書け・
A flat order to do something. The everyday "please do" is てください.
How to form it
書く → 書け 食べる → 食べろ する → しろ 来る → 来い
Godan verbs (う-verbs) change the last kana to its え sound. Ichidan verbs (る-verbs) change る to ろ.
| Verb | Like this |
|---|---|
| Godan | 読む → 読め, 待つ → 待て, 走る → 走れ, 言う → 言え |
| Ichidan | 見る → 見ろ, 起きる → 起きろ, やめる → やめろ |
| Irregular | する → しろ, 来る → 来い |
One ichidan verb breaks the rule: くれる → くれ.
It isn't the everyday "do this"
English says "wait", "sit down" and "take one" to anyone. In Japanese, 待て is what the police shout.
待って and 待て are one small っ apart.
Who gives orders
Coaches, the police, a parent who has run out of patience, and, in real danger, people who would never say it otherwise. In everyday talk it is mostly men, to people below them or close to them. To anyone else it is rude. Manga, anime and films use it far more than real life.
Look out! Get down!
Everyone, come over here!
Get up! The match isn't over yet!
It can be kind: 頑張れ
頑張れ is the one everybody says: shouted at a match, or to a friend before an exam. Face to face 頑張って is softer, and politely it is 頑張ってください.
Among men, between close friends or to someone younger, よ on the end can make it a push or a kind word.
Come again, OK?
Road signs and test papers
A road sign or a test paper talks to nobody in particular, so nobody is offended. In tests and written rules, ichidan verbs take よ in place of ろ, and する becomes せよ.
on a test
Answer the following question.
Many tests say 答えなさい instead.
Passing on what you were told
Anyone can use it to report what they were told to do. There it is neutral: nobody was rude.
The doctor told me to exercise more.
The doctor's own words were probably 運動してください.
Close neighbours
Check yourself
1In a shop, you want the assistant to show you a bag. Which fits?
Choose an answer to see why.
2Which one fits?
警察だ。
Choose an answer to see why.
More detail
てくれ
くれ is くれる as an order, so てくれ is a rough てください, said mostly by men to friends and juniors.
Hold on a second.
ください and なさい
Both began as orders too, from the respectful verbs くださる and なさる, whose order form ends in い.
More sentences
Listen carefully. I am going to explain the plan.
Run all the way to the end!
Watch out! Look where you're stepping!
Stop the work immediately!