Apprenez à utiliser l'impératif en français: formation, pronoms, négation et conseils pour donner des ordres, faire des suggestions ou des requêtes polies. Exemples pratiques et exercices pour pratiquer la conjugaison. Niveau débutant.
Learn to use the imperative in French: formation, pronouns, negation, and tips for giving orders, making suggestions, or polite requests. Practical examples and exercises to practice conjugation. For beginners.
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The imperative mood gives direct commands, requests, or advice and is built for quick, clear action. It has forms for tu, vous, and nous, and useful twists like dropping the s in -er verbs to sound natural. This guide walks through the main patterns and special cases so you can give orders in French that feel both firm and smooth.
Formation
L'impératif utilise les formes du présent de tu, nous et vous sans pronoms, donc vous dites Parle au lieu de tu parles. Pour les ordres affirmatifs, attachez les pronoms d'objet avec un tiret ; pour les commandes négatives, placez les pronoms avant le verbe. Cette section présente les règles de base pour que vous puissiez former rapidement des ordres.
The imperative uses the present tense forms of tu, nous, and vous without pronouns, so you say Parle instead of tu parles. For affirmative commands, attach object pronouns with hyphens; for negatives, keep pronouns before the verb. This section goes through the basic rules so you can form commands quickly.
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-er Verbs
For -er verbs, the tu form in the imperative normally drops the final s, so you say Parle instead of Parles. This makes commands sound natural and punchy. The nous and vous forms keep their endings as usual. Learn this pattern with examples like aimer and jouer.
Examples
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-ir Verbs
-ir verbs follow the regular present tense endings in the imperative for tu, nous, and vous. The tu form keeps its final s, so you say Finis not Fini. This consistency makes it easy to apply the pattern to verbs like choisir and réussir. Practice short commands to internalize the endings.
Examples
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-re Verbs
-re verbs also keep their usual endings in the imperative for all persons. The tu form ends in -s, so you say Vends not Vends. The nous and vous forms follow the present tense pattern closely. Use common verbs like attendre and répondre to see the rule in context.
Examples
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Irregular Verbs
Some high-frequency verbs have special imperative forms you must memorize because they don't follow the usual patterns. This section covers key irregulars like être, avoir, savoir, and vouloir, with their distinct command forms so you can order with confidence.
être
L'impératif de être donne des ordres forts concernant l'identité ou la qualité : Sois pour tu, Soyons pour nous, et Soyez pour vous. Utilisez ces formes pour conseiller ou enjoindre à une manière d'être.
The imperative of être gives strong identity or quality commands: Sois for tu, Soyons for nous, and Soyez for vous. Use these forms for advice or enjoining a way of being.
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avoir
Utilisez Aie, Ayons, et Ayez pour commander la possession, l'attention ou l'action. Ces formes sont courantes dans des instructions quotidiennes comme Aie confiance ou Ayez soin de vous.
Use Aie, Ayons, and Ayez to command possession, attention, or action. These forms are common in everyday instructions like Aie confiance or Ayez soin de vous.
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savoir
Sache, Sachons et Sachez servent à ordonner ou rappeler à quelqu'un de connaître ou d'être conscient de quelque chose. Ils sont efficaces pour dire aux autres de se souvenir de règles ou d'informations.
Sache, Sachons, and Sachez are used to order or remind someone to know or be aware of something. They work well for telling others to remember rules or information.
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vouloir
Veux n'a pas de forme impérative ; utilisez plutôt des alternatives polies comme Veuille (rare) ou transformez les ordres en demandes. Veuillez (l'impératif vous de vouloir) est courant dans les contextes formels.
Veux does not have an imperative form; instead, use polite alternatives like Veuille (rare) or turn commands into requests. Veuillez (the vous imperative of vouloir) is common in formal contexts.
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Pronominal Verbs
Pronominal (reflexive) verbs put the pronoun after the verb in affirmative commands, connected by hyphens, and change me to m' and te to t' when needed. In negative commands, the pronoun goes before the verb. This section shows how to command actions like se laver or s'en aller clearly.
Examples
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Negative Commands
In negative commands, place ne...pas around the verb and put object or reflexive pronouns before the verb. Do not use hyphens with pronouns in negatives. This structure keeps orders clear when telling someone not to do something, with examples to guide you.
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Summary
The imperative gives quick, direct orders using present tense forms of tu, nous, and vous without pronouns; attach pronouns with hyphens in affirmatives and place them before the verb in negatives. Remember to drop the s in -ertu commands, learn key irregular imperatives like sois and aie, and practice pronominal and negative forms so your commands sound natural and precise.
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