In linguistics, hortatives are a class of grammatical moods that encourage or discourage actions. Classic English horatives are esperessions like 'let's' to encourage collective actions, like 'Let's go', or admonitions using 'better' like 'You'd better not do that.' Like English, Common lacks explicit, grammatical horative moods, and like English, there is a lot of ambiguity and shading into other modalities. In this article, we will look at sample hortative statements of the type of 'Let's go' or 'You'd better not'.

The original Old Common language had two main hortative constructions, both with unmistakable English influence. One, based on the verb 'fereh', to permit, was used to exhort collective action, and the other, based on a vague copular expression and the adverbial phrase 'fo zra', 'better', was used to encourage or admonish. A few examples will serve to show how this worked.

Hyp fereh ixi wez nox ija nene.
give(NP.IM.IR) permit RELV.DAT we(INC.ABS) go(NP.IM.R) the(DAT) dance
Let's go to the dance.

Si an fo zra xut ju ti ikky kyf a paluh.
Stand(NP.IM.IR) be more good RELV.ABS you(ERG) do(NP.IM.R) not anger the(ABS) dog.
You'd better not make the dog angry.

Si an fo zra xut jez nux ija costo.
Stand(NP.IM.IR) be more good RELV.ABS we(INC.ERG) go(NP.IM.R) the(DAT) house.
We'd better go home.

The latter two forms are conditional statements, with a bit of hortative boilerplate up front as as the apodosis and the meat of the expression in the protasis - with the apodosis before the protasis, as these statements were usually formulated, both main verbs required the irrealis.

A couple of things happened in the evolution towards modern High Common. One, the 'hap fereh' version lost favour. And two, in colloquial speech, speakers stopped saying the 'si an' part and 'fo zra xut' became a set phrase to introduce a sentence that was hortative in nature.

When the language was first codified under the NWO, there was resistance to enshiring this short form, but in the modernising reforms of the 2070s, the AXT accepted 'fo zra xut' as a good Common. In very formal writing you will still see 'si an fo zra xut', but even in fairly frmal settings, 'fo zra xut' is now accepted. Those examples would now be said as:

• Fo zra xut wez nux ija nene.
• Fo zra xut ju ti ikky kyf a paluh.
• Fo zra xut jez nux ija costo.

Notice how even thought is this a set expression, the main verb being in the irrealis mood is still mandatory.

Again, there are other ways to say things in Common that give a horative sense, because Common is not a clean or well-defined language in this area. However, this set expression is extremely Common and useful in a wide range of situations and sounds idiomatic, so it is good for learners to master.

In casual language at all social regisgters, you will actually hear it further shortened to 'fo zra', omitting the 'xut', but that reads as lazy or inarticulate and should not be used in formal language. In particular, the simple 'fo zra' form may even take a verb in the realis mood, which is considered particularly ignorant, but is also rather ubiquitous. The 'fo zra xut' form is good in just about any register.