The imperative in directions: Gireu, Agafi, Seguiu tot rect
Directions in the street and in recipes are given as commands, and the form depends on whom you address. For example: “Gireu a la dreta a l'encreuament i seguiu tot rect” — Turn right at the crossroads and go straight. A rule from the Valencian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Directions in the street and in recipes are given as commands, and the form depends on whom you address.
To your own people — vosaltres: Gireu a la dreta — turn right, Seguiu tot rect — go straight.
To a stranger, a tourist, a client — the polite vostè: Agafi el carrer Major — take Carrer Major.
There is no negative command here: a ban is no plus the same polite form. No gireu ací — do not turn here, No agafi l'autopista.
Table
| to whom | form | example |
|---|---|---|
| tu (a friend) | gira, agafa, segueix | gira a la dreta |
| vosaltres (your own) | gireu, agafeu, seguiu | seguiu tot rect |
| vostè (a stranger) | giri, agafi, segueixi | agafi el carrer Major |
| the ban | no + subjuntiu | no gireu ací |
By example
- Gireu a la dreta a l'encreuament i seguiu tot rectTurn right at the crossroads and go straight
- Agafi la segona cantonada: el museu és davantTake the second corner: the museum is opposite
- No agafi l'autopista: hi ha obresDo not take the motorway: there are roadworks there
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
The imperative in directions: how does it work in Valencian?
Directions in the street and in recipes are given as commands, and the form depends on whom you address.
What does it look like in an example sentence Valencian?
“Gireu a la dreta a l'encreuament i seguiu tot rect” — Turn right at the crossroads and go straight. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.