Imperative: Commands and Requests
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Learn how to form German commands and requests for du, ihr, and Sie. Practise regular, separable, and important irregular verbs as well as word order.
Explanation
What is the imperative for?
Use the imperative to give instructions, make suggestions, or ask someone to do something:
- Komm bitte herein! (Please come in.)
- Arbeitet zu zweit! (Work in pairs.)
- Warten Sie einen Moment! (Please wait a moment.)
The form depends on the person addressed: du for one familiar person, ihr for several familiar people, and Sie for one or more people in a formal situation.
The three forms
| Infinitive | du | ihr | Sie |
|---|
| machen | Mach! | Macht! | Machen Sie! |
| arbeiten | Arbeite! | Arbeitet! | Arbeiten Sie! |
| fahren | Fahr! | Fahrt! | Fahren Sie! |
| anrufen | Ruf an! | Ruft an! | Rufen Sie an! |
| sein | Sei! | Seid! | Seien Sie! |
| haben | Hab! / Habe! | Habt! | Haben Sie! |
du
Usually take the present-tense du form and remove -st and the pronoun:
- du machst → Mach!
- du kommst → Komm!
With verbs such as arbeiten, öffnen, and atmen, the standard form needs -e: Arbeite!, Öffne!, Atme!. Verbs ending in -ieren also use -e: Studiere!
With verbs changing e → i/ie, keep the change: Iss!, Lies!. However, an umlaut found in the du form disappears: du fährst → Fahr!, du läufst → Lauf!
ihr
Use the normal present-tense ihr form, but omit ihr:
- ihr macht → Macht!
- ihr arbeitet → Arbeitet!
- ihr fahrt → Fahrt!
Sie
Use the verb form that agrees with Sie and put Sie immediately after it:
- Machen Sie!
- Arbeiten Sie!
- Fahren Sie!
Watch the special verb sein: Sei! – Seid! – Seien Sie!
Word order
The conjugated verb comes first:
- Öffne bitte das Fenster!
- Warten Sie hier!
With separable verbs, the prefix goes to the end:
- Ruf mich später an!
- Steht bitte um sieben Uhr auf!
Adding bitte makes a command more polite. In a negative command, nicht normally stands next to the element being negated or near the end: Vergiss den Schlüssel nicht!
Exercises
- Which sentence contains an imperative? Choose the correct command or request in each short context. (11)
- Turn the cue into an imperative for the stated form of address (du, ihr, or Sie). (11)
- Form commands with special verb forms. Pay attention to -e, vowel changes, sein, and haben. (12)
- Arrange the words into a correct command. The verb comes first; a separable prefix goes at the end. (11)
A1 · German · Grammar