📖 French Imperative Mood – Usage, Rules & Examples

The French imperative mood is used to give orders, offer advice, make requests, or give instructions. It can be affirmative or negative and is only used with three grammatical persons: tu, nous, and vous. Mastering the imperative will help you sound more natural and confident in everyday interactions.

📝 What is the French Imperative Mood?

The imperative mood in French is used to give direct commands, make requests, offer suggestions, or give instructions. Unlike other tenses and moods, the imperative does not require a subject pronoun, since the person being addressed is understood.

The imperative is used with three persons:

• tu – to address one person informally
• nous – to suggest an action including the speaker (“let’s”)
• vous – to address one person formally or several people

Examples:

• Parle plus lentement. – “Speak more slowly.” (to one person, informal)
• Mangeons ensemble. – “Let’s eat together.”
• Écoutez attentivement. – “Listen carefully.” (formal or plural)
• Ne pars pas. – “Don’t leave.” (negative form)

📜 Forms of the Imperative

The imperative uses only three forms: tu, nous, and vous. These correspond to the present tense forms, but without the subject pronoun.

For most regular -er verbs, the tu form drops the final “-s” in the affirmative, except when followed by y or en. Irregular verbs like être, avoir, and savoir have special forms.

Regular Verb Example: parler (to speak)

• Parle – Speak (tu)
• Parlons – Let’s speak (nous)
• Parlez – Speak (vous)

Irregular Verb Example: être (to be)

• Sois – Be (tu)
• Soyons – Let’s be (nous)
• Soyez – Be (vous)

Examples in Sentences:

• Parle plus fort. – “Speak louder.”
• Parlons de ce projet. – “Let’s talk about this project.”
• Parlez-moi de votre voyage. – “Tell me about your trip.”
• Sois patient. – “Be patient.”
• Soyons prudents. – “Let’s be careful.”
• Soyez à l’heure. – “Be on time.”

✅ Positive Imperative

The positive imperative is used to tell someone to do something. It is formed by using the tu, nous, or vous form of the verb (present tense, without the subject pronoun). For most regular -er verbs, the tu form drops the final “-s” in the affirmative, except before y or en.

Examples with Regular Verbs:

• Ferme la porte. – “Close the door.” (tu)
• Ouvrons les fenêtres. – “Let’s open the windows.” (nous)
• Regardez ce film. – “Watch this movie.” (vous)

Examples with Irregular Verbs:

• Va à l’école. – “Go to school.” (tu, from aller)
• Fais tes devoirs. – “Do your homework.” (tu, from faire)
• Ayez confiance. – “Have confidence.” (vous, from avoir)
• Soyons calmes. – “Let’s be calm.” (nous, from être)

Examples with Reflexive Verbs (Affirmative Form):

In the affirmative imperative, reflexive pronouns are placed after the verb and joined with a hyphen.

• Lève-toi tôt. – “Get up early.” (tu)
• Préparons-nous pour la réunion. – “Let’s get ready for the meeting.” (nous)
• Détendez-vous un peu. – “Relax a bit.” (vous)

🚫 Negative Imperative

The negative imperative is used to tell someone not to do something. It follows the structure:

ne + pronoun (if any) + verb + pas (or another negation word)

In the negative imperative, subject pronouns are still omitted, but object pronouns and reflexive pronouns are placed before the verb.

Examples with Regular Verbs:

• Ne ferme pas la porte. – “Don’t close the door.” (tu)
• Ne parlons pas trop fort. – “Let’s not speak too loudly.” (nous)
• Ne regardez pas ce film. – “Don’t watch this movie.” (vous)

Examples with Irregular Verbs:

• Ne va pas à l’école. – “Don’t go to school.” (tu, from aller)
• Ne fais pas ça. – “Don’t do that.” (tu, from faire)
• N’ayez pas peur. – “Don’t be afraid.” (vous, from avoir)
• Ne soyons pas impatients. – “Let’s not be impatient.” (nous, from être)

Examples with Reflexive Verbs (Negative Form):

In the negative imperative, reflexive pronouns come before the verb and are not joined by a hyphen.

• Ne te lève pas tard. – “Don’t get up late.” (tu)
• Ne nous dépêchons pas. – “Let’s not rush.” (nous)
• Ne vous inquiétez pas. – “Don’t worry.” (vous)

🔀 Placement of Pronouns in the Imperative

The position of pronouns in the imperative depends on whether the command is affirmative or negative.

Affirmative Imperative:

• Pronouns are placed after the verb and joined with a hyphen.
• Reflexive pronouns change to toi in the tu form.

Structure: Verb + pronoun(s)

• Donne-le-moi. – “Give it to me.”
• Explique-nous la leçon. – “Explain the lesson to us.”
• Lève-toi. – “Get up.”
• Préparez-les. – “Prepare them.”

Negative Imperative:

• Pronouns are placed before the verb.
• The reflexive pronoun stays in its normal form (me, te, se, etc.).

Structure: Ne + pronoun(s) + verb + pas

• Ne me le donne pas. – “Don’t give it to me.”
• Ne nous expliquez pas la leçon. – “Don’t explain the lesson to us.”
• Ne te lève pas. – “Don’t get up.”
• Ne les préparez pas. – “Don’t prepare them.”

⚠ Special Cases

The French imperative has some specific spelling and usage rules that you should know to avoid common errors.

1️⃣ Verbs in -er without "s" in the 2nd person singular:

In affirmative commands, regular -er verbs (and aller) drop the final “-s” in the tu form: Parle – “Speak.”, Va – “Go.”

• Parle plus fort. – “Speak louder.”
• Va à l’école. – “Go to school.”

2️⃣ Exception before "y" or "en":

Keep the “-s” in the tu form to maintain pronunciation.

• Vas-y. – “Go ahead.”
• Manges-en un peu. – “Eat some (of it).”

3️⃣ Elisions with reflexive pronouns:

In affirmative commands with reflexive pronouns, me becomes m’ and te becomes t’ before a vowel.

• Lève-toi tôt. – “Get up early.”
• Dépêche-toi. – “Hurry up.”

4️⃣ Inversion of pronouns in affirmative commands:

Pronouns follow the verb and are connected with hyphens: Donne-le-moi – “Give it to me.”

5️⃣ Polite forms:

In formal or polite contexts, use veuillez + infinitive: Veuillez patienter – “Please wait.”

🛠️ Tips & Common Mistakes

Here are some essential tips to master the French imperative mood and avoid common mistakes.

✅ Tips:

• In affirmative commands, place pronouns after the verb and use a hyphen.
• With regular -er verbs in the tu form, drop the final “-s” in the affirmative (Parle plus fort) — except before y or en (Vas-y, Manges-en).
• Reflexive pronouns change to toi in affirmative commands: Lève-toi, not Lève-te.
• Use nous for polite suggestions (“Let’s…”): Allons au cinéma – “Let’s go to the cinema.”
• The imperative is rarely used in writing for strong orders — in formal contexts, prefer a polite request with vouloir: Veuillez patienter – “Please wait.”

⚠️ Common Mistakes:

• ❌ Ne parle pas fort toi → ✅ Ne parle pas fort (“Don’t speak loudly.”) – Remove the subject pronoun.
• ❌ Lève-te → ✅ Lève-toi – Reflexive pronouns change in affirmative commands.
• ❌ Ne donne pas-le-moi → ✅ Ne me le donne pas – In negative form, pronouns go before the verb.
• ❌ Parles vite → ✅ Parle vite – No final “-s” in tu form of regular -er verbs (except before y/en).
• ❌ Forgetting agreement with past participles when the imperative is combined with passé composé in certain contexts.

✏ Practice Exercises

Test your knowledge of the French imperative mood with these exercises. Try answering first, then check your answers in the Show Answers dropdown.

🔚 Conclusion

The French imperative mood is a key tool for giving instructions, offering advice, or making suggestions. By understanding its positive and negative forms, placement rules, and special cases, you can use it confidently in daily conversations. Keep practicing to master both the structure and the nuances, and soon giving clear, natural commands in French will become second nature.