The imperative
The imperative has a "you" form and a "you" (pl.) form. The plural form is almost always the same as the present: punoni!, hapni!, flisni!. The singular form is usually shorter: puno!, hap!, fol!.
Common verbs
| meaning | ti | ju |
|---|---|---|
| to work | puno! | punoni! |
| to write | shkruaj! | shkruani! |
| to open | hap! | hapni! |
| to drink | pi! | pini! |
| to speak | fol! | flisni! |
| to come | eja! | ejani! |
| to say | thuaj! | thoni! |
| to take | merr! | merrni! |
| to give | jep! | jepni! |
| to go out | dil! | dilni! |
| to wait | prit! | prisni! |
The singular form
Most often it is the plural form without -ni: hapni → hap!, pini → pi!, punoni → puno!, dilni → dil!. Verbs in -aj, -uaj and bëj keep the -j: luaj!, shkruaj!, bëj!. Special forms: flas → fol!, vij → eja!, them → thuaj!, jam → ji!, kam → ki!, blej → bli!, pres "to wait" → prit!, hyj "to enter" → hyr!.
The plural form
It is the present-tense "you" (pl.) form: punoni!, hapni!, flisni!, merrni!. The exceptions are vij: ejani! "come here", and jam, kam: jini!, kini! (Kini kujdes! — "Be careful!"). It is also the polite form for one person: Më jepni një kafe, ju lutem — "Give me a coffee, please".
Prohibitions and short forms
A prohibition is mos + the singular or plural form: Mos fol! — "Don't speak!", Mos hyni! — "Don't come in!". In speech më and na go before the verb: Më jep ujë — "Give me some water", Na tregoni rrugën — "Show us the way". E usually attaches to the end: Merre! — "Take it!"; i "to him" goes at the end or before the verb: Thuaji! = I thuaj! — "Tell him!" (see "Short forms and object doubling").