Ways of forming imperatives
There are no special imperative verb forms or imperative sentence structures in Navajo. Any sentence with a second or a fourth person subject can be understood as imperative as long as the meaning of the rest of the sentence allows it.
Navajo has sentences that can be used as commands or requests, formed with a second person subject, with the verb in certain modes. There also are less direct ways of making commands or requests that are formed with a fourth person subject. These sentences can be affirmative or negative. Below are examples of each of these:
Second Person Affirmation
| Shíká | ’anilyeed. |
| 1-for | 2-run.I |
| Help me. / You’re helping me. (lit. You’re running for me.) | |
Second Person Negation
Optative
| Mósí | ch’óółt’e’. |
| cat | out-3-2-take.Opt |
| Don’t put the cat out! (YMM 1992:882) [[CHECK with speakers]] | |
Optative + lágo
| Mósí | ch’óółt’e’ | lágo. |
| cat | out-3-2-carry.O | hope.not |
| Don’t put the cat out! / I hope you don’t put the cat out. | ||
t’áadoo V-í
| T’áadoo | ’anit’íní! |
| neg | 2-do.NI-Í |
| Don’t do that! | |
Fourth Person Affirmative
| Hatáaldi | jigháahgo | hozhdísin | łeh. |
| ceremony-at | 4-go.I-GO | 4-respect.NI | usually |
| One should be respectful when one goes to a ceremony. | |||
Fourth Person Negation
| Doo | ’ájíníi | da! |
| neg | 4-say.NI | -neg |
| One doesn’t say that! | ||
The imperfective mode yields an immediate imperative (i.e., something that requires immediate action), and the future mode is more likely to be used for commands that are less immediate. The optative mode is often used with imperative negations. See also Reichard (1951:137), YM (1987:204), and YMM (1992:881f.). YM (1987:204-5) presents examples of imperatives in numerous aspects. We do not repeat this work here but refer the reader to these sources.
In Navajo, commands seem to be indirect, arising by implication and inference. Sentences with fourth person subjects are often general statements about what constitutes good behavior. The person spoken to is left to infer that the reason the speaker chose to utter the general statement is to affect the hearer’s behavior. Hence, there can be an implication of a command. Statements using the optative mode with lágo express the hopes of the speaker (‘I hope you don’t do this’ or ‘I hope that doesn’t happen’). The behavior in question is understood to be inconsistent with the speaker's desires. If the speaker is in a position of authority, the result is an indirect imperative.
Glossing conventions and a note on morphology are here [link].
An example search has returned 50 entries
’Ahbínídą́ą́’ t’áadoo ’ííyą́ą́’góó biniinaa wónáásdóó sitsiits’iin díínii’.
morning-past neg 1-eat.P-GO.NEG because soon 1-head 3-ache.PI didn’t eat this morning, so my head started to ache.
bookmark- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ashą́ eatfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- díínii’ ache, be in painfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ahbínídą́ą́’ this morningfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -niinaa because of, on account offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
’Ahbínígo gohwééh dííłbish.
morning-GO coffee 3-2-boil.F’Atiin bąąhgóó doo ch’il ’ahwééh ’ájíléeh da.
road 3-beside-along NEG plant coffee together 3-4-gather.SFO.I NEG’Atsiniltł’ish dóó tó dayókeedígíí baa ’áłah ’aleeh lá.
electricity and water pl-3-request.I-NOM 3-for meeting DISC’Óshą́ą́’ laanaa’ dichin shi’niiłxį́.
1-eat.O wish hunger 1-3-kill.IAt’ééd aní shí k’ad naalyéhé báhooghango déyá. Nit’éé’ bimá aní k’adee’ da’iigháásh.
girl 3-say.IP 1-now goods 3-for-home-GO directional-go. past 3-mother 3-say.IP now time-sleep.Ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ Diné Bizaad naalkaah doo shił bééhózin da. K’ad éí t’áá shxǫǫd shił báá hózin.
formerly Navajo language research NEG 1-with 3-of ho-know.CI NEG | now TOP luckily 1-with 3-about-ho-know.CIFrom the beginning, I didn’t know about Navajo linguistics. Now I’m finally able to understand it.
bookmark- bééhózin there is knowledgefind in Navajo Verb Modes
- ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ formerly, originallyfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- k’ad nowfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- bééhózin there is knowledgefind in Navajo Verb Modes
- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrasesfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
Da’ shééhonísin?
Q 1-2-know.NIdadidíníilkał
pl-3DO-1dpl-start.to.herd.them.(animals).Fdadoołhį́į́’
pl-3DO-2dpl-melt.it.PDah nóóljííd lágo.
up 2-jump.O don’tdajishóóh
pl-3DO-4dpl-brush/comb.it.Idajíí’aal
pl-3DO-4dpl-chew.it.Pdajííłhį́į́’
pl-3DO-4dpl-melt.it.(snow).Pdaohsą́
pl-3DO-2dpl-eat.it.IDibé yah ánádanołkaad!
sheep inside semelit-pl-2pl-gather.RDibé yázhi bimá doo boosáni da, biʼnootsaał.
sheep little 3-mother NEG 3-love.I NEG 3-starve.Odideidííłjéé’
pl-3DO-3dpl-start.fire.Pdizhdiłjeeh
3DO-4-start.fire.IDoo kingóó diit’ash da.
NEG town-to 1dpl-go.du.Prog NEGDoo t’áá k’ad nich’i’ hasdzíí da.
do.not.want.to towards.you.pos 1-speak.P NEGGohwééh t’áá bizhání ’éí doodaii’ ’abe’ biłgo daats’í nínízin?
coffee only TOP or milk 3-with-GO perhaps 3-2-want.NIHa’at’iish náádaadi’ní?
what-Q again-pl-3-say.Ihadaoołgizh
pl-3DO-2dpl-cut.it.out.Phaidoołtééł
3DO-3-carry.him/her.up.out.of.something.Fhainííłchaad
3DO-3-card.it.(as.in.wool).PHáágóó lá Bíl doogááł nízin Jáan?
where-toward Q Bill 3-go.sg.F 3-want.CI Johnjííłhį́į́’
3DO-4-melt.it.(snow).PKintahgóó diit’ash.
town-to 1dpl-go.du.ProgKinŁánídi ’ííníshta’ ńt’éé’ ’áádóó t’áá ’ániidígo ’áadi náánísdzáá ńtéé’ ’ééhosisya’ lá.
Flagstaff-in 1-study.P past and.then just recently there-at 1-return.P past 1-get.hazy.P discKwii sínídáa dooleeł.
here 2-sit.SPN will.be.FNa’azhǫǫshgi díkwíí shį́į́ shaa woobįįh?
hoop.and.pole.game-at how.much 1-to pass-win.INichxǫ’ báhádzid.
stop 3-P-be.dangerousNichxǫ’ t’áadoo baa nánít’íní.
stop NEG 3-about 2-bother.I-Ínidajizlá
pl-3DO-4dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Pnizhdooleeł
3DO-4-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.FNíwe, doo ch’il bikáá’ nijigháa da!
stop NEG plant 3-on 3-4-walk.I NEGShiyáázh niʼíłtááh. Bá daʼdiidííł; ʼákohgo chʼiyáán ʼálʼį́įgi shiká ʼadoojah.
1-son 3-graduate.I 3-for 1pl-eat.F so-then food indef-make-at 1-after 3pl-help.FShí hanii t’éiyá Naasht’ézhí bizaad shił bééhózin.
I contrary only English 3-language 1-with 3-know.PSohodizingo t’áá ká nídoó’nééh lágo.
prayer-GO neg 2-get.up.O LÁGOT’áadoo hosh niyą́ní.
T’ÁADOO cactus 3-2-eat.I-ÍT’áá ká ’ooshháásh lágo.
neg 1-go.to.sleep.O LÁGOT’áá shǫǫ da la’ da’adą́ądi diné bich’iiyą’ hólǫ́ǫ́ lá.
at.least such.as some restaurant-at Navajo 3-food 3-exist.NI DISCTs’éénídzííd, t’ah ’íinda ’iidííłhosh.
2-wake.up.I future only.then 2-sleep.FTł’éédą́ą́ łééchąą’í léi’ nihił ’yaííyá’ii’ neeztį́.
last.night dog strange 1dpl-with 3-come.inside.P-and lie.down.SNPLast night, a (strange) dogs came walking in on us and lay down.
bookmark- tł’éédą́ą́’ last nightfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- yishááł walkfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -ii’ and, and thereuponfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- Si-Perfective Neuter (SPN)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- sétį́ lie downfind in Navajo Verb Modes




