The imperative or “l’impératif” is a verb mood that is used to give orders, make requests, suggest an idea, give directions or offer advice.
Get out right now. I don’t want to see you.
Prépare-moi un sandwich.
Fix me a sandwich.
Please, contact your provider as soon as possible.
Passe-moi le poivre s’il te plaît.
Can you pass me the black pepper please?
Pardonnez-lui ses erreurs.
Forgive his mistakes.
Let’s have some coffee!
Parlons-en!
Let’s talk about it!
Go straight for about 100m, then turn right.
Prends la deuxième à gauche et continue tout droit sur 500m.
Take the second left and go straight for 500m.
Take a nice shower and relax.
Oublie tout ça. Ça ne sert à rien de garder ces souvenirs.
Forget about it. There is no point in keeping these memories.
Notice that for the second person singular in the imperative we dropped the “s” whereas the form is the same for the first and second person plural.
For Vouloir, only the 2nd person plural can be conjugated to the imperative and it’s only used for polite requests.
Veuillez nous excuser de vous avoir dérangé.
Please forgive us for bothering you.
Always take your medecines on an empty stomach.
Never take your medecines on an empty stomach.
Play jump rope!
Ne jouez pas à la corde!
Don’t play jump rope!
Remark: In the imperative mode, a hyphen is used between the verb and the direct and indirect objects:
Prends ta clé > Prends-la
Take your key. Take it.
Dis à ta mère que tu as menti > Dis-lui que tu as menti > Dis-le-lui
Tell your mother that you lied > Tell her that you lied > Tell it to her.
Giving orders:
Sortez tout de suite. Je ne veux plus vous voir.Get out right now. I don’t want to see you.
Prépare-moi un sandwich.
Fix me a sandwich.
Making requests:
Veuillez contacter votre fournisseur le plus tôt possible.Please, contact your provider as soon as possible.
Passe-moi le poivre s’il te plaît.
Can you pass me the black pepper please?
Pardonnez-lui ses erreurs.
Forgive his mistakes.
Suggesting an idea:
Allons prendre un café!Let’s have some coffee!
Parlons-en!
Let’s talk about it!
Giving directions:
Allez tout droit sur 100m environ, ensuite tournez à droite.Go straight for about 100m, then turn right.
Prends la deuxième à gauche et continue tout droit sur 500m.
Take the second left and go straight for 500m.
Offering advice:
Prends une bonne douche et détends-toi.Take a nice shower and relax.
Oublie tout ça. Ça ne sert à rien de garder ces souvenirs.
Forget about it. There is no point in keeping these memories.
The positive form of the imperative:
The imperative is only used for the second person singular, the first person and the second person plural. The imperative doesn’t use personal pronouns. It has the same form as the present simple for the verbs of the second group and the third group (except for : aller, avoir, être and savoir).For the verbs of the first group:
The second person singular in the imperative doesn’t use the final “s” as it’s the case in the present simple. The form is the same for the first person and second person plural.| Parler | |
| Present simple | Imperative |
| Tu parles | Parle! |
| Nous parlons | Parlons! |
| Vous parlez | Parlez! |
Notice that for the second person singular in the imperative we dropped the “s” whereas the form is the same for the first and second person plural.
For the verbs of the second group and the third group:
The form of the imperative of the verbs of the second group and the third group is the same as that of the present simple.| Applaudir | |
| Present simple | Imperative |
| Tu applaudis | Applaudis! |
| Nous applaudissons | Applaudissons! |
| Vous applaudissez ! | Applaudissez! |
| Vendre | |
| Present simple | Imperative |
| Tu vends | Vends! |
| Nous vendons | Vendons! |
| Vous vendez | Vendez! |
Exceptions:
| Aller | |
| Present simple | Imperative |
| Tu vas | Va! |
| Nous allons | Allons! |
| Vous allez | Allez! |
| Avoir | |
| Present simple | Imperative |
| Tu as | Aie! |
| Nous avons | Ayons! |
| Vous avez | Ayez! |
| Être | |
| Present simple | Imperative |
| Tu es | Sois! |
| Nous sommes | Soyons! |
| Vous êtes | Soyez! |
| Savoir | |
| Present simple | Imperative |
| Tu sais | Sache! |
| Nous savons | Sachons! |
| Vous savez | Sachez! |
For Vouloir, only the 2nd person plural can be conjugated to the imperative and it’s only used for polite requests.
Veuillez nous excuser de vous avoir dérangé.
Please forgive us for bothering you.
The negative imperative:
To form the negative imperative, we use “ne” before the verb and we follow it with the negative adverbs such as: pas, plus, jamais, personne, rien etc...Positive imperative:
Prends toujours tes médicaments à jeun.Always take your medecines on an empty stomach.
Negative imperative:
Ne prends jamais
tes médicaments à jeun.Never take your medecines on an empty stomach.
Positive imperative:
Jouez à la corde!Play jump rope!
Ne jouez pas à la corde!
Don’t play jump rope!
Remark: In the imperative mode, a hyphen is used between the verb and the direct and indirect objects:
Prends ta clé > Prends-la
Take your key. Take it.
Dis à ta mère que tu as menti > Dis-lui que tu as menti > Dis-le-lui
Tell your mother that you lied > Tell her that you lied > Tell it to her.