TOPIC · Verbs (Verben)

Imperative Sentences (Imperativsatz) in German

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After this lesson, you will be able to use the imperative in German correctly.

Welcome to our German lesson on the Imperative! The imperative is used to express requests, commands, or advice. In this lesson, we will explore the three forms of the imperative in German: the du-form, the ihr-form, and the Sie-form.

Forms of the Imperative

The imperative is divided into three forms that differ in terms of how the speaker addresses others. Here are the main differences:

FormDescriptionExampleTranslation
du-formUsed when addressing one person.Geh nach Hause!Go home!
ihr-formUsed when addressing a group.Geht nach Hause!Go home (plural)!
Sie-formUsed when speaking politely to someone.Gehen Sie nach Hause!Please go home!

Formation of the Imperative

  1. du-form: The imperative is formed by taking the verb in the second person singular (du) in the present and dropping the -st ending.

    • Example: "laufen" → Present: Du läufst. → Imperative: Lauf!
    • Translation: "run" → You run. → Run!

  2. ihr-form: This uses the verb in the second person plural (ihr) which retains the -t ending in the present tense.

    • Example: "laufen" → Present: Ihr lauft. → Imperative: Lauft!
    • Translation: You (plural) run. → Run!

  3. Sie-form: In the polite form, the infinitive of the verb is used, while the pronoun "Sie" remains.

    • Example: "laufen" → Present: Sie laufen. → Imperative: Laufen Sie!
    • Translation: You (formal) run. → Please run!

Special Cases

Some verbs change their stem vowel in the imperative.

  • Hilf! (du hilfst; "Help!")
  • Fahr! (du fährst; "Drive!")

Additionally, there are some irregular verbs:

InfinitiveduihrSie
seinSei ruhig!Seid ruhig!Seien Sie ruhig!
habenHab keine Angst!Habt keine Angst!Haben Sie keine Angst!
werdenWerde besser!Werdet besser!Werden Sie besser!

We can also use the imperative in the Wir-form when the request includes the speaker.

  • Example: "Gehen wir nach Hause!" (Let's go home!)

Conclusion

The imperative is an important structure in the German language to communicate directly and clearly. Practice the forms to become more confident in German!