In German, the imperative (Imperativ) is used to request or command someone to do something. Since imperative sentences are given in direct communication, the imperative is only used in three forms: du_Form, ihr_Form, and Sie_Form.
In German, the imperative (Imperativ) is used to make requests or give orders to someone to do something. Since imperative sentences are given in direct communication, the imperative is only used in three forms: du_Form, ihr_Form, and Sie_Form. So what are the differences between these three forms of the imperative? Let's find out!!!!
du_Form | ihr_Form | Sie_Form |
Used when the recipient of the request is a single individual. | Used when the recipient of the request is a group of people not including the person making the request. | Used in formal/polite situations. |
Use the verb conjugated in the du form of the present tense (Präsens) with the ending -st removed. The personal pronoun du is omitted: gehen → Präsens: Du gehst nach Hause. → Imperativ: Geh nach Hause! Tip: "whatever was added, drop it" | Use the verb conjugated in the ihr form of the present tense. The personal pronoun ihr is omitted: gehen → Präsens: Ihr geht nach Hause. → Imperativ: Geht nach Hause! | Use the infinitive form of the verb. The personal pronoun Sie is retained: gehen → Präsens: Sie gehen → Imperativ: Gehen Sie! |
Notes: 1. Verbs that change their stem vowel from e to i/ie must retain this change in the imperative: Hilf deinem Bruder! (du hilfst) 2. Verbs that change their stem vowel from a to ä do not apply this change in the imperative: Fahr langsamer! (du fährst) |
3. When the verb stem after removing the -st ending ends in -t, -d, -ig, -n, -m, an e may be added after it:
finden → Präsens: Du findest. → Imperativ: Finde!
4. For verbs whose stem (Verbstamm) ends in -s or -z, simply drop the t:
lesen → Verbstamm: les → Präsens: Du liest → Imperativ: Lies!
tanzen → Verbstamm: tanz → Präsens: Du tanzt → Imperativ: Tanz!
- Additionally, an imperative with wir can be used when the speaker is also included among those receiving the request. In that case, the imperative is formed by using the infinitive combined with wir: gehen → Imperativ: Gehen wir nach Hause!
- There are 3 exceptional cases in the imperative:
Infinitiv (infinitive) | du | ihr | Sie |
sein | Sie ruhig! | Seid ruhig! | Seien Sie ruhig! |
haben | Hab keine Angst! | Habt keine Angst! | Haben Sie keine Angst! |
werden | Werde besser! | Werdet besser! | Werden Sie besser! |
Knowledge test
Imperative Sentences (Imperativsatz) in German
- 1.
Du machst jetzt deine Hausaufgaben. (Florian)
- 2.
Sie kommen bitte in mein Büro. (Frau Müller)
- 3.
Ihr spielt nicht auf der Straße. (Karin und Stefan)