Imperatives
Imperatives are commands given, for the most part, to the second person pronoun you. In English, the infinitive of a verb without the particle word to is used to give a casual command and the same form with the addition of the word please is used to give a more formal or polite command:
Sit down. Sit down, please. Sign here. Sign here, please.
German is similar but not identical. For one thing, German has three forms for the pronoun you: du, ihr, and Sie. Therefore, there are three imperative forms that correspond to the usual uses of those three pronouns: informal singular, informal plural, and formal singular or plural, respectively:
du imperative + predicate = command
ihr imperative + predicate = command
Sie imperative + predicate = command
With many German verbs, the stem of the verb becomes the stem of the imperative form. The stem of a verb is the infinitive minus the -(e)n ending (machen – mach). The du-form adds an -e to the stem, the ihr-form adds a -t, and the Sie-form adds an -en and is paired with the pronoun Sie. Look at the following examples:
But if a verb forms its singular second and third persons present tense conjugations with a vowel shift to -i- or -ie-, the du-form of the imperative is formed from the second person present tense conjugation (du) minus the -st ending and never adds an -e ending. The other two forms follow the previous pattern. For example:
geben gib! gebt! geben Sie! give
helfen hilf! helft! helfen Sie! help
sehen sieh! seht! sehen Sie! see
A notable exception to this rule is werden:
Sit down. Sit down, please. Sign here. Sign here, please.
German is similar but not identical. For one thing, German has three forms for the pronoun you: du, ihr, and Sie. Therefore, there are three imperative forms that correspond to the usual uses of those three pronouns: informal singular, informal plural, and formal singular or plural, respectively:
du imperative + predicate = command
ihr imperative + predicate = command
Sie imperative + predicate = command
With many German verbs, the stem of the verb becomes the stem of the imperative form. The stem of a verb is the infinitive minus the -(e)n ending (machen – mach). The du-form adds an -e to the stem, the ihr-form adds a -t, and the Sie-form adds an -en and is paired with the pronoun Sie. Look at the following examples:
DU IHR SIE
The -e ending of the du-form is optional for most verbs. However, if the stem of the verb ends in -d or -t the ending is not optional and must be retained:
stellen stell(e)! stellt! stellen Sie! put
senden sende! sendet! senden Sie! broadcast
streiten streite! streitet! streiten Sie! quarrel
If a verb requires an umlaut in the second and third persons singular in the present tense conjugations, for example, tragen—trägst, trägt (to carry), the imperative forms follow the pat-tern above and the umlaut is not used:
lachen lache! lacht! lachen Sie! laugh
kaufen kaufe! kauft! kaufen Sie! buy
warten warte! wartet! warten Sie! wait
The -e ending of the du-form is optional for most verbs. However, if the stem of the verb ends in -d or -t the ending is not optional and must be retained:
stellen stell(e)! stellt! stellen Sie! put
senden sende! sendet! senden Sie! broadcast
streiten streite! streitet! streiten Sie! quarrel
If a verb requires an umlaut in the second and third persons singular in the present tense conjugations, for example, tragen—trägst, trägt (to carry), the imperative forms follow the pat-tern above and the umlaut is not used:
◆ Du imperative:
verb stem(e) + !
Schlag(e) + !
Hit!
◆ Ihr imperative:
verb stem + -t + !
Schlagt + !
Hit!
◆ Sie imperative:
verb stem + -en + Sie +1 !
Schlagen + Sie + !
Hit!
But if a verb forms its singular second and third persons present tense conjugations with a vowel shift to -i- or -ie-, the du-form of the imperative is formed from the second person present tense conjugation (du) minus the -st ending and never adds an -e ending. The other two forms follow the previous pattern. For example:
geben gib! gebt! geben Sie! give
helfen hilf! helft! helfen Sie! help
sehen sieh! seht! sehen Sie! see
A notable exception to this rule is werden:
werden werde! werdet! werden Sie! become
The only verb that has its own imperative pattern is sein. It forms the imperative from the infinitive:
sein sei! seid! seien Sie! be
Inseparable and separable prefixes act the same way in an imperative sentence as they do in any other sentence:
The only verb that has its own imperative pattern is sein. It forms the imperative from the infinitive:
sein sei! seid! seien Sie! be
Inseparable and separable prefixes act the same way in an imperative sentence as they do in any other sentence:
besuchen besuche! besucht! besuchen
Sie! visit
zuhören hör zu! hört zu! hören Sie
zu! listen
Note that imperatives are punctuated with an exclamation point in German.
Addressing groups
There is another form of imperative that is used when a command is not directed at any particular individual and is meant to give information to people at large instead. These imperatives can be heard over loudspeakers or read on signs in public places. Their formation is quite simple: The infinitive is used as the imperative form and is usually found at the end of the phrase. For example:
Imperatives with wir
The German version of this type of command is equally simple. The present tense conjuga-tion of a verb in the first person plural (wir) with the verb preceding the pronoun is all that is required:
Essen wir im italienischen Restaurant! Let’s eat at an Italian restaurant.
Kaufen wir einen neuen Wagen! Let’s buy a new car.
Fahren wir jetzt ab! Let’s leave now.
verb + wir + complement + !
Gehen + wir + nach Hause + !
Note that imperatives are punctuated with an exclamation point in German.
Addressing groups
There is another form of imperative that is used when a command is not directed at any particular individual and is meant to give information to people at large instead. These imperatives can be heard over loudspeakers or read on signs in public places. Their formation is quite simple: The infinitive is used as the imperative form and is usually found at the end of the phrase. For example:
Den Rasen nicht betreten! Keep off the grass.
Nicht rauchen! No smoking.
Gepäck aufmachen! Open (your) baggage.
Imperatives with wir
Most commands are given to the second person pronoun you . But in both English and German it is possible to include yourself in the command and thereby make it seem a bit more polite. In fact, it sounds more like a suggestion than an imperative. In English, this is done by beginning a verb phrase with let’s:
Let’s get something to eat. Let’s leave soon.The German version of this type of command is equally simple. The present tense conjuga-tion of a verb in the first person plural (wir) with the verb preceding the pronoun is all that is required:
Essen wir im italienischen Restaurant! Let’s eat at an Italian restaurant.
Kaufen wir einen neuen Wagen! Let’s buy a new car.
Fahren wir jetzt ab! Let’s leave now.
verb + wir + complement + !
Gehen + wir + nach Hause + !
Let’s go home.
A similar expression is formed by using the verb lassen (to let). It can include the speaker or not, as we shall see below, but must conform, regardless, to the second person pronoun required by the circumstances: informal or formal, singular or plural. Therefore, a distinction is made among the du-, ihr-, and Sie-forms. First, let us look at the basic imperative, meaning let, not let’s (i.e., not including the speaker). For example:
Lass ihn ausreden! (du) Let him finish speaking.
Lasst die Kinder spielen! (ihr) Let the children play.
Lassen Sie sie warten! (Sie) Let them wait.
lass/lasst/lassen Sie + object + infinitive + !
Lassen Sie + ihn + mitkommen + !
Let him come along.
If you add the accusative pronoun uns (us) to the equation, you have once again a form that means let’s. For example:
Lass uns nicht mehr streiten! (du) Let’s not quarrel anymore.
A similar expression is formed by using the verb lassen (to let). It can include the speaker or not, as we shall see below, but must conform, regardless, to the second person pronoun required by the circumstances: informal or formal, singular or plural. Therefore, a distinction is made among the du-, ihr-, and Sie-forms. First, let us look at the basic imperative, meaning let, not let’s (i.e., not including the speaker). For example:
Lass ihn ausreden! (du) Let him finish speaking.
Lasst die Kinder spielen! (ihr) Let the children play.
Lassen Sie sie warten! (Sie) Let them wait.
lass/lasst/lassen Sie + object + infinitive + !
Lassen Sie + ihn + mitkommen + !
Let him come along.
If you add the accusative pronoun uns (us) to the equation, you have once again a form that means let’s. For example:
Lass uns nicht mehr streiten! (du) Let’s not quarrel anymore.
Lasst uns bald gehen! (ihr) Let’s go soon.
Lassen Sie uns darüber sprechen! (Sie) Let’s talk about it.
lass
uns/lasst uns/lassen Sie uns + complement + !
Lass uns + jetzt
gehen + !
Imperatives
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