What is the imperative in French?
Andrew Hansen
Published Apr 20, 2026
The imperative, (l'impératif in French) is used to give commands, orders, or express wishes, like 'Stop!' , 'Listen!' You may recognize the imperative from commands such as 'Ecoutez' or 'Répétez'. It is one of four moods in the French language. Unlike the other moods, the imperative is not divided into tenses.
What is imperative in French examples?
The imperative is a used to convey a command, suggestion, request or instruction, for example: get up! → lève-toi !
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To form the imperative, drop the tu, vous or nous and keep the verb in the present tense:
- prendre: tu prends → prends ! ...
- faire: vous faites → faites ! ...
- aller: nous allons → allons ! ...
- partir: tu pars → pars !
What is an imperative example?
The sentence which is used to convey a command, a request, or a forbiddance is called an imperative sentence. This type of sentence always takes the second person (you) for the subject but most of the time the subject remains hidden. Examples: Bring me a glass of water. Don't ever touch my phone.How do you use the imperative voice in French?
French imperative conjugations are relatively simple. There are only three grammatical persons that can be used in the imperative: tu, nous, and vous, and most of the conjugations are the same as the present tense — the only difference is that the subject pronoun is not used in the imperative.What is the imperative of aller?
Aller is a third group verb even if it finishes in -er. It conjugates with 3 different bases : va to indicative present and imperative : je vais, tu vas..., base ir to future and conditional : j'irais, tu iras.... Otherwise, base is all.How to conjugate at the imperative tense in French - conjugaison de l'impératif - A1 lesson 30
What is verb aller?
Aller (to go) is an irregular verb that is used, in particular, to show movement or to say how one feels. aller en. Je vais.What are the 3 forms of the imperative?
There are three forms of the imperative: tu, nous and vous. For all verbs, the imperative is formed by taking the corresponding forms of the present indicative, but without subject pronouns. The lack of a subject pronoun is what identifies the imperative mood.How do you write an imperative sentence?
Imperative verb: An imperative sentence typically begins with an infinitive form of a verb (omitting the "to") followed by the rest of the predicate. Punctuation: Imperative sentences typically end with a period, but the sentence can end with an exclamation mark if the request is particularly urgent.What is the affirmative imperative in French?
In the French Imperative affirmative form, the pronoun goes after the verb and the pronouns “me” and “te” (m', t') become “moi” and “toi”. Note the use of an hyphen (un trait d'union) to link the verb and the pronoun.How do you conjugate an imperative verb in French?
The three forms for the French imperative are: tu, nous, and vous. The conjugation is same as the present tense except that for -er verbs, the last -s is dropped in the tu form. Object pronouns are used in the imperative. For affirmative commands, the object pronoun comes after the verb and both are joined by a hyphen.What is the French imperative for patience?
Please speak French. Aie un peu de patience! Have a little patience!Do your homework command French?
Affirmative commandsFais tes devoirs ! Do your homework! Prenez soin de vous. Take care of yourself.
What is an imperative used for?
Definition: Imperatives are verbs used to give orders, commands,warning or instructions, and (if you use "please") to make a request.How do you use imperative verbs?
Imperative verbs are used as commands to tell someone what to do. They come at the beginning of the sentence in the base form of the verb. Just remember, if you had a robot, what would you tell it to do for you? If you think of what commands you'd give it, you'll think of imperative verbs!Is Aller avoir or être?
In most instances the auxiliary verb used is avoir. However, several intransitive verbs, like aller (to go), require the auxiliary être instead.What is avoir?
Avoir is one of the most important verbs in the French language. Not only does it mean 'to have', but avoir is also an important helping verb that creates the passé composé as well as the future perfect and the pluperfect.Whats the difference between Aller and Vais?
Aller = to be going toNous allions manger. We were going to eat. As above, you can't say Je vais. to mean "I'm going to." You have to follow it with an infinitive, such as je vais le faire.
What is an affirmative sentence in French?
French Affirmative FormAffirmative describes a statement that uses a grammatically positive construction (as opposed to negative). An affirmative statement (or declarative statement) expresses a fact or provides information. La maison est grande. - The house is big.