The imperative is the command form; it's when we tell or ask somebody to do something. In French, the imperative is formed from the second person singular or -tu form of the present tense, and also from the second person polite/plural -vous form, again of the present tense. It also includes the form "let's do..." which is represented by the first person plural or -nous form of the present tense, without the pronoun -nous. With some practice, you'll be able to properly use the imperative command form in French...

Steps

  1. 1
    When using verbs that contain infinitives ending in -er, we remove the final letter "s" from the -tu form of the present tense for the imperative, unless it is followed by the pronouns -y or -en. Here are some examples:
    • Regarde; (Look) (To those you would normally address as "tu")
    • Regardons; (Let's look)
    • Regardez; (Look) (To those you would normally address as "vous")
  2. 2
    There are three verbs that are irregular in the imperative, taking their imperative from the present subjunctive form. For example:
    • Être (To be): Sois, Soyons, Soyez. (Ex; "Sois sage" means "Be good".)
    • Avoir (To have): Aie, Ayons, Ayez. (Ex; "Ayons de la patience" means "Let's have patience".)
    • Savoir/ connaître(To know): Sache, Sachons, Sachez / connais, connaissons, connaissez (Ex; "Connaissez vos amis" means "Know your friends".)
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  3. 3
    When you want to form the negative imperative form, simply put -ne in front of the imperative and -pas or an alternative after it. For example:
    • Ne va pas au parc. (Don't go to the park.)
    • Ne mangeons plus de viande. (Let's not eat any more meat.)
    • N'oubliez jamais ce que je vous ai dit. (Never forget what I have told you.)
  4. 4
    When using object pronouns with the imperative, the pronouns follow the verb and are hyphenated. Some examples:
    • Donne-le-lui! (Give it to him!)
    • Achetons-en. (Let's buy some.)
    • Vas-y. (Go there.) Remember the letter "s" is kept when followed by -y or -en.
    • Parlez-moi! (Speak to me!) Notice the emphatic "moi" is used rather than "me"; -toi would be used instead of -te.
  5. 5
    However, with the negative imperative, the pronouns will precede verb, as in these examples:
    • Ne lui dites rien. (Don't tell him anything.)
    • Ne nous oubliez jamais. (Never forget us.)
    • Ne leur en donne pas. (Don't give them any (of it).)
    • N'y va plus. (Don't go there any more.)
    • Ne le prenons pas. (Let's not take it.)
  6. 6
    With reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun follows the imperative, and -te changes to -toi. For example:
    • Habille-toi vite! (Get dressed quickly!)
    • Promenons-nous dans les bois. (Let's go for a walk in the woods.)
    • Couchez-vous, les enfants. (Go to bed, children.)
  7. 7
    Just as we saw earlier with object pronouns, however, in the negative imperative of reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun precedes the verb, and -te is used, not -toi. Here are a few examples:
    • Ne te blesse pas. (Don't hurt yourself.)
    • Ne nous trompons pas. (Let's not be mistaken.)
    • Ne vous moquez pas d'eux. (Don't make fun of them.)
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    What about verbs that end in -ir, -re, etc.?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    They are conjugated the same way except for the tu form of the -er verb as mentioned where the 's' is usually dropped.
  • Question
    Which pronouns are used in the command form?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Tu or vous are used.
  • Question
    If "te" changes to "toi," then what will "tes" change into?
    Dodo47
    Dodo47
    Top Answerer
    "Tes" won't change.
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About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 12 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 138,192 times.
41 votes - 73%
Co-authors: 12
Updated: May 30, 2022
Views: 138,192
Categories: French
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