Imperative
The imperative mood gives direct commands, requests, or advice and appears in short forms for practical speech. It applies mainly to tu, vous, and nous.
Formation
The imperative uses the present tense forms of tu, nous, and vous, but tu normally drops the final -s in -er verbs and in some irregulars. Negative commands keep the verb form and place ne...pas around it.
Tu
Use the present tense tu form except drop the final -s for regular -er verbs; keep it for verbs like aller. This makes commands sound natural and punchy.
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Nous
Use the present tense nous form to include yourself in a polite or practical suggestion, like appelons or finissons. It corresponds to "let's" in English.
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Vous
Use the present tense vous form for polite, formal, or group commands. It keeps distance and respect when needed.
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Negative Commands
Place ne before the verb and pas (or another negative word) after; do not reorder the command. In negative commands, the tu form keeps the final -s even on -er verbs.
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Pronouns
In affirmative commands, object pronouns follow the verb and are connected by hyphens; me/moi becomes moi and te/toi becomes toi. In negative commands, pronouns precede the verb as in normal sentences.
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Useful Verbs
Common imperative verbs include helpers like aller, faire, prendre, mettre, and attention getters like regarder, attendre, and écouter. Practicing these in commands makes instructions smooth.
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Summary
The imperative gives quick directions using present tense forms for tu, nous, and vous, with pronouns attaching in affirmatives and negatives keeping the normal order. Short tweaks like dropping the -s on tu‑forms of -er verbs make commands sound natural.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025