French grammar - The Imperative |
|||
|
|||
An imperative is a command or request. The imperative mood in French sounds really harsh and really should be avoided. There are three forms of the imperative: tu, nous and vous. -- The nous form is used to give an order that involves oneself as well as others so often expresses a suggestion ('Let's…'). The imperative is formed according to these rules: • tu (familiar) - use the present tense tu form but drop the final -s for -ER verbs. • nous - use the present tense nous form unchanged. • vous (formal or plural) - use the present tense vous form unchanged. The rules for using imperatives with pronouns are complicated. They depend on whether it is an affirmative or negative imperative. And whether we use one or more than one pronoun. For an affirmative imperative with one pronoun (including y and en): • Use stressed pronouns (moi, toi etc.) for the indirect object and reflexive pronouns. • The pronoun should come immediately after the imperative verb. • The pronoun should be connected to the imperative with a hyphen. If the adverbial pronouns y or en come after an imperative that ends with a vowel, we add an -s to the imperative verb to make pronunciation easier. So for example vas-y ! '(Go there!') and not va-y. For an affirmative imperative with more than one pronoun the order is: • le, la, les + moi then nous, vous, lui, leur then m', t' then y, en If an object pronoun comes between the verb and an indirect pronoun then all three words should be connected with hyphens. |
Examples: | |
Arrête !
Stop (familiar)!
|
|
Donne-moi ça.
Give (familiar) me that.
|
|
Viens chez moi, il y une chambre d'amis.
Come (familiar) to my house, there's a guest room.
|
|
Dis merci à la dame !
Say (familiar) thank you to the lady!
|
|
Mettez votre ceinture !
Put on (formal) your belt! |
|
Faites attention !
Take care (formal)! *OR* Be careful! |
|
Allez chercher les enfants à l'école.
Go (formal) get the children from school. |
|
Passez me prendre à 6 heures.
Come by (formal) and pick me up at 6 o'clock. |
|
Faites passer le sel.
Pass (formal) the salt.
|
|
Nettoie ta chambre dès que possible.
Clean (familiar) your room as soon as possible. |
|
Dites-moi ce que vous voulez.
Tell (formal) me what you want.
|
|
Aidez-moi ! Je n'arrive pas à me relever.
Help (formal) me! I can't get up. |
|
Dites-leur d'arrêter immédiatement.
Tell (formal) them to stop immediately. |
|
Voici le document. Prends-le avec toi.
Here is the document. Take it with you (familiar). |
|
Laissez-moi tranquille.
Leave (formal) me in peace.
|
|
Charlotte, va au supermarché ! Vas-y !
Charlotte, go (familiar) to the supermarket! Go ahead!
|
|
J'ai besoin de stylos. Achètes-en trois pour moi !
I need pens. Buy (familiar) three for me!
|
|
J'ai trop de bananes. Prenez-en si vous voulez.
I have too many bananas. Take some if you (formal) want. |
|
Souviens-toi de moi quand nous serons séparés.
Remember (familiar) me when we are apart.
|
|
Dépêche-toi - le train est sur le point de partir.
Hurry up (formal) - the train is about to leave. |
|
Les enfants, levez-vous. Vous serez en retard à l'école.
Children - get up (plural). You will be late for school. |
|
Assurez-vous d'être là à cinq heures précises.
Be sure (formal) to be there promptly at five. |
|
Rendez-le-lui !
Give (formal) it to him!
|
|
Vendons-les-leur !
Let's sell them to them!
|
|
Elle veut lire ton livre. Donne-le-lui !
She wants to read your (familiar) book. Give it to her!
|
|
Achète-m'en.
Buy (familiar) me some.
|
|
Va-t'en !
Go away (familiar)!
|
|
Réfléchissez-y et faites-le-moi savoir.
Think about (formal) it and let me know.
|
|
![]() |