The imperative gives an order, advice or an invitation to tu, nous and vous, with no subject pronoun. The tu form of ‑er verbs drops its s: Parle plus lentement. Parlez plus lentement.
Summary
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| Point | Rule | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set phrases | écoutez / répétez / regardez / excusez-moi | Répétez, s’il vous plaît. | Please repeat. | |
| Form | tu, nous, vous: the present, without the subject | Prends ton manteau. | Take your coat. | |
| Form | nous: an invitation to do something together | Allons au cinéma ! | Let's go to the cinema! | |
| The verb être | être: sois / soyons / soyez | Sois à l’heure ! | Be on time! | |
| The verbs avoir and savoir | avoir: aie / ayons / ayez ; savoir: sache / sachons / sachez | N’aie pas peur ! | Don't be afraid! | |
| Negation | ne + verb + pas | Ne mange pas ça. | Don't eat that. | |
| Reflexive verbs | affirmative: verb-toi; negative: ne te + verb + pas | Lève-toi ! | Get up! | |
| Pronouns | after the verb: le / la / les, then moi / lui | Donne-le-moi. | Give it to me. | |
| Y and en | before y and en, the s of tu comes back | Penses-y. | Think about it. | |
| Use | an order, an instruction, advice, an invitation; s’il vous plaît softens it | Ouvrez la fenêtre, s’il vous plaît. | Open the window, please. | |
| Trap | ‑er verbs: no s in the tu form | Écoute ! | Listen! |
Overview
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- The imperative has three persons: tu, nous and vous. Viens ici. / Mangeons ensemble. / Venez ici.Come here. / Let's eat together. / Come here.
- The verb stands without a subject pronoun: the ending shows who is addressed. Écoute. / Écoutez.Listen. / Listen.
- When to say tu and when vous: Forms of Address: tu and vous.
Form: regular verbs
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| Person | parler | finir | attendre | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tu | parle | finis | attends | |
| nous | parlons | finissons | attendons | |
| vous | parlez | finissez | attendez |
- The imperative takes the present forms, without the subject pronoun. Finis ton café. / Attendez un instant.Finish your coffee. / Wait a moment.
- ‑er verbs drop the s of tu: tu parles → parle. Mange ta soupe. / Regarde !Eat your soup. / Look!
- Verbs like ouvrir and offrir follow the same pattern: no s for tu. Ouvre la porte. / Offre des fleurs à ta mère.Open the door. / Give your mother some flowers.
- Aller follows the same rule: va, allons, allez. Va à l’école. / Allez tout droit.Go to school. / Go straight on.
Form: être, avoir, savoir
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| Person | être | Level |
|---|---|---|
| tu | sois | |
| nous | soyons | |
| vous | soyez |
| Person | avoir | savoir | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| tu | aie | sache | |
| nous | ayons | sachons | |
| vous | ayez | sachez |
- Être has three forms of its own: learn them by heart. Sois gentil. / Soyez à l’heure.Be kind. / Be on time.
- Avoir and savoir also have forms of their own, with no s for tu. N’aie pas peur. / Ayez de la patience.Don't be afraid. / Be patient.
Form: the negative
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| Form | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| ne + verb + pas | Ne parle pas si fort. / Ne partez pas. | Don't speak so loudly. / Don't leave. | |
| ne + te + verb + pas | Ne te lève pas. / Ne vous inquiétez pas. | Don't get up. / Don't worry. | |
| ne + verb + jamais | Ne dis jamais ça. / N’y va plus. | Never say that. / Don't go there any more. |
- Before a vowel, ne becomes n’. N’oublie pas tes clés. / N’attendez pas.Don't forget your keys. / Don't wait.
- In the negative, ‑er verbs keep the form without s. Ne mange pas trop vite.Don't eat too fast.
- All the negatives: Negation.
Pronouns with the imperative
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- In the affirmative, a pronominal verb takes toi, nous or vous after it, with a hyphen. Dépêche-toi ! / Asseyez-vous, s’il vous plaît.Hurry up! / Please sit down.
- In the negative, the pronoun goes back before the verb: ne te + verb + pas. Ne te dépêche pas. / Ne vous asseyez pas ici.Don't hurry. / Don't sit here.
- An object pronoun follows the verb, with a hyphen; me and te become moi and toi. Aide-moi. / Écoutez-moi. / Dis-lui merci.Help me. / Listen to me. / Say thank you to him.
- With two pronouns, le, la or les comes first: le-moi, le-lui. Donne-le-moi. / Dites-le-lui.Give it to me. / Tell him.
- Before y and en, ‑er verbs take back the s of tu. Vas-y ! / Manges-en un peu.Go ahead! / Have some.
- Reflexive verbs: Reflexive Verbs: se lever.
Use
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| Use | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| In class | Écoutez, puis répétez. | Listen, then repeat. | |
| Apologising, getting attention | Excusez-moi, où est la gare ? | Excuse me, where is the station? | |
| An order, an instruction | Ouvrez votre livre à la page dix. | Open your book at page ten. | |
| A polite request, with s’il te plaît or s’il vous plaît | Passe-moi le sel, s’il te plaît. | Pass me the salt, please. | |
| Advice | Dors bien et bois de l’eau. | Sleep well and drink water. | |
| An invitation, a suggestion with nous | Allons au cinéma ce soir ! | Let's go to the cinema tonight! | |
| Directions | Tournez à gauche, puis allez tout droit. | Turn left, then go straight on. | |
| A recipe, instructions for use | Coupez les oignons, puis ajoutez le sel. | Chop the onions, then add the salt. | |
| A wish | Amuse-toi bien ! | Have a good time! |
Typical errors
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| Wrong | Right | Rule | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parles plus lentement. | Parle plus lentement. | for tu, ‑er verbs have no s | |
| Lève-te ! | Lève-toi ! | te → toi | |
| Ne lève-toi pas. | Ne te lève pas. | in the negative, the pronoun goes back before the verb: ne te + verb + pas | |
| N’as pas peur ! | N’aie pas peur ! | avoir has the form aie for tu | |
| Va-y ! | Vas-y ! | before y, va takes its s back: vas-y |