Editing Sumerian language (section)

==== The imperative mood ====
The [[imperative mood]] construction is produced with a ''ḫamṭu'' stem, but using the ''marû'' agreement pattern, by turning all prefixes into suffixes.<ref name=":16" /> In the plural, the second person plural ending is attached in a form that differs slightly from the indicative: it is /-(n)zen/, with the -/n/- appearing only after vowels. The stem is singular even in the plural imperative.<ref>Edzard (2003: 128)</ref> Compare the following indicative-imperative pairs: 
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Indicative
!Imperative
|-
|{{interlinear|mu- -nn- -a- -b- -šum- -e|VEN- -3.SG.AN- -DAT- -3.INAN.O- -give- -3.AN.A|"He will give it to him here."
| indent = 4
| glossing = link
| top = 𒈬𒌦𒈾𒀊𒋧𒈬<br /> 
<small>mu-un-na-ab-šum<sub>2</sub>-mu</small>
}}
|{{interlinear|šum- -mu- -nn- -a- -b|give- -VEN- -3.SG.AN- -DAT- -3.INAN.O|"Give it to him here!"
| indent = 4
| glossing = link
| top = 𒋧𒈬𒌦𒈾𒀊 <br />
<small>šum<sub>2</sub>-mu-un-na-ab</small>
}}
|-
|{{interlinear|mu- -nn- -a- -b- -šum- -enzen|VEN- -3.SG.AN- -DAT- -3.INAN.O- -give- -2.PL|"You (plur.) will give it to him"
| indent = 4
| glossing = link
| top = 𒈬𒌦𒈾𒀊𒋧𒈬𒌦𒍢𒂗 <br />
<small>mu-un-na-ab-šum<sub>2</sub>-mu-un-ze<sub>2</sub>-en</small>
}}
|{{interlinear|šum- -mu- -nn- -a- -b- -zen|give- -VEN- -3.SG.AN- -DAT- -3.INAN.O- -2.PL.A/S.IMP|'Give (plur.) it to him here!'
| indent = 4
| glossing = link
| top = 𒌦𒈬𒌦𒈾𒀊𒍢𒂗<br />
<small>šum<sub>2</sub>-mu-un-na-ab-ze<sub>2</sub>-en</small>
}}
|}
This may be compared with the French pair ''vous le lui donnez'', but ''donnez-le-lui!''<ref name="Rubio 2007" />

In addition, the prefix 𒉌 ''i<sub>3</sub>-'' is replaced by /-a/: 𒉌𒁺 '''''i<sub>3</sub>'''-g̃en'' "he went", but 𒁺𒈾 ''g̃en-n'''a''''' "go!", 𒅔𒈾𒀊𒁉 '''''in'''-na-ab-be2'' "he will say it to him", but 𒅗𒂵𒀭𒈾(𒀊) ''dug<sub>4</sub>-g'''a'''-an-na(-ab)'' 'say it to him!'.<ref name=":16">Jagersma (2010: 556)</ref> However, the vowel /e/<ref name=":54">Foxvog (2016: 111-112)</ref> and possibly /i/<ref>Edzard (2003: 127-129)</ref> occasionally also occur if no further prefixes follow, perhaps as a characteristic of southern dialects.<ref name=":54" /> The ventive prefix ''mu-'', if not followed by others, has the form 𒌝 ''-um'' in the imperative: 𒁺𒌝 ''ře<sub>6</sub>-um'' 'bring it here!'<ref>Jagersma (2010: 504)</ref> In Old Babylonian texts, the reduced form -/u/ and the more regular -/am/ {-a-m} are also found: 𒂷𒉡 ''g̃e<sub>26</sub>-nu'', 𒁺𒀀𒀭 ''g̃en-am<sub>3</sub>'', both "come here!"<ref>Foxvog (2016: 112-113)</ref>