Imperative form French: from "parle" to "ne me le dis pas"

The imperative form in French is the verb form you use to give an order, advice or a “let’s” suggestion, and it is easier than most tenses because it borrows from the present. This page shows how to build it, when the -s drops, which verbs break the pattern, how to make a command negative and where the pronouns go. For the tenses it sits beside, see French tenses. For the pronouns themselves, see French pronouns. Two of the irregular verbs have their own pages: être and avoir.

What is the imperative form in French?

L’impératif is the mood used for commands. In it, the subject pronoun is not said: the ending of the verb tells you who is being addressed [1]. You say Chante !, not “Tu chante !”.

There are only three persons: the second person singular (tu), and the first and second person plural (nous and vous) [1]. There is no command for je, il or ils.

• Tu speaks to one person you call tu: Écoute !
• Vous speaks to several people, or to one person you call vous: Écoutez !
• Nous includes yourself, like “let’s”: Profitons de ce temps [1].

Is the imperative a tense in French?

It is a mood. The OQLF calls the imperative a mode, with a present and a past form [1]. The present imperative is the one you use. The past imperative exists too, and it borrows its forms from the past subjunctive [1]. You will rarely need it.

How do you form the imperative in French?

Take the present-tense form for the same person and remove the subject pronoun. For nous and vous, the OQLF says the forms of every group match the present indicative [1]. For tu, most verbs also match the present indicative [1]. The one big exception is below.

Hear the infinitives, then say each command out loud: parler, finir, attendre.

When do you drop the -s in the French imperative?

Drop it on the tu command of -er verbs. The OQLF calls this the main form that belongs only to the imperative: it is Chante ! where the present is tu chantes [1]. A few verbs in -ir and -re behave like -er verbs and also take no final s: assaillir, défaillir, offrir, souffrir, tressaillir, couvrir, cueillir and ouvrir, and verbs of their families [1]. So you say Ouvre grand ton cœur and Couvre-toi bien [1]. Hear ouvrir here.

The s comes back in one case. Before the pronouns en and y, -er verbs take an s so the sound flows, as in vas-y and parles-en à tes amis [1]. You hear the link: manges-en sounds like “mange-z-en” [1].

Which verbs have an irregular imperative?

Avoir, être, savoir and vouloir take their imperative from the present subjunctive or an older form of it [1]. Faire is also worth learning: its imperative matches its present, so the vous command is faites [3].

The OQLF gives aie confiance en toi, Soyez assurés, Sache que je serai toujours là pour toi and Veuillez prendre note as examples [1]. For savoir and vouloir the nous and vous forms are sachons, sachez, veuillons and veuillez, and the OQLF adds that voulons and voulez are sometimes used [1]. Aller gives va in the tu command, as in Va finir tes devoirs [1].

Hear the verbs: avoir, être, savoir, vouloir, faire.

How do you make the French imperative negative?

Ne opens the command and pas follows the verb. Any pronouns sit between ne and the verb, and there is no hyphen [2]. The OQLF’s negative examples show it:

• Ne me le dis pas. [2]
• Ne vous y fiez pas. [2]
• Ne leur en donnez plus. [2]

In the positive, pronouns follow the verb with hyphens: Dites-le-moi, Offrez-leur-en [2].

Where do the pronouns go with the imperative?

In a positive command, the pronouns come after the verb, joined by hyphens [2]. When there are two, the direct object comes first, then the indirect one: Rendez-le-nous, Adresse-la-leur, Dites-le-moi [2]. The OQLF notes that people sometimes reverse them, mostly when speaking, but advises against it, especially in writing: Donne-le-moi, not Donne-moi-le [2].

Two details matter in the negative. The OQLF says the “direct object second” order does not apply to lui and leur, which stay second: Ne le lui offrez pas [2]. And en and y always come second, whether the command is positive or negative [2].

Reflexive verbs follow the same idea, as in Lève-toi [1]. Before en or y, me and te become m’ and t’, so say Donnez-m’en un kilo and Occupe-t’en, not Donnez-moi-z-en [2].

Common mistakes

• Writing the -s on a tu command. Say Parle ! for an -er verb, not Parles ! [1].
• Forgetting the -s before y and en. It is Vas-y, with an s, because the sound needs it [1].
• Adding the s when en or y belongs to a following verb. It is Va en acheter, not Vas en acheter [1].
• Saying faisez. The vous command of faire is faites [3].
• Reversing the pronouns. Use Donne-le-moi, not Donne-moi-le [2].
• Keeping hyphens in the negative. Hyphens link the verb and its pronouns only in positive commands [2].

See also: French negation.

Sources