Introduction to the imperative in French
The imperative mood in French is used to give commands, orders, suggestions, or requests. So, for example, when you want someone to do something or give instructions. The imperative doesn’t have to be impolite. If it’s a hot day, you would for example say to someone to drink more with the imperative. Also, if you give advice or sometimes when you express an invitation you would also use it. Here are some key points about the imperative in French:
When do you use the imperative
As said before, it’s not necessary impolite to use the imperative, although it can be. Do not say Taisez-vous! (be quiet!) to someone you don’t know and consider peers.
- Giving Commands: Directly telling someone to do something.
- Ferme la porte! (Close the door!)
- Écoute-moi attentivement (Listen to me attentively.)
- Arrête de parler! (Stop talking!)
- Making Requests: Asking someone to do something politely.
- Veuillez remplir ce formulaire (Please fill out this form.)
- Passe-moi le sel, s’il te plaît (Pass me the salt, please.)
- Tenez la porte, s’il vous plaît (Hold the door, please.)
- Giving Instructions: Providing guidance or directions.
- Prenez la première rue à droite (Take the first street on the right.)
- Ouvrez vos livres à la page dix (Open your books to page ten.)
- “Mélangez les ingrédients dans un bol.” (Mix the ingredients in a bowl.)
- Offering Advice or Suggestions: Recommending actions to someone.
- Bois beaucoup d’eau (Drink plenty of water.)
- Mangez des fruits et légumes tous les jours (Eat fruits and vegetables every day.)
- N’oubliez pas de faire de l’exercice régulièrement (Don’t forget to exercise regularly.)
- Giving Orders or Directives: In more formal or professional settings.
- Assistez à la réunion à neuf heures précises (Attend the meeting at nine sharp.)
- Suivez ces instructions attentivement. (Follow these instructions carefully.)
- Exécutez les ordres du chef. (Execute the orders of the chief.)
- Expressing Wishes or Invitations: Using the imperative to invite or express desires.
- Viens dîner avec nous ce soir (Come to dinner with us tonight.)
- Amusez-vous bien à la fête! (Have fun at the party!)
- Passez de bonnes vacances! (Have a good holiday!)
In all of these situations, the imperative is used to convey a sense of directness and urgency. It is not used to sound abrasive, but to indicate that the action should be performed immediately or precisely as instructed. The choice between formal and informal imperatives depends on the relationship between the speaker and the listener, as well as the context of the situation.
Formation of the imperative
Because the imperative is used to speak directly to someone, there is only a conjugation for three pronouns, namely tu (you), nous (us) and vous (you plural). Good news is that for most verbs, the imperative is the present tense forms of the verb or looks very much like it. Especially regular verbs are simple in this respect. Irregular verbs have some more exceptions. Notice that you normally use subject pronouns (je, tu, nous) in French, but not with the imperative unless you need to clarify or put emphasis. Let’s look at an example:
For the verb parler (to speak)
- Tu parles (you speak, indicative) → Parle (speak!, imperative)
- Vous parlez (you speak, indicative) → Parlez (speak!, imperative)
Reflexive verbs
An exception are reflexive verbs, like se lever (to get up), where the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous) comes after the verb and is joined with a hyphen (this ‘-‘ is a hyphen).
For the verb se lever (to get up):
- Lève-toi! (get up!, informal singular)
- Lève-toi! (informal plural)
- Levez-vous! (formal singular/plural)
Negative imperative
When you want a so called negative imperative, like “don’t speak!”, you use ne and pas like in normal negative sentences. But this time ne precedes the verb, and pas or another negative adverb follows it.
For example:
- Ne parle pas! (Don’t speak!)
- Ne vous inquiétez pas! (Don’t worry!)
Irregular verbs
Some verbs have irregular imperative forms. Let’s look at some examples
- Être (to be):
- Sois (tu)
- Soyons (nous)
- Soyez (vous)
- Avoir (to have):
- Aie (tu)
- Ayons (nous)
- Ayez (vous)
- Savoir (to know)
- Sache (tu)
- Sachons (nous)
- Sachez (vous)
Examples with the imperative in sentences
- Sois gentil avec tes frères
- Be nice to your brothers
- Soyons prudents
- Let’s be careful
- Soyez à l’heure!
- Be on time!
- Aie confiance en toi
- Have confidence in yourself
- Ayons du courage
- Let’s have courage
- Ayez un bon voyage!
- Have a good trip!
- Sache que je suis là pour toi
- Know that I’m here for you
- Sachons prendre les bonnes décisions
- Let’s know how to make the right decisions
- Sachez que vous êtes les bienvenus
- Know that you are welcome