Day 26: The Imperative (Der Imperativ) (Der Imperativ — Befehle und Bitten) — German A1

🎯 Today's Learning Goals / Lernziele

Form du-commands by using the verb stem only (Komm! Mach! Sprich!)
Form ihr-commands using the regular ihr-conjugation (Kommt! Macht! Sprecht!)
Form Sie-commands with infinitive + Sie in verb-first position (Kommen Sie! Machen Sie!)
Apply stem-change rules: e->i/ie stays (Sprich! Lies!), a->ä umlaut drops (Fahr! not Fähr!)
Use irregular imperatives for sein (Sei!) and haben (Hab!)
Handle separable verbs in the imperative (Steh auf! Mach zu!) and the 'let's' construction (Gehen wir!)

📚 Grammar & Rules / Grammatik

1. The du-Command: Stem Only

For the du-imperative, take the verb stem (infinitive minus -en) and use it alone. Drop -st, drop 'du'. No pronoun is used.

The du-command is the most common imperative form and is used with one person you address informally: a close friend, a child, or a family member. You simply take the infinitive, remove the -en ending, and you have the command form. For example: machen -> Mach!, kommen -> Komm!, trinken -> Trink!. You may optionally add -e to the end (Komme!, Mache!) but this is rare in modern spoken German. However, verbs whose stem ends in -t or -d do typically keep the -e for pronunciation: warten -> Warte!, reden -> Rede!.

INFINITIVE	DUCOMMAND	NOTE
machen	Mach!	Regular: just the stem
kommen	Komm!	Regular: just the stem
trinken	Trink!	Regular: just the stem
warten	Warte!	Stem ends in -t, keep -e
reden	Rede!	Stem ends in -d, keep -e
öffnen	Öffne!	Stem ends in -n after consonant, keep -e

Komm her! — Come here!

💡 Simple stem, no ending needed

Mach die Tür zu! — Close the door!

💡 Stem of machen = mach

Trink dein Wasser! — Drink your water!

💡 Stem of trinken = trink

Warte einen Moment! — Wait a moment!

💡 Stem ends in -t, so keep the -e

⚠️ Common Mistake: Do NOT include the pronoun 'du' in the command! 'Komm!' is correct; 'Komm du!' sounds angry or emphatic, not neutral.

💡 Study Tip: Think of the du-command as the 'naked stem' -- strip everything away and just bark the core verb.

2. The ihr-Command: Regular ihr-Form

For the ihr-imperative, use the normal ihr-conjugation of the verb, without the pronoun 'ihr'.

The ihr-command addresses a group of people you know informally -- your friends, classmates, or family members as a group. The form is identical to the regular ihr-conjugation you already know. For regular verbs, this means stem + -t: machen -> Macht!, kommen -> Kommt!. For stem-changing verbs, the ihr-form does NOT have the stem change (only the du-form does), so sprechen -> Sprecht! (not Spricht!).

INFINITIVE	IHRCOMMAND	NOTE
machen	Macht!	Regular: stem + -t
kommen	Kommt!	Regular: stem + -t
sprechen	Sprecht!	No stem change in ihr-form
essen	Esst!	No stem change in ihr-form
lesen	Lest!	No stem change in ihr-form
fahren	Fahrt!	No umlaut in ihr-form

Kommt alle her! — Everyone come here!

💡 ihr-form of kommen, no pronoun

Macht eure Bücher auf! — Open your books!

💡 ihr-form of machen + separable prefix

Sprecht lauter! — Speak louder!

💡 ihr-form: no stem change (Sprecht, not Spricht)

Esst euer Frühstück! — Eat your breakfast!

💡 ihr-form: Esst, not Isst

⚠️ Common Mistake: Do NOT apply the du-form stem change to the ihr-form! sprechen -> Sprecht! (correct), NOT Spricht! (wrong). The stem change only applies to du.

💡 Study Tip: The ihr-command is the easiest: it's literally just the ihr-conjugation you already know, minus the word 'ihr'.

3. The Sie-Command: Infinitive + Sie, Verb First

For the Sie-imperative, use the infinitive form of the verb followed by 'Sie'. The verb comes first (inverted order).

The Sie-command is used for formal address -- strangers, elders, authority figures, or anyone you would address with 'Sie'. Unlike du and ihr commands, the Sie-command keeps the pronoun 'Sie'. The form is identical to the infinitive (which is also the Sie-conjugation), and word order is verb-first: Kommen Sie!, Sprechen Sie!, Machen Sie!. This is also the politest command form and is often combined with 'bitte'.

INFINITIVE	SIECOMMAND	NOTE
kommen	Kommen Sie!	Infinitive + Sie
sprechen	Sprechen Sie!	Infinitive + Sie (no stem change)
machen	Machen Sie!	Infinitive + Sie
warten	Warten Sie!	Infinitive + Sie
lesen	Lesen Sie!	Infinitive + Sie (no stem change)
fahren	Fahren Sie!	Infinitive + Sie (no umlaut)

Kommen Sie bitte hier rueber! — Please come over here!

💡 'bitte' makes it polite

Setzen Sie sich! — Sit down! (formal)

💡 Reflexive verb: sich stays after Sie

Sprechen Sie bitte langsamer! — Please speak more slowly!

💡 No stem change in Sie-form

Warten Sie bitte einen Moment! — Please wait a moment!

💡 Polite formal request

⚠️ Common Mistake: Never drop 'Sie' from the formal command! 'Kommen!' alone sounds like a du-command. 'Kommen Sie!' is the correct formal form.

💡 Study Tip: The Sie-command looks exactly like a yes/no question with Sie -- same word order. Only the exclamation mark and context tell you it's a command, not a question.

4. Stem-Changing Verbs in the Imperative

e->i and e->ie stem-changers KEEP the vowel change in the du-command. a->ä stem-changers LOSE the umlaut in the du-command.

This is one of the most important imperative rules to memorize. Verbs with an e->i change (like sprechen -> sprichst, essen -> isst) keep that change in the du-imperative: Sprich!, Iss!. Verbs with e->ie (like lesen -> liest) also keep it: Lies!. However, verbs with an a->ä change (like fahren -> fährst, schlafen -> schläfst) do NOT carry the umlaut into the imperative: Fahr! (not Fähr!), Schlaf! (not Schläf!). The ihr and Sie forms are never affected by stem changes in the imperative.

VERB	DUFORM	DUCOMMAND	NOTE
sprechen (e->i)	du sprichst	Sprich!	KEEPS the change
essen (e->i)	du isst	Iss!	KEEPS the change
geben (e->i)	du gibst	Gib!	KEEPS the change
lesen (e->ie)	du liest	Lies!	KEEPS the change
sehen (e->ie)	du siehst	Sieh!	KEEPS the change
fahren (a->ä)	du fährst	Fahr!	LOSES the umlaut
schlafen (a->ä)	du schläfst	Schlaf!	LOSES the umlaut
laufen (a->ä)	du läufst	Lauf!	LOSES the umlaut

Sprich lauter! — Speak louder!

💡 e->i: keeps stem change (Sprich, not Sprech)

Iss dein Gemüse! — Eat your vegetables!

💡 e->i: keeps stem change (Iss, not Ess)

Lies das Buch! — Read the book!

💡 e->ie: keeps stem change (Lies, not Les)

Fahr langsam! — Drive slowly!

💡 a->ä: LOSES umlaut (Fahr, not Fähr)

⚠️ Common Mistake: The most common mistake: writing 'Fähr!' or 'Schläf!'. The a->ä umlaut is NEVER used in the imperative. This is an exception you must memorize.

💡 Study Tip: Memory trick: 'e changes STAY, a changes GO AWAY' -- e->i/ie keeps its change, a->ä drops it.

5. Irregular Imperatives: sein and haben

Sein has a fully irregular imperative: Sei! (du), Seid! (ihr), Seien Sie! (Sie). Haben is mostly regular: Hab! (du), Habt! (ihr), Haben Sie! (Sie).

The verb 'sein' (to be) is the only truly irregular verb in the imperative. Its du-form 'Sei!' cannot be predicted from any pattern. The ihr-form 'Seid!' and Sie-form 'Seien Sie!' are also unique. 'Haben' is nearly regular but drops the -e in the du-form: Hab! (instead of Habe!). These forms appear very frequently in everyday speech.

VERB	DU	IHR	SIE
sein	Sei!	Seid!	Seien Sie!
haben	Hab!	Habt!	Haben Sie!

Sei ruhig! — Be quiet!

💡 Most common use of Sei -- telling someone to be calm or quiet

Seid nett zueinander! — Be nice to each other!

💡 ihr-form of sein imperative

Seien Sie vorsichtig! — Be careful! (formal)

💡 Sie-form of sein -- note: Seien, not Sind

Hab keine Angst! — Don't be afraid!

💡 Literally: Have no fear!

Habt Geduld! — Have patience! (to a group)

💡 ihr-form of haben imperative

⚠️ Common Mistake: The Sie-form of sein is 'Seien Sie!', NOT 'Sind Sie!' or 'Sein Sie!'. This is a unique form that must be memorized.

💡 Study Tip: Sei! is the #1 irregular imperative to memorize. You'll hear 'Sei ruhig!', 'Sei vorsichtig!', 'Sei nett!' constantly.

6. Separable Verbs in the Imperative

In the imperative, separable verbs still split: the conjugated stem goes first and the prefix goes to the end of the sentence.

Separable verbs behave in the imperative exactly as they do in regular statements -- the prefix detaches and moves to the end. The base verb takes the imperative form, and the prefix sits at the very end: aufstehen -> Steh auf!, zumachen -> Mach zu!, mitkommen -> Komm mit!. This applies to all three imperative forms: Steh auf! (du), Steht auf! (ihr), Stehen Sie auf! (Sie).

VERB	DU	IHR	SIE
aufstehen	Steh auf!	Steht auf!	Stehen Sie auf!
zumachen	Mach zu!	Macht zu!	Machen Sie zu!
mitkommen	Komm mit!	Kommt mit!	Kommen Sie mit!
aufmachen	Mach auf!	Macht auf!	Machen Sie auf!
reinkommen	Komm rein!	Kommt rein!	Kommen Sie rein!
anrufen	Ruf an!	Ruft an!	Rufen Sie an!

Steh auf! Es ist schon acht Uhr! — Get up! It's already eight o'clock!

💡 auf- goes to the end

Macht bitte die Tür zu! — Please close the door! (to a group)

💡 zu- goes to the very end, after the object

Kommen Sie bitte mit! — Please come along! (formal)

💡 mit- at the end, bitte in the middle

Kommt rein! — Come in! (to a group)

💡 Prefix rein- at the end

⚠️ Common Mistake: Don't forget to split the verb! 'Aufsteh!' is wrong. It must be 'Steh auf!' -- the prefix always goes to the end, even in commands.

💡 Study Tip: The rule is the same as in statements: prefix to the end. Just remember the base verb takes the imperative form.

7. The 'Let's' Construction: Gehen wir!

To say 'let's do something', use the wir-form of the verb with inverted word order: verb + wir.

German doesn't have a separate 'let's' imperative form. Instead, it uses the regular wir-conjugation with the verb in first position (inverted order), just like a question but with an exclamation mark: Gehen wir! (Let's go!), Essen wir! (Let's eat!), Machen wir eine Pause! (Let's take a break!). This is not technically an imperative, but it fills the same social role as English 'let's'.

INFINITIVE	LETSFORM	ENGLISH
gehen	Gehen wir!	Let's go!
essen	Essen wir!	Let's eat!
anfangen	Fangen wir an!	Let's begin!
machen	Machen wir eine Pause!	Let's take a break!

Gehen wir! — Let's go!

💡 Verb first, then wir -- like a question but with !

Essen wir Pizza! — Let's eat pizza!

💡 Same structure: verb + wir + object

Fangen wir an! — Let's begin!

💡 Separable verb: prefix still goes to the end

Machen wir eine Pause! — Let's take a break!

💡 Very common in everyday German

⚠️ Common Mistake: Don't confuse the 'let's' form with a question! 'Gehen wir?' (Are we going?) vs. 'Gehen wir!' (Let's go!) -- only the intonation and punctuation differ.

💡 Study Tip: Think of it as: flip the wir-sentence into question order, then add an exclamation mark instead of a question mark.

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📖 Core Vocabulary / Wortschatz (45 Words)

Click 🔊 to hear correct German pronunciation. Nouns are marked with articles: der (masculine) die (feminine) das (neuter).

German	English	Type	Example Sentence
derImperativ	the imperative	noun (m.)	Der Imperativ hat drei Formen. (The imperative has three forms.)
derBefehl, -e	the command, order	noun (m.)	Das ist ein Befehl! (That is a command!)
dieBitte, -n	the request	noun (f.)	Ich habe eine Bitte. (I have a request.)
bitte	please	particle	Kommen Sie bitte herein! (Please come in!)
machen	to do, to make	verb	Mach deine Hausaufgaben! (Do your homework!)
kommen	to come	verb	Komm her! (Come here!)
sprechen	to speak	verb (e->i)	Sprich lauter! (Speak louder!)
essen	to eat	verb (e->i)	Iss dein Gemüse! (Eat your vegetables!)
lesen	to read	verb (e->ie)	Lies das Buch! (Read the book!)
geben	to give	verb (e->i)	Gib mir das Buch! (Give me the book!)
fahren	to drive, to go (by vehicle)	verb (a->ä)	Fahr langsam! (Drive slowly!)
schlafen	to sleep	verb (a->ä)	Schlaf gut! (Sleep well!)
laufen	to run, to walk	verb (a->ä)	Lauf schneller! (Run faster!)
sein	to be	verb (irregular)	Sei ruhig! (Be quiet!)
haben	to have	verb	Hab keine Angst! (Don't be afraid!)
aufstehen	to get up, to stand up	separable verb	Steh auf! (Get up!)
zumachen	to close	separable verb	Mach die Tür zu! (Close the door!)
aufmachen	to open	separable verb	Mach das Fenster auf! (Open the window!)
mitkommen	to come along	separable verb	Komm mit! (Come along!)
reinkommen	to come in	separable verb	Kommt rein! (Come in! (to a group))
anrufen	to call (phone)	separable verb	Ruf mich an! (Call me!)
sich setzen	to sit down	reflexive verb	Setzen Sie sich! (Sit down! (formal))
sich hinstellen	to stand (in a place)	reflexive verb	Stellen Sie sich hier hin! (Stand here! (formal))
warten	to wait	verb	Warte hier! (Wait here!)
atmen	to breathe	verb	Atmen Sie tief ein! (Breathe in deeply!)
heben	to raise, to lift	verb	Heben Sie die Arme! (Raise your arms!)
rauchen	to smoke	verb	Rauch hier nicht! (Don't smoke here!)
stellen	to place, to put	verb	Stell die Tasse auf den Tisch! (Put the cup on the table!)
dasFitnessstudio, -s	the gym	noun (n.)	Wir gehen ins Fitnessstudio. (We go to the gym.)
derTrainer, -	the trainer	noun (m.)	Der Trainer gibt Anweisungen. (The trainer gives instructions.)
dieAnweisung, -en	the instruction	noun (f.)	Folgen Sie den Anweisungen! (Follow the instructions!)
dieÜbung, -en	the exercise	noun (f.)	Mach die Übung! (Do the exercise!)
derArm, -e	the arm	noun (m.)	Hebt die Arme! (Raise your arms!)
ruhig	calm, quiet	adjective	Sei ruhig! (Be quiet!)
leise	quiet, softly	adjective/adverb	Sprich leise! (Speak quietly!)
laut	loud, loudly	adjective/adverb	Sprich lauter! (Speak louder!)
langsam	slow, slowly	adjective/adverb	Fahr langsam! (Drive slowly!)
schnell	fast, quickly	adjective/adverb	Lauf schnell! (Run fast!)
vorsichtig	careful, carefully	adjective/adverb	Sei vorsichtig! (Be careful!)
puentklich	punctual, on time	adjective/adverb	Sei pünktlich! (Be on time!)
näher	closer, nearer	adverb (comparative)	Kommt näher! (Come closer!)
tief	deep, deeply	adjective/adverb	Atme tief ein! (Breathe in deeply!)
dieGeduld	the patience	noun (f.)	Hab Geduld! (Have patience!)
dieAngst, Ängste	the fear, anxiety	noun (f.)	Hab keine Angst! (Don't be afraid!)
diePause, -n	the break, pause	noun (f.)	Machen wir eine Pause! (Let's take a break!)

💬 Key Conversational Phrases / Redemittel

Komm her!

Come here! · Informal command to one person

Kommt mit!

Come along! (to a group) · Informal command to a group

Kommen Sie bitte!

Please come! (formal) · Polite formal command

Sei ruhig!

Be quiet! · Telling someone to calm down or be quiet

Hab keine Angst!

Don't be afraid! · Reassuring someone

Warte mal!

Wait a second! · Informal, asking someone to pause

Mach die Tür zu!

Close the door! · Informal instruction

Setzen Sie sich, bitte!

Please sit down! (formal) · Polite formal invitation

Gehen wir!

Let's go! · Suggesting a group action

Machen wir eine Pause!

Let's take a break! · Suggesting a pause to a group

Sprich langsamer, bitte!

Please speak more slowly! · Asking someone to slow down

Steh auf!

Get up! / Stand up! · Telling someone to get out of bed or stand

Lies das bitte vor!

Please read that aloud! · Classroom instruction

Seien Sie vorsichtig!

Be careful! (formal) · Warning someone politely

🗣️ Practical Dialogue / Dialog

Situation: Im Fitnessstudio (At the Gym)

Herr Yilmaz:

Kommen Sie bitte hier rueber, Frau Ibanez.

Please come over here, Ms Ibanez.

Rosa:

Gerne, wo soll ich stehen?

Gladly, where should I stand?

Herr Yilmaz:

Stellen Sie sich hier hin. Heben Sie die Arme!

Stand here. Raise your arms!

Rosa:

So?

Like this?

Herr Yilmaz:

Genau! Und jetzt atmen Sie tief ein.

Exactly! And now breathe in deeply.

Herr Yilmaz:

Halten Sie die Position. Seien Sie ganz ruhig.

Hold the position. Be very calm.

Rosa:

Wie lange soll ich so bleiben?

How long should I stay like this?

Herr Yilmaz:

Noch zehn Sekunden. Gut gemacht!

Ten more seconds. Well done!

Herr Yilmaz:

(zur Gruppe) Kommt alle näher! Hebt die Arme! Und -- los!

(to the group) Everyone come closer! Raise your arms! And -- go!

Herr Yilmaz:

Lauft schneller! Atmet tief! Gebt nicht auf!

Run faster! Breathe deeply! Don't give up!

↑ Back to Full German A1 Curriculum

Day 26 — The Imperative (Der Imperativ)

🎯 Today's Learning Goals / Lernziele

📚 Grammar & Rules / Grammatik

1. The du-Command: Stem Only

2. The ihr-Command: Regular ihr-Form

3. The Sie-Command: Infinitive + Sie, Verb First

4. Stem-Changing Verbs in the Imperative

5. Irregular Imperatives: sein and haben

6. Separable Verbs in the Imperative

7. The 'Let's' Construction: Gehen wir!

📖 Core Vocabulary / Wortschatz (45 Words)

💬 Key Conversational Phrases / Redemittel

🗣️ Practical Dialogue / Dialog