The imperative is the way to express orders and exhortations. In French, the imperative is formed from the second person singular -tu of the present indicative, and also from the second person plural / courtesy -vous, always of the present indicative. It also includes the form "let's do …" which is given by the first person plural of the present tense -nous, without the pronoun -nous. With a little practice, you will be able to properly use the imperative in French.
Steps
Step 1. When using verbs ending in -er in the infinitive, the final "s" is removed from the second person singular of the present, unless it is followed by the pronouns -y or -en
Here are some examples:
- Regarde; (Look) (To those you would normally address with "you")
- Regardons; (Let's watch)
-
Regardez; (Look) (To those you would normally address with "vous")
Use the Imperative in French Step 2 Step 2. There are three verbs that behave irregularly, taking their imperative form from the present subjunctive
For instance:
- Etre (Being): Sois, Soyons, Soyez. (Ex; "Sois sage" means "Be wise".)
- Avoir (Avere): Aie, Ayons, Ayez. (Ex; "Ayons de la patience" means "We have patience".)
- Savoir (Know): Sache, Sachons, Sachez. (Ex; "Sachez vos amis" means "Know your friends".)
Use the Imperative in French Step 3 Step 3. When you want to form the negative form of the imperative, add -ne in front of the verb and -pas or another negation after the verb
For instance:
- Ne va pas au parc. (Don't go to the park.)
- Ne mangeons plus de viande. (We don't eat meat anymore.)
- N'oubliez jamais ce que je vous ai dit. (Never forget what I have told you.)
Use the Imperative in French Step 4 Step 4. When using the complement pronouns with the imperative, they follow the verb and are separated by the hyphen
For instance:
- Women-he-him! (Give it to him!)
- Achetons-en. (Let's buy some.)
- Vas-y. (Go there.) Remember that the letter "s" is retained when followed by -y or -en.
- Parlez-moi! (Talk to me!) Note the use of "moi" instead of "me" and of -toi instead of -te.
Use the Imperative in French Step 5 Step 5. However, with the negative imperative, pronouns will precede the verb, as in the following examples:
- Ne he dites rien. (Don't tell him anything.)
- Ne nous oubliez jamais. (Never forget us.)
- Ne leur en donne pas. (Don't give him any.)
- N'y va plus. (Don't go there anymore.)
- Ne le prenons pas. (We don't take it.)
Use the Imperative in French Step 6 Step 6. With reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun follows the imperative, and -te turns into -toi
For instance:
- Habille-toi screw! (Get dressed quickly!)
- Promenons-nous dans les bois. (Let's take a walk in the woods.)
-
Couchez-vous, les enfants. (Go to bed, children.)
Use the Imperative in French Step 7 Step 7. As we have seen with complement pronouns, however, in the negative imperative of reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun precedes the verb, and -te is used instead of -toi
Here are some examples:
- Ne te blesse pas. (Don't hurt yourself)
- Ne nous trompons pas. (We make no mistakes.)
- Ne vous moquez pas d'eux. (Don't make fun of them.)
Advice
- Making mistakes is part of learning a foreign language. Don't be ashamed and don't be embarrassed, you can learn wrong! Everyone makes mistakes; it is what makes us human.
- The imperative is by no means the most difficult rule of French grammar, but it is used frequently and it is worth taking some time to become familiar with it. Don't rush and practice.
