1. A method comprising: receiving, at a robotic device that includes at least one sensory device, a short-form command comprising at least an action descriptor and a target for the action descriptor, wherein the action descriptor includes a verb; determining a plurality of functions corresponding to the action descriptor, wherein determining the plurality of functions comprises determining an action to perform based on the verb, and wherein determining the action to perform based on the verb comprises determining a past action performed by the robotic device based on the verb or a similar verb; determining a plurality of targets in an environment of the robotic device that at least relate to the target; and determining, from the plurality of functions, a given function to perform based on (i) the plurality of targets in the environment relating to the target and (ii) the environment of the robotic device.