The French Imperative

Video on the imperative

The imperative (l’impératif) is the mood of commands, advice and instructions. It has only three persons and is used without a subject pronoun. This page explains when to use it, how to form it, the irregular verbs, where pronouns go, the negative form, the -s trap, common mistakes, a quick test and three interactive exercises right on the page.

In this lesson

The rule in one sentence
When to use the imperative
Forming the imperative
Irregular verbs
Where pronouns go
The negative imperative
The -s trap
Common mistakes
Self-check
FAQ
Key takeaways
Exercises

The rule in one sentence

You form the imperative by taking the verb in the present tense and dropping the subject pronoun. It exists in only three persons: tu, nous, vous.

When to use the imperative

The imperative is not only for giving orders. It is used in several situations.

Use	Example
An order	Sors de ma maison ! (Get out of my house!)
A prohibition	Ne joue pas avec le feu ! (Don’t play with fire!)
A request	Aidez-moi, s’il vous plaît ! (Help me, please!)
Advice	Arrêtez de fumer ! (Stop smoking!)
An instruction	Suis le chemin et tu arriveras ! (Follow the path and you’ll get there!)

Forming the imperative

Conjugate the verb in the present at tu, nous, vous, then remove the subject pronoun. Verbs in -er (and aller) drop the final -s in the tu form.

Person	parler (-er)	finir (-ir)	prendre (-re)
tu	Parle ! (tu parles)	Finis !	Prends !
nous	Parlons !	Finissons !	Prenons !
vous	Parlez !	Finissez !	Prenez !

Good to know: in the present you say « tu parles », but the imperative is written « Parle ! » without the -s. Verbs in -ir and -re, however, keep their ending: « Finis ! », « Prends ! ».

Irregular verbs

Four verbs have an irregular imperative that you need to know by heart.

Verb	tu	nous	vous
être	sois	soyons	soyez
avoir	aie	ayons	ayez
savoir	sache	sachons	sachez
vouloir	veuille	voulons	veuillez

Note: « Sois sage ! » (Be good!), « Aie confiance ! » (Have faith!), « Sachez que… » (Be aware that…). The form « veuillez » is used for a very polite request: « Veuillez patienter. » (Please wait.)

Where pronouns go

In the affirmative, the pronoun goes after the verb, joined by a hyphen. Me and te become moi and toi.

Type	Affirmative	Negative
Reflexive verb	Lève-toi ! · Promenons-nous !	Ne te lève pas !
Object pronoun	Donne-moi le livre !	Ne me donne pas ça !
Two pronouns	Donne-le-moi !	Ne me le donne pas !

Affirmative order: verb + direct object + indirect object (« Donne-le-moi ! »). In the negative, the pronouns go back to their usual place, before the verb.

The negative imperative

Wrap the verb in ne… pas. Any pronoun goes back in front of the verb.

Examples: « Ne joue pas dans le jardin ! » · « Ne te lève pas ! » · « Ne me le donne pas ! »

The -s trap

Verbs in -er drop the -s in the tu form (« Mange ! », « Va ! »), except before en and y, where the -s comes back for the liaison: « Manges-en ! », « Vas-y ! ». The [z] sound then links the verb to the pronoun.

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Common mistakes

Keeping the -s on an -er verb. « Manges ta soupe » → « Mange ta soupe ! »
Keeping the subject pronoun. « Tu viens ici ! » → « Viens ici ! »
Me / te instead of moi / toi. « Donne-me le livre » → « Donne-moi le livre ! »
Pronoun before the verb in the affirmative. « Te lève ! » → « Lève-toi ! »
Forgotten irregular form. « Ais de la patience » → « Aie de la patience ! »

Self-check

Fill in the blanks, then reveal the answers.

(parler, tu) ____ plus fort !
(être, vous) ____ à l’heure !
(se dépêcher, nous) ____ !

Show the answers

1. Parle plus fort ! · 2. Soyez à l’heure ! · 3. Dépêchons-nous !

FAQ

How do you form the imperative?

Take the verb in the present at tu, nous and vous, and drop the subject pronoun: tu parles → Parle !, nous parlons → Parlons !, vous parlez → Parlez !

Why does « Mange ! » have no -s?

Because verbs in -er (and aller) drop the final -s in the tu form of the imperative. The -s comes back only before en and y: Manges-en !, Vas-y !

Where do pronouns go in the imperative?

In the affirmative, the pronoun goes after the verb with a hyphen (Lève-toi !, Donne-le-moi !). In the negative, it goes back in front of the verb (Ne te lève pas !).

Which verbs have an irregular imperative?

être (sois, soyons, soyez), avoir (aie, ayons, ayez), savoir (sache, sachons, sachez) and vouloir (veuille, voulons, veuillez).

How do you form the negative imperative?

Wrap the verb in ne… pas: Ne joue pas ! Any pronoun goes back to its usual place, before the verb: Ne te lève pas !

Key takeaways

Imperative = present tense without the subject pronoun, in three persons: tu, nous, vous.
Verbs in -er drop the -s at tu: Parle !, Mange ! (except before en/y: Vas-y !).
Irregulars: être (sois), avoir (aie), savoir (sache), vouloir (veuille / veuillez).
Affirmative: pronoun after the verb (Lève-toi !); me/te → moi/toi.
Negative: ne… pas, pronoun before the verb (Ne te lève pas !).

Exercises

Exercise 1. Are the following sentences in the imperative? (true / false)

Exercise 2. Put the verbs in brackets into the imperative, in the right person.

Exercise 3. Rewrite the following sentences in the present imperative.

See also: all French grammar · level test

Written and reviewed by the native teachers at Live French, online since 2007.