The German Imperative Mood

The imperative mood (Imperativ) in German is used to express commands, requests, advice, or instructions. It is a direct verbal form addressed to one or more people to perform an action.

Imperative conjugation

The imperative in German is only conjugated in the second person singular (du), the first person plural (wir), the second person plural (ihr), and the formal form (Sie). It makes no sense to conjugate it in other grammatical persons.

2nd person singular (du)

Basic formation

To form the imperative in the second person singular, generally remove the -st ending from the present tense and eliminate the personal pronoun.

Vowel change e → i/ie

Some verbs with e in the stem change to i or ie in the imperative.

Stem ending in -s, -ß, -x or -z

Verbs whose stem ends in these consonants keep the final -e in the imperative.

1st person plural (wir)

The imperative of the first person plural is identical to the present tense form, but the pronoun "wir" is omitted.

2nd person plural (ihr)

The imperative of the second person plural is identical to the present tense form, but the pronoun "ihr" is omitted.

Formal form (Sie)

The formal imperative (Sie) is formed the same as the third person plural of the present tense, but the pronoun "Sie" is placed after the verb.

Special rules

Verbs with separable prefixes

In the imperative, separable prefixes are placed at the end of the sentence.

Using pronouns with the imperative

When using pronouns with the imperative, they are placed after the verb:

• "Gib mir das Buch!" (Give me the book!)
• "Setzt euch!" (Sit down!)

Negation in the German imperative

To negate a command in German, "nicht" is used after the verb:

• "Komm nicht zu spät!" (Don't be late!)
• "Geht nicht so schnell!" (Don't go so fast!)

Practical examples

Everyday situations

• "Mach bitte das Fenster zu!" (Please close the window!)
• "Rufen Sie mich morgen an!" (Call me tomorrow!)
• "Esst mehr Gemüse!" (Eat more vegetables!)
• "Sei vorsichtig!" (Be careful!)
• "Lasst uns gehen!" (Let's go!)

Dialogues

In a clothing store:

• Verkäufer (salesperson): "Guten Tag! Kann ich Ihnen helfen?" (Good day! Can I help you?)
• Kunde (customer): "Ja, bitte. Zeigen Sie mir diese Jacke in Größe M!" (Yes, please. Show me this jacket in size M!)
• Verkäufer (salesperson): "Natürlich. Hier, bitte. Probieren Sie sie an!" (Of course. Here you go. Try it on!)
• Kunde (customer): "Danke. Wo ist die Umkleidekabine?" (Thank you. Where is the fitting room?)
• Verkäufer (salesperson): "Gehen Sie geradeaus und dann nach links. Die Kabinen sind dort." (Go straight and then left. The fitting rooms are there.)
• Kunde (customer): "Vielen Dank!" (Thank you very much!)
• Verkäufer (salesperson): "Gern geschehen. Rufen Sie mich, wenn Sie Hilfe brauchen!" (You're welcome. Call me if you need help!)