imperar

Ido

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin imperāre. Also borrowed from English imperious, French impérieux, Italian imperioso, Spanish imperioso.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /impeˈrar/

Verb

imperar (present imperas, past imperis, future imperos, conditional imperus, imperative imperez)

1. (transitive) to order, direct, enjoin, bid, command (not military)
2. (transitive) to rule, have sway

Conjugation

Conjugation of imperar

		present		past		future
infinitive		imperar		imperir		imperor
tense		imperas		imperis		imperos
conditional		imperus		—		—
imperative		imperez		—		—
adjective active participle		imperanta		imperinta		imperonta
adverbial active participle		imperante		imperinte		imperonte
nominal active participle	singular	imperanto		imperinto		imperonto
	plural	imperanti		imperinti		imperonti
adjective passive participle		imperata		imperita		imperota
adverbial passive participle		imperate		imperite		imperote
nominal passive participle	singular	imperato		imperito		imperoto
	plural	imperati		imperiti		imperoti

Derived terms

• imperema (“imperious”)
• impero (“command”)
• kontreimpero (“counterorder”)

See also

• dominacar
• guvernar
• imperio
• komandar
• regnar

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin imperāre (“command, govern”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ĩ.peˈɾa(ʁ)/ [ĩ.peˈɾa(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ĩ.peˈɾa(ʁ)/ [ĩ.peˈɾa(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ĩ.peˈɾa(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ĩ.peˈɾa(ʁ)/ [ĩ.peˈɾa(χ)]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ĩ.peˈɾa(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ĩ.pɨˈɾaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ĩ.pɨˈɾaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ĩ.pɨˈɾa.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: im‧pe‧rar

Verb

imperar (first-person singular present impero, first-person singular preterite imperei, past participle imperado)

1. (intransitive) to reign, rule

Conjugation

    Conjugation of imperar (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	imperar
Personal	imperar	imperares	imperar	imperarmos	imperardes	imperarem
Gerund
	imperando
Past participle
Masculine	imperado			imperados
Feminine	imperada			imperadas
Indicative
Present	impero	imperas	impera	imperamos	imperais	imperam
Imperfect	imperava	imperavas	imperava	imperávamos	imperáveis	imperavam
Preterite	imperei	imperaste	imperou	imperamos1, imperámos2	imperastes	imperaram
Pluperfect	imperara	imperaras	imperara	imperáramos	imperáreis	imperaram
Future	imperarei	imperarás	imperará	imperaremos	imperareis	imperarão
Conditional	imperaria	imperarias	imperaria	imperaríamos	imperaríeis	imperariam
Subjunctive
Present	impere	imperes	impere	imperemos	impereis	imperem
Imperfect	imperasse	imperasses	imperasse	imperássemos	imperásseis	imperassem
Future	imperar	imperares	imperar	imperarmos	imperardes	imperarem
Imperative
Affirmative		impera	impere	imperemos	imperai	imperem
Negative (não)		não imperes	não impere	não imperemos	não impereis	não imperem

¹Brazilian Portuguese.
²European Portuguese.

Related terms

• imperador

Further reading

• “imperar”, in iDicionário Aulete (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “imperar”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2025
• “imperar” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “imperar”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
• “imperar”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
• “imperar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin imperāre (“command, govern”); Cf. the dialectal emprar and semi-learned Old Spanish emperar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /impeˈɾaɾ/ [ĩm.peˈɾaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: im‧pe‧rar

Verb

imperar (first-person singular present impero, first-person singular preterite imperé, past participle imperado)

1. (intransitive) to reign, rule

   Synonym: regir

2. (intransitive) to prevail
3. (intransitive) to be in command, be emperor

Conjugation

    Conjugation of imperar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			imperar
gerund			imperando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		imperado		imperada
		plural		imperados		imperadas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	impero	imperastú imperásvos	impera	imperamos	imperáis	imperan
	imperfect	imperaba	imperabas	imperaba	imperábamos	imperabais	imperaban
	preterite	imperé	imperaste	imperó	imperamos	imperasteis	imperaron
	future	imperaré	imperarás	imperará	imperaremos	imperaréis	imperarán
	conditional	imperaría	imperarías	imperaría	imperaríamos	imperaríais	imperarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	impere	imperestú imperésvos2	impere	imperemos	imperéis	imperen
	imperfect (ra)	imperara	imperaras	imperara	imperáramos	imperarais	imperaran
	imperfect (se)	imperase	imperases	imperase	imperásemos	imperaseis	imperasen
	future1	imperare	imperares	imperare	imperáremos	imperareis	imperaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		imperatú imperávos	impere	imperemos	imperad	imperen
	negative		no imperes	no impere	no imperemos	no imperéis	no imperen

¹Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of imperar

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive imperar	dative	imperarme	imperarte	imperarle, imperarse	imperarnos	imperaros	imperarles, imperarse
	accusative	imperarme	imperarte	imperarlo, imperarla, imperarse	imperarnos	imperaros	imperarlos, imperarlas, imperarse
with gerund imperando	dative	imperándome	imperándote	imperándole, imperándose	imperándonos	imperándoos	imperándoles, imperándose
	accusative	imperándome	imperándote	imperándolo, imperándola, imperándose	imperándonos	imperándoos	imperándolos, imperándolas, imperándose
with informal second-person singular tú imperative impera	dative	impérame	impérate	impérale	impéranos	not used	impérales
	accusative	impérame	impérate	impéralo, impérala	impéranos	not used	impéralos, impéralas
with informal second-person singular vos imperative imperá	dative	imperame	imperate	imperale	imperanos	not used	imperales
	accusative	imperame	imperate	imperalo, imperala	imperanos	not used	imperalos, imperalas
with formal second-person singular imperative impere	dative	impéreme	not used	impérele, impérese	impérenos	not used	impéreles
	accusative	impéreme	not used	impérelo, impérela, impérese	impérenos	not used	impérelos, impérelas
with first-person plural imperative imperemos	dative	not used	imperémoste	imperémosle	imperémonos	imperémoos	imperémosles
	accusative	not used	imperémoste	imperémoslo, imperémosla	imperémonos	imperémoos	imperémoslos, imperémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative imperad	dative	imperadme	not used	imperadle	imperadnos	imperaos	imperadles
	accusative	imperadme	not used	imperadlo, imperadla	imperadnos	imperaos	imperadlos, imperadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative imperen	dative	impérenme	not used	impérenle	impérennos	not used	impérenles, impérense
	accusative	impérenme	not used	impérenlo, impérenla	impérennos	not used	impérenlos, impérenlas, impérense

Related terms

• emperador

Further reading

• “imperar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10