Ke'gycese

Common types of commands

Based on an analysis of examples in the dictionary and source material, supplemented by grammar learned from other experienced Mando'a users, there are four different kinds of imperatives in Mando'a:

1. Informal imperative: Ke particle with a conjugated verb or (when meant as encouragement) with a noun or adjective/adverb; no subject/actor is necessary. This is a request or a strong suggestion. In response to this command form, the person should let the requester know when the task will be performed if it cannot be done right away; offer an alternative to the request; ask for help; or refuse outright. The informal imperative is the most common version used by Earth Mando'a speakers and writers.

2. Formal imperative: Ke particle with an infinitive verb or (when meant as an order) with a noun or adjective/adverb; no subject/actor is necessary. This is a command in the traditional sense for English speakers. The correct response is "Elek," followed by completion of the task, in a timely fashion and to the best of the person's ability, to prevent embarrassment, a delay in other plans, or some other negative consequence.

3. Enteyor (must, be obliged to): A subject/actor is required. It is a statement that specifies something required about a circumstance, but is not itself a call to action. If you want to get someone to do something, use the command particle (ke) as described above.

4. Colloquial imperative (conjugated verb as an imperative): Never has a subject/actor, and the statement is only a few words long. Conjugation in this imperative form often drops both verb-designating letters. In the several examples of this kind of command, this construction seems to be applied when even an informal directive is too formal. The speaker typically expects no specific response from issuing the command, though may hope some kind of appropriate action is taken. This kind of command is typically used in times of emergencies; as encouragement during an intense or challenging situation; out of frustration (not necessarily anger); or as a way of emphasizing disrespect for the target of the explicative (as if to say, "you're not even worth commanding").

For directives that include the command particle with nouns or adjectives, whether the command is formal or informal depends on tone of voice and context. Note that you may use cuyir (conjugated appropriately) with a noun or adjective to emphasize formal or informal tone or if the command might be otherwise unclear.

Military commands during exercises and missions

Warriors who work often together in battle create clipped versions of common commands. These consist of the command particle (ke) plus one other word, which can be a noun, an adjective, or a verb with the verb ending dropped. If the other word begins with a vowel, the command particle forms a contraction with it. For examples of these kinds of commands, check out this Memrise course: https://app.memrise.com/community/course/6482325/hettyc-kad-miite/

Commands that need to provide more information what the command particle plus one word convey use the grammar rules outlined in the previous section on "common types of commands."

Please and to plead

Gedet'ye (please; similar to "if it pleases you") is rarely used among Mandos; based on the one instance in the source material, it's seems for mild pleading, like a command to a superior or to someone the speaker wouldn't normally expect to follow the speaker's commands. Thus, it may be added at the end of an informal command, to soften it further. Some aliit may encourage the word's use among members, to reinforce respect for each other.

Gedetir (to beg, plead) is reserved for times when a command would be inappropriate or the person making the request is willing to accept the debt of a favor in return for the assistance.

How to write commands

The ke is not attached to a verb (whether formal or informal). The ke is attached to a noun or adjective/adverb, and represents the dropped verb (such as nari, "act"; vaabi, "do"; pirimmu, "use"; or cuyi, "be") or phrase (such as cuyi sa, "be like"). If the word (regardless of the type) starts with a vowel, ke is always contracted with the word (such as k'olar). For a negative imperative (such as "don't do"), use ke'nu; this can be formal or informal. Never attach this to the next word, and never contract it with a word starting with a vowel.

Translation tips

Translate the English request, “please prepare the food” as “ke tsikado kai.”

Translate the English imperative, “prepare the food!” as “ke tsikador kai!”

Translate either “ke tsikado kai” or “ke tsikador kai” as “prepare the food” (losing the nuance in the written translation, as often happens).

Other examples

K'olar!: Come here!

Ke'gayi'kaab. Use the radio to all someone.

Ke'verd: Act like a warrior.

Ke'mirdala: Be clever. Act cleverly.