Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Navi joins our team/Grammar
From Learning Languages Through Video Games
Jump to navigationJump to searchThe imperative form using ~なさい
おきなさい!
You can form the "polite" imperative by taking off the ます off of a verb in the polite present, and add なさい.
食べなさい Eat 読みなさい Read おきなさい Get up
~なさい is used by superiors to their inferiors, like a parent to a child, or a teacher to a student. てください is used by inferiors to ask their superiors to do something, like a student to a teacher.
The word "polite" means this form is not the impolite imperative, like おきろ! Or 読め!, which is a lot stronger imperative.