Grammar Guide

What is it?

The French imperative, l’impératif, is used to give commands, instructions, advice, invitations or requests.

The subject pronoun is normally omitted.

French mainly uses three imperative forms:

• tu
• nous
• vous

Examples:

• Ferme la porte. — Close the door.
• Allons au restaurant. — Let’s go to the restaurant.
• Écoutez attentivement. — Listen carefully.

The imperative is usually based on the present-tense verb form.

When to use

Use the imperative to give a direct instruction.

• Ouvre la fenêtre.
• Prenez votre livre.

Use it to give advice.

• Repose-toi.
• Mange plus lentement.

Use it to invite someone to do something.

• Viens avec nous.
• Entrez, s’il vous plaît.

Use the nous form to suggest doing something together.

• Allons au cinéma.
• Commençons maintenant.

Use the vous form when speaking to several people or when addressing one person formally.

• Regardez cette photo.
• Attendez ici, monsieur.

Structure

The basic structure is:

Imperative verb + complement

The subject pronoun is omitted.

Regular -ER verbs

For regular -er verbs, the imperative normally uses the present-tense forms.

However, the tu form usually drops the final -s.

Examples:

• Parle plus lentement.
• Regardons ce film.
• Écoutez la question.

Other verbs

For many other verbs, the imperative keeps the normal present-tense form.

Examples:

• Finis ton travail.
• Prenons le bus.
• Prenez votre manteau.

Negative imperative

To make a negative command, place ne before the verb and pas after it.

Ne/n’ + imperative verb + pas

• Ne parle pas.
• N’oubliez pas votre téléphone.
• Ne partons pas maintenant.

Reflexive verbs

In an affirmative imperative, the reflexive pronoun comes after the verb and is connected with a hyphen.

• Lève-toi.
• Levons-nous.
• Levez-vous.

With the tu form, te becomes toi.

In a negative imperative, the reflexive pronoun returns before the verb.

• Ne te lève pas.
• Ne nous arrêtons pas.
• Ne vous inquiétez pas.

Examples

1. Ferme la porte.
2. Écoutez attentivement.
3. Prenons le train.
4. Finis ton travail.
5. Attendez ici, s’il vous plaît.
6. Allons au restaurant.
7. Ne parle pas si vite.
8. N’oubliez pas vos clés.
9. Lève-toi maintenant.
10. Reposez-vous un moment.

Exceptions

Several common verbs have irregular imperative forms.

Être

• sois
• soyons
• soyez

Examples:

• Sois patient.
• Soyez prudents.

Avoir

• aie
• ayons
• ayez

Examples:

• Aie confiance.
• Ayez patience.

Savoir

• sache
• sachons
• sachez

Example:

• Sache que je suis ici.

Aller

The tu form is:

• va

Example:

• Va à la maison.

For regular -er verbs and aller, the tu imperative normally has no final -s.

However, an -s is added before y and en to make pronunciation easier.

• Vas-y.
• Manges-en.

Common mistakes

1. Incorrect: Tu ferme la porte. Correct: Ferme la porte. Explanation: The subject pronoun is normally omitted in the imperative.

2. Incorrect: Parles plus lentement. Correct: Parle plus lentement. Explanation: The tu imperative of regular -er verbs normally drops the final -s.

3. Incorrect: Nous allons au restaurant! Correct: Allons au restaurant! Explanation: Use the imperative form without the subject pronoun for a suggestion.

4. Incorrect: Ne pas parle. Correct: Ne parle pas. Explanation: In a negative imperative, ne and pas go around the verb.

5. Incorrect: Te lève. Correct: Lève-toi. Explanation: In an affirmative reflexive imperative, the pronoun comes after the verb and te becomes toi.

6. Incorrect: Ne lève-toi pas. Correct: Ne te lève pas. Explanation: In a negative reflexive imperative, the pronoun comes before the verb.

7. Incorrect: Sois pas impatient. Correct: Ne sois pas impatient. Explanation: Standard negative commands use ne before the verb and pas after it.