The Imperative (Command form) in German (Imperativ)
Introduction
The imperative is used for expressing an order and it also exists in English, its use being the same in both languages. In German, it is called Befehlsform and the imperative sentence: Aufforderungssatz.
Trink ein Bier mit mir!
Drink a beer with me!
Steh auf, wenn du am Boden bist
Stand up when you are on the ground
Lies den Text vor
Read the text aloud
The imperative is a grammar mood. There are three grammar moods in German:
- The indicative
- The subjunctive
- The imperative
The conjugation of the imperative is very simple. There is no 1st person or 3rd person form of the singular. Let's look at an example for the complete conjugation of the imperative with the verb trinken:
| Person | Conjugation | Meaning |
| 1st person singular | --- | |
| 2nd person singular | trink | drink |
| 3rd person singular | --- | |
| 1st person plural | trink-en wir | let's drink |
| 2nd person plural | trink-t | drink |
| Polite form (Sie) | trink-en Sie | drink |
Note: The imperative does not exist for modal verbs.
Original forms for the imperative
The original imperative only has 2nd person singular and plural forms, the clause lacking a subject.
| Verbal person | Conjugation | Translation |
| 2nd person singular | trink | drink |
| 2nd person plural | trink - t | drink |
Conjugation of the second person singular for the imperative
For most verbs, the imperative is constructed with the 2nd person singular of the Indikativpräsens and by taking off the "-st" ending.
| Infinitive | Present 2nd person singular | Imperative 2nd person singular | Meaning |
| studieren | studier - st | studier(e) | to study |
| arbeiten | arbeite - st | arbeite | to work |
| nehmen | nimm - st | nimm | to take |
| empfehlen | empfiehl - st | empfiehl | to recommend |
Pay close attention: Although there is no vowel change of "e" to "i" or to "ie" in the stem of the last two examples, the verbs keep complying with the rule that has been shown. In some cases and with some verbs, an "-e" is added in the imperative. For the imperative of studieren, it is not just valid to say studier but also studiere.
In the case of the stem ending with "-s", "-z", "-x" or "-ß"
Due to the union of the "-s" with the last letter of the stem, only the final "-t" is removed:
| Infinitive | Present 2nd person singular | Imperative 2nd person singular | Meaning |
| lesen | lies - t | lies | to read |
| sitzen | sitz - t | sitz | to sit |
In the case of strong verbs that acquire an Umlaut
Verbs that acquire the "Umlaut" in the second and third person singular lose it in the imperative:
| Infinitive | Present 2nd person singular | Imperative 2nd person singular | Meaning |
| fahren | fähr - st | fahr | to drive |
In the case of infinitives ending with "-rn" or "-ln"
Verbs ending with "-rn" or "-ln" add an "-e" in the imperative:
| Infinitive | Present 2nd person singular | Infinitive 2nd person singular | Meaning |
| ändern | änder - st | ändere | to change |
| radeln | radel - st | rad(e)le | to cycle |
In the case of auxiliary verbs
In the imperative, auxiliary verbs don't follow any rule and you have to memorize them. Fortunately, there are only 3.
| Infinitive | Present 2nd person singular | Imperative 2nd person singular | Meaning |
| sein | bi - st | sei | to be |
| haben | ha - st | hab(e) | to have |
| werden | wir - st | werde | to become |
Conjugating the second person plural of the imperative
The conjugation for the 2nd person plural is very easy because it is the same as that of the present indicative.
| Infinitive | Present 2nd person plural | Imperative 2nd person plural | Meaning |
| studieren | studier - t | studiert | to study |
| arbeiten | arbeite - t | arbeitet | to work |
| nehmen | nehm - t | nehmt | to take |
| empfehlen | empfehl- t | empfehlt | to recommend |
Forms added to the imperative
The conjugation of the imperative with forms added on is very simple: You just have to know the infinitive of the verb + to whom the order is given (wir [we] o Sie [you formal]).
| Person | Conjugation | Meaning |
| 1st person plural | trinken wir | let's drink |
| Polite form (Sie) | trinken Sie | drink |
The Particles "bitte" and "doch mal"
The imperative can sound very impolite in German. To make a phrase that sounds more polite, one of the following particles is added:
bitte
It means "please"
Komm bitte!
Come please!
doch mal
It means "let's go" or "come on" in the sense of encouraging your conversation partner to carry out an action.
Komm doch mal!
Come on!
Negation with the imperative
To construct a phrase with negation in the imperative, the particle "nicht" is simply added.
Iss nicht so viel
Don't eat so much
Next Lessons:
home > : Pronouns | Prepositions | Nouns | Plurals | Diminutives | Verbs | Conjugation | Passive | Irregular verbs | Modal Verbs | Separable verbs | Reflexive verbs | Reciprocal verbs | Impersonal verbs | Conjunctions | Articles | Adverbs | Konjunktionaladverbien | Adjective | Comparative and superlative | Word order in German | Negation and Affirmation | Interrogation | Indirect question | Subordinates | relative clauses | Conditional clauses | Comma
Suggestions to Help You | Difficulties with learning German | Greetings