Imperative
A1 L'impératif 18 / 52
In short
The imperative gives orders, instructions, advice and invitations: Parle!, Écoutons!, Venez! It exists in only three persons - tu, nous, vous - and you build it by taking the present-tense form and dropping the subject pronoun.
The rule
The imperative is the mood of commands and requests. Because you are speaking directly to someone (or including yourself), it uses only three persons and no subject pronoun appears in front of the verb.
The three forms - tu / nous / vous:
- tu -> a command to one person you address informally: Mange ta soupe.
- nous -> a suggestion including yourself, “let’s…”: Partons maintenant.
- vous -> a command to one person (polite) or several people: Fermez la porte.
To form them, start from the present tense (Lesson 6, 7, 12) and simply remove the pronoun:
- tu regardes -> Regarde!
- nous regardons -> Regardons!
- vous regardez -> Regardez!
-er verbs drop the -s (parle!)
For -er verbs (and for verbs whose tu form ends in -es, plus aller and ouvrir/offrir-type verbs), the tu form loses its final -s:
- tu parles -> Parle! (not parles)
- tu manges -> Mange!
- tu vas -> Va!
- tu ouvres -> Ouvre!
Note: nous and vous forms keep their endings unchanged - only the tu form of these verbs drops the -s. The -s comes back for liaison before y and en: Vas-y!, Manges-en!
Irregulars: sois, aie, sache
Four verbs do not use the present tense - they borrow the subjunctive stem. Learn them by heart:
- être -> sois, soyons, soyez (Sois sage! - Be good!)
- avoir -> aie, ayons, ayez (Aie confiance! - Have confidence!)
- savoir -> sache, sachons, sachez (Sachez que… - Know that…)
- vouloir -> veuille, veuillons, veuillez (Veuillez patienter. - Please wait - very polite)
Pronoun placement (positive vs negative preview)
When the command has an object or reflexive pronoun, its position depends on whether the command is affirmative or negative:
- Affirmative: the pronoun comes after the verb, joined by a hyphen. me and te become moi/toi: Regarde-moi!, Donne-le-lui., Lève-toi!
- Negative: the pronoun goes before the verb, in its normal place: Ne me regarde pas., Ne le lui donne pas., Ne te lève pas.
Full detail on object pronouns is in Lesson 23; this is just the preview.
Forms & patterns
Regular verbs - one from each group:
| Person | parler (-er) | finir (-ir) | attendre (-re) |
|---|---|---|---|
| tu | parle | finis | attends |
| nous | parlons | finissons | attendons |
| vous | parlez | finissez | attendez |
The four irregular verbs:
| Person | être | avoir | savoir | vouloir |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tu | sois | aie | sache | veuille |
| nous | soyons | ayons | sachons | (veuillons) |
| vous | soyez | ayez | sachez | veuillez |
Pronominal (reflexive) verbs - note the affirmative/negative shift:
| Verb | tu (affirmative) | tu (negative) |
|---|---|---|
| se lever | Lève-toi! | Ne te lève pas! |
| se dépêcher | Dépêche-toi! | Ne te dépêche pas! |
| s’asseoir | Assieds-toi! | Ne t’assieds pas! |
Examples
| Français | English |
|---|---|
| Parle plus lentement, s’il te plaît. | Speak more slowly, please. |
| Mange tes légumes! | Eat your vegetables! |
| Allons-y! | Let’s go! |
| Fermez la fenêtre, il fait froid. | Close the window, it’s cold. |
| Sois patient, ça arrive. | Be patient, it’s coming. |
| N’aie pas peur du chien. | Don’t be afraid of the dog. |
| Dépêche-toi, on est en retard! | Hurry up, we’re late! |
| Ne me dérange pas maintenant. | Don’t disturb me right now. |
Common mistakes
- Tu parle plus fort -> Parle plus fort - the imperative drops the subject pronoun tu.
- Parles! -> Parle! - -er verbs lose the final -s in the tu form.
- Va-y! -> Vas-y! - the -s returns for liaison before y and en.
- Sois pas triste -> Ne sois pas triste - a negative command still needs ne…pas around the verb.
- Lève-te! -> Lève-toi! - in an affirmative command te becomes toi.
- Regarde-me! -> Regarde-moi! - likewise me becomes moi after an affirmative imperative.
Tips
- Build any regular imperative from the present tense, then delete the subject pronoun - that is the whole trick.
- The -s only disappears in the tu form of -er verbs (and aller, ouvrir…); nous and vous never lose their endings.
- Memorize the four irregulars as a set: sois / aie / sache / veuille - they come from the subjunctive, not the present.
- Affirmative -> pronoun after with a hyphen (me/te -> moi/toi); negative -> pronoun before, everything back to normal.
- Veuillez + infinitive is the polite everyday formula on signs and requests: Veuillez patienter.
- Say it out loud with the exclamation - the imperative is about tone as much as form.