imperative - passive

J

Joseph A

Senior Member
Kurdish
Hello everyone,

Could you please tell me if in Arabic, you change imperative sentences into passive? Or don't imperatives have passives?

افتح الباب

I'm sorry that I couldn't end my sentence with a full stop. Do you change that sentence into passive? Or doesn't it have passive voice as in English?
PS. I'm not Arabic and my native language isn't "Arabic".

Regards,

JA
 
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    • You can form an imperative (أمر) from a فعل مضارع مجهول by prefixing لِ to it and putting it (the فعل مضارع مجهول) in the مجزوم state.
    So يُفْتَحُ البابُ (The door is being opened.) would become لِيُفْتَحِ البابُ (Let the door be opened.)
     
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    Thank you, maddu.
    So it can be changed into passive in Arabic. Am I right?
    PS. If you say that it's equivalent to the English version "The door is being opened" or "Let the door be opened." To me, it isn't the true passive voice of my original post. In English, the construction "Let+object+be...." is used by Indians. Actually, English people whether American or British don't accept it (as far as I know). My native language is neither Arabic nor English. In my native language, my original sentence cannot be changed into passive. By the way, Arabic is your mother tongue and I'm pretty sure about your answer. I'm sorry to bother you.
    Best regards,
    JA
     
    No, Arabic is not my mother tongue! If it were, my profile would say so! :)

    Yes, all Arabic imperatives have a corresponding passive form. It always begins with لِ, even if the corresponding active imperative did not begin with لِ. E.g. اُقْتُلْ becomes لِتُقْتَلْ in the passive. However, لِيَفْتَحْ already had a لِ prefixed to it, and it doesn't go away in the passive.

    Yes, "Let the door be opened." is not something a native speaker of English would normally say, but I can't think of any other way to convey the sense of ليفتح البابُ. Well, perhaps "May the door be opened!" would mean the same thing.
     
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    Thank you, maddu.
    That question came to mind and I realised that this forum is the best place where I can get the correct answer to my question. Again, thank you, maddu.
    Best regards,
    JA
     
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    Joseph A said:
    Could you please tell me if in Arabic, you change imperative sentences into passive?
    Click to expand...
    If you are asking about فعل الأمر, then no it can not be passive. The reason is simple, when you are telling someone to do something you would be speaking directly to them so using the passive doesn't make sense. In fact, the imperative can only be active and in the second person - it can not be third person or first.

    However, this is in the technical sense, adding لام الأمر to a present tense verb is also possible as maddu explained.
     
    You can give an order indirectly to a specific person or to an unknown person but that would't make it passive.

    ليقم فلان Let son and so stand up
    ليقم من سرق الكأس let the one who stole the glass stand up
     
    Thank you, Mahaodeh.

    Thank you, cherine.

    Thank you, Abbe.
     
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    If you want to command something to “be broken,” “be opened,” etc., you can sometimes use a verb form that is not passive voice but conveys the meaning:
    انكسرْ
    انفتحْ
     
    elroy said:
    If you want to command something to “be broken,” “be opened,” etc., you can sometimes use a verb form that is not passive voice but conveys the meaning:
    انكسرْ
    انفتحْ
    Click to expand...
    Thank you, elroy.
    As far I know in my native language (Kurdish) there is no passive for imperative sentences. If I ask Kurdish teachers who teach Kurdish, I think half of them say that imperative sentences have passives. I don't agree with them. I think the situation is the same as in Arabic. But some of the above members said that imperatives have passives. Again, I don't agree with them😔, but I appeciate their help.
     
    Joseph A said:
    Thank you, elroy.
    As far I know in my native language (Kurdish) there is no passive for imperative sentences. If I ask Kurdish teachers who teach Kurdish, I think half of them say that imperative sentences have passives. I don't agree with them. I think the situation is the same as in Arabic. But some of the above members said that imperatives have passives. Again, I don't agree with them😔, but I appeciate their help.
    Click to expand...
    in fact both yes and no if you want to think the case as in Arabic.
    for instance, the active imperative for "çekirin" verb is "çeke!" but as it known this verb accept the passive imperative in two ways.
    1) "çebe" or
    2) "çe b be" (some other ways (phrases may also correspond) e.g.: "bbe ko çebe!")

    I think the case is valid only for transitive and can be generalised with making passive imperative with "b" prefix.
    so it seems both parallel idea to mahaodeh's opinion (or the case for Arabic)
    or already possible.

    sometimes , some other verbs may correspond the passive of the hold verb's imperative or this is my personal idea.
     
    rarabara said:
    in fact both yes and no if you want to think the case as in Arabic.
    for instance, the active imperative for "çekirin" verb is "çeke!" but as it known this verb accept the passive imperative in two ways.
    1) "çebe" or
    2) "çe b be" (some other ways (phrases may also correspond) e.g.: "bbe ko çebe!")

    I think the case is valid only for transitive and can be generalised with making passive imperative with "b" prefix.
    so it seems both parallel idea to mahaodeh's opinion (or the case for Arabic)
    or already possible.

    sometimes , some other verbs may correspond the passive of the hold verb's imperative or this is my personal idea.
    Click to expand...
    Thank you, rarabara.

    Indeed, I don't understand your dialect very well because mine is "Sorani". I have friends who are Kurdish and Arabic. To my knowledge, imperative sentences don't have passives in (Kurdish, Arabic, English). Thank you so much for your information.
     
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    Joseph A said:
    Thank you, rarabara.

    Indeed, I don't understand your dialect very well because mine is "Sorani". I have friends who are Kurdish and Arabic. To my knowledge, imperative sentences don't have passives in (Kurdish, Arabic, English). Thank you so much for your imformation.
    Click to expand...
    mm,I can particularly understand sorani (but Iraki & mid syrian,I think) but not wholly & clearly for sometimes.
    you can get in touch with me by private message (if you are willing) , I wonder the answers of some questions , maybe you might help me.
    Thank you.

    slav/ ser chahva.
     
    Joseph A said:
    Thank you, rarabara.

    Indeed, I don't understand your dialect very well because mine is "Sorani". I have friends who are Kurdish and Arabic. To my knowledge, imperative sentences don't have passives in (Kurdish, Arabic, English). Thank you so much for your imformation.
    Click to expand...
    Further expressions.

    Arabic (MSA) is a bit complicated, but more than being complicated ,it is comprehensive. Arabs better know normally but as of my existing level of arabic, I can say that you may see some subtitles like these (if the issue is available)

    for sound verbs FORM 1
    for defective verbs
    for hollow verbs
    for assimilated verbs
    for doubled verbs
    and form i ,where i>1.

    what I mean is that if the existence is available, then it will be comprehensive for Arabic.
    to my knowledge, imperatives are available in MSA for these pronouns:

    انتَ ,انتم,انتما ,انتِ,(m)انتما
     
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    rarabara said:
    Further expressions.

    Arabic (MSA) is a bit complicated, but more than being complicated ,it is comprehensive. Arabs better know normally but as of my existing level of arabic, I can say that you may see some subtitles like these (if the issue is available)

    for sound verbs FORM 1
    for defective verbs
    for hollow verbs
    for assimilated verbs
    for doubled verbs
    and form i ,where i>1.

    what I mean is that if the existence is available, then it will be comprehensive for Arabic.
    to my knowledge, imperatives are available in MSA for these pronouns:

    انتَ ,انتم,انتما ,انتِ,(m)انتما
    Click to expand...
    Thank you so much, rarabara.
     
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