dat |
He does not allow me to go to your house.
This construction is unusual in taking the target verb not as an adjunctive clause, but as the patientive of its base noun.