auxiliary N2 uncommon casual
〜たまえ — do ~
〜たまえ ・ たまえ
Builds on 連用形（ます形）
Meaning
- do ~ (gentle command) — a softened, slightly old-fashioned order from a superior to a subordinate
Key sentence
まあ、座りたまえ。
Well, do have a seat.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb masu-stem | Vます-stem + たまえ | 聞きたまえ |
When: Used by an older or higher-status man addressing someone beneath him (a boss to staff, a teacher to a student); dated and now mostly heard in fiction or set as deliberately formal/theatrical.
Examples
君、ちょっと来たまえ。
You there, come here a moment.
好きにやりたまえ。
Go ahead and do as you like.
Easily confused with
なさい なさい is a gentle command typically from parent/teacher to child and is gender-neutral; たまえ is a man's softened order to a social inferior, more dated and slightly grand. 命令形 The plain imperative (しろ/来い) is blunt and forceful; たまえ softens the command while still asserting the speaker's higher standing.
Notes
- From the honorific verb 給う; the politeness is now largely archaic flavour.
See 〜たまえ in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜たまえ the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.