b. To represent the imperative in the Oratio recta. Isäntä sanoi että rengit menisivät pellolle, the master told the servants to go to the fields. Hän viitasi että he vaikenisivat, he motioned to them to be silent.
(5) As a polite form of statement, request, or question, from which, as mentioned above, it often comes to be used as a future. Minä luulisin että hän ostaisi talonne, I should think he would buy your house. Voisitteko kertoa minulle? can you tell me? Tahtoisin puhua kanssanne, I should like to talk to you. Näyttäisitte minulle, please show me. Enkö saisi ...? can I have ...? Menisitte noutamaan yhdet hyyryvaunut, please go and call a cab.
(6) To express a wish with such particles as jos, jospa, kunhan, etc. Jospa hän tulisi! if he would only come! Jospa olisin tietänyt! had I only known! Kunhan tuttuni tulisi! if my friend would but come!
Imperative and Optative.
Though these moods are given as two in the Accidence on account of the slight difference in their form, they may be treated as one syntactically, as they supply one another’s deficiencies, the imperative being only used in the 2nd sing. and 1st and 2nd persons plur., and the optative only in the 2nd sing. and the 3rd person singular and plural. In poetry a 2nd pers. plur. optative ending in otte is occasionally found. There is no difference between the meaning of the two in 2nd person singular.
The imperative expresses:—
I. A command or request. Lähe nyt kanssa laulamahan, come to sing with me (Kal. i. 14). Toki tullos toinen kerta, come again (Kal. v. 137). Käy pian välehen jou’u, go quickly and finish the business (Kal. l. 211). Ellös menkö poikaseni Parempikin itseäsi, aspire not, my son, to those that are better than thyself (Kal. xi. 69).
II. A condition. Sano mitä sanot, en siitä kuitenkaan välitä, you may say what you like, but I don’t care. Teen minä sen vaikka hän kieltäköönkin, I shall do it, even though he forbid it.