The imperfective present imperative tense describes a continuing, repetitive or habitual occurrence (→ imperfective aspect) in present or future, which is based on a command or request (→ imperative mood). Other grammar references do not consider an imperfective tense for present imperative probably because it is obsolete in modern Persian and that in Classical Persian, it is mainly found in second person singular. Persian’s imperfective present imperative does not have an equivalent in English.

Formation

The imperfective present imperative tense is formed according to the following pattern:

Examples

Examples are from Persian poetry and useful for fluent students of Persian.

می‌کوش به هر ورق که خوانی — تا معنی آن تمام دانی (نظامی)
مرتضی را می‌مکن بر خود قیاس — زان که در حق غرق بود آن حق‌شناس (عطار)
بدین راه و روش می‌رو که با دلدار پیوندی (حافظ)
برو کار می‌کن مگو چی‌ست کار — که سرمایه‌ی جاودانی‌ست کار (بهار)