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
’Ak’ah ła’ dishhį́įhgo baa naashá.
lard some 3-1-melt.I 3-to 1-go.CII am busy melting some lard.
bookmark- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- dishhį́įh melt itfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -go verb and subordinating encliticfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -aa tofind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- naashá go aboutfind in Navajo Verb Modes
’Abínídą́ą́’ kintahgóó dah didoohkah.
morning-past town-GÓÓ up start-3pl.go.FYou all go to town in the morning. (YM1987: 344)
bookmark- Command, affirmative
- Future
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a datefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ahbínídą́ą́’ this morningfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- dah up at an elevation, off, static, holdingfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
’Ahbínídą́ą́’ t’áadoo ’ííyą́ą́’góó biniinaa wónáásdóó dichin shi’niiłhį́.
morning-past NEG 1-eat.P-NEG.GO because soon hunger 1-3-kill.PBecause I did not eat this morning I am hungry now.
bookmark- ’ahbínídą́ą́’ this morningfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- t’áadoo notfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ashą́ eatfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -niinaa because of, on account offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- wónáásdóó soon, finallyfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- sisxé killfind in Navajo Verb Modes
’Ahbínígo ch’éshááh ’áádóó sodiszįįh.
morning-GO 1-go.out.U and.then 1-pray.U’Atiin bąąhgóó doo ch’il ’ahwééh ’ájíléeh da.
road 3-beside-along NEG plant coffee together 3-4-gather.SFO.I NEG’Éí lą́ą baa nitséskees nít’ę́ę́’.
that EMP 3-about 1-think.I past'Áłahji’ tó dilchxoshí síníł’ą́.
always water popping-Í 3-2-keep.SPNAt'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.bik’ídiidis
3DO-1dpl-wrap.it.around.it.IDa’ ’ałní’ní’ą́ąjį’ tł’óo’di nishínílnish?
Q noon-until outside-at 2-work.PDid you work outside up to noon?
bookmark- da’ particle for yes/no questionsfind in Navajo Questions
- ’ałní’ní’ą́ąjį’ noon-untilfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -jį́’ up to, as far asfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- time
- -di atfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- naashnish workfind in Navajo Verb Modes
Da’ k’ad daats’í ch’iyáán ’áníléehgo ná ’adazh’niiyą́ą́’?
Q now perhaps food 2-make.I-GO 2-for feast.happenDa’ shééhonísin?
Q 1-2-know.NIdajiyą́
pl-3DO-4dpl-eat.it.Idajííyą́ą́’
pl-3DO-4dpl-eat.it.PDichin nínízin ya’?
hungry 2-want.NI Qdidazhdiłjeeh
pl-3DO-4dpl-start.fire.Ididííłhįh
3DO-2-melt.it.Fdizhdidoołjah
3DO-4-start.fire.FDoo ’áłah deiidleeh da.
NEG together pl-1dpl-meet.pl.I NEGDooládó’ shį́į́ shich’ohoos’ni’ da; ’adą́ą́dą́ą́’ kintah góyaa yishááł ńt’éé’ béeso naadiinígíí ńdiiłtsooz.
wow probably 1-lucky.P yesterday town areal down 1-go.I Past money twenty-NOM 3-sit.FFO.PBoy oh boy, I was in luck; yesterday I was walking down the street and found a twenty dollar bill.
bookmark- dooládó’ --- da lá (it) certainly isfind in Navajo Particle Lexicon
- shį́į́ perhaps, probably, possiblyfind in Navajo Particle Lexicon
- ’adą́ą́dą́ą́’ yesterdayfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- góyaa downfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- nit’ee’ pastfind in Navajo Particle Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes




