French Imperative Mood: Giving Commands and Instructions
Getting Started — A Special Form for Giving Commands
After Question Formation, it’s time to learn how to tell someone to do something — commands like “Come here!”, “Listen!”, “Let’s go!”. French calls this the impératif, and it only exists for three subjects: tu, nous, vous.
Key point: The subject pronoun (tu/nous/vous) disappears from the sentence entirely — only the conjugated verb remains.
Connection: This lesson builds on the present tense of -ER, -IR, -RE verbs — the imperative comes straight from the present tense, just drop the subject.
How the Imperative Is Formed
Rule: Take the present tense, drop the subject pronoun. For -ER verbs (and ‘aller’), also drop the final ‘-s’ from the tu-form.
PARLER (-ER verb)
| Present Tense | Imperative | English |
|---|---|---|
| tu parles | Parle! | Speak! |
| nous parlons | Parlons! | Let’s speak! |
| vous parlez | Parlez! | Speak! (formal/plural) |
FINIR (-IR verb)
| Present Tense | Imperative | English |
|---|---|---|
| tu finis | Finis! | Finish! |
| nous finissons | Finissons! | Let’s finish! |
| vous finissez | Finissez! | Finish! (formal/plural) |
ATTENDRE (-RE verb)
| Present Tense | Imperative | English |
|---|---|---|
| tu attends | Attends! | Wait! |
| nous attendons | Attendons! | Let’s wait! |
| vous attendez | Attendez! | Wait! (formal/plural) |
Note! Only -ER loses the ‘s’: “tu parles” → “Parle!” (the ‘s’ disappears), but “tu finis” → “Finis!” and “tu attends” → “Attends!” keep their ‘s’. This is a rule specific to -ER verbs.
Three Irregular Imperatives
The imperatives of être, avoir, and savoir don’t come from the present tense — they have to be memorized:
| Verb | tu | nous | vous |
|---|---|---|---|
| être (to be) | Sois! | Soyons! | Soyez! |
| avoir (to have) | Aie! | Ayons! | Ayez! |
| savoir (to know) | Sache! | Sachons! | Sachez! |
- “Sois sage!” → Be good!
- “N’ayez pas peur!” → Don’t be afraid!
- “Sachez que je suis là.” → Know that I’m here.
Negative Imperative
Put ‘ne’ before the verb and ‘pas’ after — exactly like Negation:
| Positive | Negative |
|---|---|
| Parle! | Ne parle pas! (Don’t speak!) |
| Finissons! | Ne finissons pas! (Let’s not finish!) |
| Attendez! | N’attendez pas! (Don’t wait!) |
Imperative of Pronominal Verbs
For Pronominal Verbs (reflexive), the imperative attaches the pronoun after the verb with a hyphen, and ‘te’ becomes ‘toi’:
| Present Tense | Positive Imperative | Negative Imperative |
|---|---|---|
| tu te lèves | Lève-toi! (Get up!) | Ne te lève pas! (Don’t get up!) |
| nous nous levons | Levons-nous! (Let’s get up!) | Ne nous levons pas! |
| vous vous levez | Levez-vous! (Get up!) | Ne vous levez pas! |
Note: In the positive, the pronoun comes after with a hyphen; in the negative, the pronoun comes before as usual — this is the rule most often forgotten.
Real Examples
1. Everyday Commands
- “Écoute!” → Listen! (to a friend)
- “Regardez ça!” → Look at that! (formal/plural)
- “Fais attention!” → Be careful! / Pay attention!
2. Giving Instructions
- “Tournez à gauche.” → Turn left. (directions, common on forms/signs)
- “Remplissez le formulaire.” → Fill in the form.
- “Ne fumez pas ici.” → Don’t smoke here.
3. Making Suggestions with ‘nous’
- “Allons-y!” → Let’s go!
- “Mangeons maintenant.” → Let’s eat now.
- “Ne partons pas encore.” → Let’s not leave yet.
Practice — For Mastery
Exercise: Form the Imperative
- “tu regardes” (regarder) → Regarde!
- “vous choisissez” (choisir) → Choisissez!
- “nous répondons” (répondre) → Répondons!
- “tu es” (être) → Sois!
- “vous avez” (avoir) → Ayez!
Exercise: Make It Negative
- “Parle!” → Ne parle pas!
- “Finissez!” → Ne finissez pas!
- “Lève-toi!” → Ne te lève pas!
Common Mistakes and Fixes
| ❌ Wrong | ✓ Right | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Tu parle! | Parle! | The subject pronoun is never written in the imperative |
| Parles! | Parle! | -ER verbs drop the ‘-s’ from the tu-form |
| Finis! (for nous) | Finissons! | nous requires the ‘-ons’ ending |
| Ne pas parle! | Ne parle pas! | ‘ne’ goes before the verb, ‘pas’ after |
| Lève-te! | Lève-toi! | In a positive imperative, ‘te’ becomes ‘toi’ |
Moving Forward
Today’s takeaway: You can now give commands, instructions, and suggestions — useful for asking directions, filling out forms, and everyday conversation. Next, we’ll learn:
- Object pronouns (le, la, les, lui, leur) — for shortening long answers
- Comparative and Superlative (plus… que, le plus)
Your challenge: Every day, form 5 commands in the tu-form — using different verbs like parler, finir, attendre — to lock in the ‘-s’ rule.
FAQ
Why isn't the subject pronoun (tu, nous, vous) written in the imperative?
Because a command is given directly to the listener — the subject is already obvious. 'Viens ici!' (Come here!) doesn't need 'tu' stated, just like saying 'Come here!' in English needs no subject.
Why does the 's' disappear from the tu-imperative of -ER verbs?
Only -ER verbs (and 'aller') drop the present tense's '-es' down to just '-e' in the tu-imperative: 'tu parles' → 'Parle!'. This is purely a spelling rule — there's no audible difference (both 's' sounds are silent). -IR and -RE verbs keep the 's': 'Finis!', 'Attends!'.
How do you make a negative imperative with 'ne...pas'?
Put 'ne' before the verb and 'pas' after — exactly like regular negation: 'Ne parle pas!' (Don't speak!), 'Ne mangez pas!' (Don't eat!, formal). It's the same pattern as the [Negation](/en/lessons/french-negation-ne-pas/) lesson.
Which three verbs have irregular imperatives?
The imperative forms of être, avoir, and savoir don't come from the present tense — they come from the subjunctive stem and have to be memorized: sois (tu), soyons (nous), soyez (vous) for être. This lesson lists all three in a separate table.