Imperative Sentences: Imperativsätze

What are Imperative Sentences?

An imperative sentence gives anything from a command or order, to a request, direction, or instruction. Imperative sentences do require an audience; as their aim is to get the person(s) being addressed either to do or to not do something. Therefore, Imperativsätze are generally used with 2nd person Singular and Plural.

Formal Command - Sie

This form is used when one or more people are addressed formally. I hope that you must be knowing that Sie is used to address second person(s) formally, both in Singular and Plural forms. In case you don't, then do go through Personal Pronouns first.

Beispiele:

1. Nehmen Sie Hustensaft! [Take the cough syrup!]
2. Machen Sie die Arbeit, Herr Kumar! [Do the work, Mr. Kumar!]
3. Öffnen Sie die Bücher, Herr und Frau Chopra! [Open the books, Mr.  and Mrs. Chopra!]
4. Diktieren Sie den Satz! [Dictate the sentence!]
5. Kommen Sie um 6 Uhr, Herr und Frau Batra! [Come at 6 o'clock, Mr. and Mrs. Batra!]

Please Note:

1. The verb is placed at the first position in an imperative sentence.
2. The verb takes the "en" ending for the Sie form.
3. "Sie" is always placed immediately after the verb.
4. It is not mandatory to address by name. But if you want to, then just add comma and name before the exclamation mark.

Familiar Command - du/ihr

Familiar commands are used when you address someone informally.

du form

1. In du form of imperative sentences, commands are formed by removing the "st" ending from the conjugated form of verb.

2. Personal pronoun [i.e., du] is not used in the sentence.

Beispiele:

1. Statement: Du kommst.
[Statement -> Command: Du kommst.!]
Command: Komm!
2. Statement: Du gehst.
[Statement -> Command: Du gehst.!]
Command: Geh!
3. Trink Milch!
4. Mach die Arbeit, Reema!
5. Rauch nicht hier!

du form and Irregular Verbs

Refer Verb Conjugation of Irregular Verbs to know about irregular verbs. In case of irregular verbs too, additional "st" is removed.

1. Statement: Du isst.
[Statement -> Command: Du isst.!]
Command: Iss!
In case of "essen", double s is in the verb's stem itself. Hence, only t is removed.
2. Statement: Du gibst.
[Statement -> Command: Du gibst.!]
Command: Gib!
3. Sieh!
4. Nimm den Hustensaft, Reema!
5. Lies die Zeitung!

Ausnahme:

Verbs whose stem vowel changes from a to ä do not retain this change in the imperative form. For example, du form of fahren is fährst. However, in the imperative sentence, it would change to fahr. Therefore, in German "Drive fast!" would be:
Fahr schnell!

du form and verbs whose stem end with "t" or "d" or a consonant cluster

In this case too, only "st" is removed. Note that the additional "e" is retained that was added while conjugating to aid pronunciation.

For example, du form of arbeiten is arbeitest. In the imperative sentence, it would change to arbeite.

Therefore, in German, "Work fast!" would be:

Arbeite schnell!

ihr form

This is the easiest command. In the ihr form, neither personal pronoun is added after verb, nor the verb changes.

Beispiele:

1. Nehmt Hustensaft! [Take the cough syrup!]
2. Macht die Arbeit, Seeta und Geeta! [Do the work, Seeta and Geeta!]
3. Öffnet die Bücher, Kinder! [Open the books, Children!]
4. Wiederholt den Satz! [Repeat the sentence!]
5. Kommt um 6 Uhr, Ram und Shyam! [Come at 6 o'clock, Ram and Shyam!]

Command Forms of "sein"

The command forms of sein are:

Sie: seien

du: sei

ihr: seid

Beispiele:

Sie: Seien Sie vorsichtig!

du: Sei vorsichtig!

ihr: Seid vorsichtig!