📘 Learn German with Confidence

The German Imperative (Commands & Requests)

The imperative is the form you use to give commands and requests: “Come!”, “Listen!”, “Please open the book.” In German, you choose the form depending on who you are speaking to: du (one person, informal), ihr (a group, informal), or Sie (formal).

Good news: the imperative is very common and very useful. Learn a few patterns and you can immediately understand signs, instructions, and everyday speech.

1) Imperative for du (informal, one person)

For many verbs, take the verb stem and (often) drop the -st ending:

• du kommst → Komm!
• du machst → Mach!
• du lernst → Lern!

Examples:

• Komm bitte her! (Come here, please!)
• Mach die Tür zu! (Close the door!)
• Warte kurz! (Wait a moment!)

Some verbs add -e in the imperative (very common and always correct): Warte! / Warte! (both OK), Rede!, Bitte (as a softener).

2) Imperative for ihr (informal, plural)

This one is easy: use the normal ihr-form of the verb, but without “ihr”.

• ihr kommt → Kommt!
• ihr macht → Macht!
• ihr lernt → Lernt!

Examples:

• Kommt bitte rein! (Come in, please!)
• Seid leise! (Be quiet!)
• Hört zu! (Listen!)

3) Imperative for Sie (formal)

For formal commands/requests, use: Verb + Sie. This is also the best form for polite instructions to strangers, customers, or in professional situations.

Common polite versions:

• Bitte setzen Sie sich. (Please take a seat.)
• Könnten Sie das wiederholen? (Could you repeat that?)
• Würden Sie mir helfen? (Would you help me?)

4) Where to place “bitte”

Bitte makes commands softer. You can place it in different positions:

• Komm bitte kurz. (Come for a moment, please.)
• Bitte komm kurz. (Please come for a moment.)
• Kommen Sie bitte mit. (Please come with me.)

5) Negative imperative (Don’t …)

To say “don’t,” use: Nicht + verb (or verb + nicht depending on the sentence). In short commands, it’s often:

• Rauch nicht! (Don’t smoke!)
• Sei nicht so laut! (Don’t be so loud!)
• Gehen Sie nicht weg! (Don’t go away!)

6) Important irregular imperatives (must-know)

Some verbs are extremely common and have special forms. Learn these early:

Examples:

• Sei vorsichtig! (Be careful!)
• Hab Geduld! (Have patience!)
• Gehen Sie geradeaus. (Go straight ahead.)

7) Everyday imperatives you will hear all the time

Try to memorize these as ready-to-use chunks:

• Schau mal! — Look!
• Hör zu! — Listen!
• Pass auf! — Watch out!
• Komm mit! — Come with me!
• Mach weiter! — Continue!
• Ruf mich an! — Call me!
• Keine Sorge. — Don’t worry. (not imperative form, but common)

Quick Practice

Write 3 commands using today’s topic. Then change one word in each sentence (verb, object, or place) and say them again.

1. Make a du command: “kommen” → ________
2. Make an ihr command: “hören” → ________
3. Make a Sie command: “warten” → ________
4. Make it negative: “Rauch!” → ________
5. Translate: “Please open the book.” → ________

Summary

• du: stem form — Komm!, Mach!
• ihr: ihr-form without “ihr” — Kommt!, Macht!
• Sie: verb + Sie — Kommen Sie!
• Use bitte to sound polite, and learn key irregular forms: Sei/Seid/Seien Sie