Shifts in the Estonian imperative paradigm The 2nd person singular and plural forms are central and stable in the paradigm of the Estonian imperative. The other forms are characterized by variation in use and forms, which points to certain function shifts. The shifts are caused by pragmatic and semantic factors; they have an important role in the situation structure and communicative function. The indicative form is mostly used instead of the 1st person plural imperative. Both forms, however, have their own usage area and nuances. The ku-/gu-marked the original optative form, and the perrnissive construction with the particle las shows similar developments into: 1) the third person imperative form, 2) evidential imperative, and 3) concessive. The grarnmaticalization of the shifts under discussion is stíll underway: the indicative form acting as the imperative form has not acquired the object government as yet; the use of personal forms reveals some restrictions ari sing from the role structure of the situation and the lexical meaning of the verb laskma.