Russian imperative: 3 ways to create. In Russian, there are 3 pairs of imperative endings for the singular and plural: -й (-йте), -и (-ите), -ь (-ьте). How to know which ending to use? Step 1: Form the first person singular verb Step 2: Define the base by dropping the ending. Step 3: Add one of the endings: -й (-йте), -и (-ите), -ь (-ьте). Imperative with the ending -й (-йте): The base ends in a vowel: Я читА-ю. Я работА-ю. Чита-Й, чита-ЙТЕ. Работа-Й, работа-ЙТЕ. Imperative ending with -и (-ите): The base ends in a consonant, the personal ending is -у, -ю under stress: Я пиШ-у́. Я смотР-ю́. Пиш-И, пиш-ИТЕ. Смотр-И, смотр- ИТЕ. Imperative with the ending -ь (-ьте): The base ends in a consonant, the personal ending is -у, -ю without stress: Я бу́Д-у. Я отве́Ч-у. Буд-Ь, буд-ЬТЕ. Ответ-Ь, ответ- ЬТЕ.