what is it?
The imperative is the verb form used to give commands, make requests, or issue instructions. German has three imperative forms that match the three ways of addressing people: Sie (formal, one or more people), du (informal singular), and ihr (informal plural). A fourth form — the wir-imperative — expresses suggestions (Let's …). Public signs also use the bare infinitive as a command (e.g. Nicht rauchen!).
when to use it
Sie-form — use when you would address someone as «Sie»: in shops, offices, or with strangers and people you do not know well.
du-form — use with one person you address as «du»: a friend, a family member, a child, or a pet.
ihr-form — use when addressing two or more people you would each call «du» individually.
wir-form — use to suggest doing something together, equivalent to English «Let's …».
bare infinitive — found on public signs and notices where no specific person is addressed (e.g. Nicht rauchen!, Bitte anschnallen!).
formation
Each imperative form is built from the verb's infinitive stem. The table below shows the pattern for regular verbs, followed by notes on the key irregularities.
| form | how to build it | example (gehen) | example (nehmen) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sie | infinitive + Sie (verb first) | Gehen Sie! | Nehmen Sie! |
| du | stem only (drop -en, drop -st) | Geh! | Nimm! |
| ihr | stem + -t | Geht! | Nehmt! |
| wir | infinitive + wir (verb first) | Gehen wir! | Nehmen wir! |
du-form spelling rules
e → i(e) stem change: keep it. Verbs like nehmen (du nimmst) keep the changed vowel: Nimm!. Verbs like sehen (du siehst) give Sieh!.
a → ä umlaut: drop it. Verbs like fahren (du fährst) lose the umlaut in the imperative: Fahr!, not *Fähr!.
Optional -e ending. Regular verbs may add a final -e (Gehe! or Geh!), but verbs with an e → i(e) change never take the -e.
Irregular: sein — the verb «sein» has its own imperative forms: Sei ruhig! (du), Seid ruhig! (ihr), Seien Sie ruhig! (Sie).
examples in context
common pitfalls
Keeping -st in the du-imperative. The -st ending belongs to the present-tense «du» form, not the imperative. Drop it entirely: Geh!, not *Gehst!.
Keeping the a → ä umlaut. Unlike the e → i change, the a → ä umlaut is not carried into the du-imperative. Write Fahr langsamer!, not *Fähr langsamer!.
Dropping the e → i stem change. This change must be kept. The du-imperative of «nehmen» is Nimm!, not *Nehm!.
Omitting «Sie» in the formal imperative. The pronoun «Sie» is obligatory and always follows the verb immediately. Nehmen Sie Platz, bitte! is correct; *Nehmen Platz, bitte! is not.
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
Es ist schon spät. ___ wir zum Bahnhof!
Fill in the blank with the correct imperative form of the verb in parentheses. (gehen)