Learn about the imperative in German
The imperative in German
The imperative in German (der Imperativ) is a mood in German grammar that expresses orders and commands . The German imperative only exists in the second person singular (du), plural (ihr) and polite form (Sie) as well as in the first person plural (wir) .
Original forms for the imperative :
The original imperative only has 2nd person singular and plural forms, the clause lacking a subject.
How to form the German imperative ?
Sie/wir :
We form the imperative for the 1st person plural wir and the polite form Sie in the same way: infinitive + Sie/wir. Ex : Gehen Sie! / Gehen wir !
We add an additional e to the verb sein to help with pronunciation. Ex : Seien Sie ehrlich !
ihr :
For the 2nd person plural ihr, we simply use the simple present of the verb without the subject pronoun . Ex: Seid ehrlich !
du :
We normally form the imperative for du by removing the ending en from the infinitive. Ex : Sei ehrlich!
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.
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]).
Finally , to form negation with the imperative , the particle “nicht” is simply added .
You are so lazy – don’t be so lazy!
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You sleep for so long – don’t sleep so late!
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You come home so late – don’t come home so late!
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You laugh so loudly – don’t laugh so loudly!
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You speak so softly – don’t speak so softly!
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You drink too much – don’t drink so much!
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You smoke too much – don’t smoke so much!
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You work too much – don’t work so much!
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You drive too fast – don’t drive so fast!
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Get up, Mr. Miller!
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Sit down, Mr. Miller!
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Remain seated, Mr. Miller!
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Be patient!
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Take your time!
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Wait a moment!
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Be careful!
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Be punctual!
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Don’t be stupid!
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