grammar
L'impératif (tu): Giving informal commands.
Use the imperative mood to give an order, offer advice, or make a suggestion. This note focuses on the informal tu form: keep the verb, but leave out the subject pronoun.
The General Rule
For many verbs, the affirmative imperative looks like the present-tense tu form without tu. Regular -er verbs are an important exception: they drop the final -s in the affirmative form.
| Infinitif | Affirmatif (Do it!) | Négatif (Don't do it!) |
|---|---|---|
| venir | Viens ici ! | Ne viens pas ! |
| prendre | Prends ton temps ! | Ne prends pas ça ! |
| faire | Fais attention ! | Ne fais pas ça ! |
The Irregulars: Être and Avoir
Just like in English ("Be good!" or "Have patience!"), the verbs être (to be) and avoir (to have) do not follow the normal present tense patterns. They have unique imperative forms that you must memorize.
Être ➔ Sois prudent... (Be careful...) / Ne sois pas en retard... (Don't be late...)
Avoir ➔ Aie confiance... (Have confidence...) / N'aie pas peur... (Don't be afraid...)
Parler ➔ Parle plus lentement ! (Speak more slowly!)
Pronominal Verbs (Reflexives)
Verbs that usually have a reflexive pronoun (like se lever, s'occuper, or se mettre) do something interesting in the imperative. In a positive command, the pronoun moves after the verb and changes to -toi with a hyphen. In a negative command, it flips back to the front and becomes te (or t').
S'occuper (to take care of) :
Affirmatif : « Occupe-toi de tes affaires ! » (Mind your own business!)
Négatif : « Ne t'occupe pas de ça ! » (Don't worry about that!)
Se mettre (to put oneself / to stand) :
Affirmatif : « Mets-toi ici ! » (Stand here!)
Négatif : « Ne te mets pas là ! » (Don't stand there!)