Mastering the German Imperative: How to Give Commands and Advice

If you want to tell someone to “Stop!”, “Listen!”, or “Take a seat!”, you need to use the Imperative (Der Imperativ). In German, how you form these commands depends entirely on who you are talking to.

1. How to Form the Imperative

There are three main forms of the imperative based on the person you are addressing: Sie (formal), du (informal singular), and ihr (informal plural).

Key Rules to Remember:

• Sie-Form: The verb simply moves to the first position in the sentence.
• Du and Ihr Forms: You drop the personal pronoun (you don’t say “du” or “ihr”).
• Du-Form Ending: You also remove the personal ending -st (e.g., du gehst becomes Geh!).

2. Irregular Verbs and Exceptions

Some verbs change their stems or behave differently in the imperative.

• No Umlauts: If a verb has an umlaut in the normal present tense (like du fährst), you drop the umlaut in the imperative: Fahr!.
• The verb “sein” (to be): This is highly irregular:
  • Sie: Seien Sie!
  • Du: Sei!
  • Ihr: Seid!

3. When to Use the Imperative

The imperative isn’t just for strict orders. You can use it for:

• Commands: “Mach die Heizung aus!” (Turn off the heating!) .
• Advice/Recommendations: “Geh doch zum Arzt.” (Go to the doctor) .
• Requests: “Bleiben Sie bitte noch ein bisschen!” (Please stay a bit longer!) .

Pro Tip: In public signs or general instructions, you might see the infinitive used as a command, such as “Einsteigen!” (Get in!) or “Rauchen verboten!” (No smoking!).

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