French Imperative Guide: How to Give Commands (and Advice) Like a Pro
7 min read
The impératif (imperative mood) is the tense of direct instructions: it is how French tells someone what to do right now—or invites them politely when you use vous or softeners like s’il te plaît / **s’il vous plaît.
You meet it everywhere: metro signs (Sortie, Attention), cooking steps (Mélangez, Ajoutez), coaches (Allez, plus vite !), and everyday requests (Passe-moi le sel). Unlike almost every other French sentence, the imperative is the one context where you systematically drop the subject pronoun—so Parle ! never starts with tu.
- How to build l’impératif from the present tense for tu, nous, and vous only—and why there is no je** imperative in standard French.
- The first-group (-er) trick: no final -s in affirmative tu (Parle !, Va !), plus when en / y bring the s back (Manges-en !, **Vas-y !).
- Être, avoir, savoir, vouloir: irregular stems, plus negative commands and pronoun order (hyphen after the verb in the affirmative).
- Concrete patterns for travel, food, work, and classroom** French so you recognize the mood in the wild.
Where you actually hear the imperative
Think of the imperative as **compressed present tense aimed at someone in front of you (or at yourself in nous = “let’s”).
Concrete spots: recipe cards (Préchauffez le four à 180 °C.), museum or train audio (Suivez la flèche.), app onboarding (Choisissez une langue.), friends texting (Réponds quand tu peux.), and polite service French (Asseyez-vous, Installez-vous). If you already know the present tense, you are not learning a brand-new table—you are learning when to strip the pronoun and which spelling tweaks apply.
- Softening: bare imperatives can sound blunt; in speech people often add s’il te plaît / s’il vous plaît or use vous** + imperative to stay polite.
- Tu = one person you know well; vous = one stranger / your boss / several people—same grammar rule (drop the pronoun), different social weight.
The core rule: subtraction
To form the imperative, take the indicative present conjugation and remove the subject pronoun.
The formula: Present (tu / nous / vous) − pronoun = l’impératif.
There is no regular je imperative in modern standard French—you address tu, nous (let’s), or vous. Memorizing **present tense endings first (our guide on French present tense rules) makes this step automatic.
- Tu parles → Parle ! — Speak!
- Nous parlons → Parlons ! — Let’s speak!
- Vous parlez → Parlez !** — Speak! (formal / plural)
The “-er” exception (the missing S)
This is the #1 written mistake for English speakers. In the affirmative tu imperative, first-group (-er) verbs—including aller and verbs like ouvrir that conjugate like -er in tu—lose the final -s.
Present: tu manges, tu vas, tu ouvres → Imperative: Mange !, Va !, Ouvre !
Contrast: many -ir and -re verbs keep the -s in tu (Finis !, **Vends !). If you are unsure which group a verb belongs to, see French verb groups explained.
Adding -s on -er tu commands
Why the -s disappears
Old French kept more final consonants; modern spelling still shows -s in tu parles, but the affirmative command clipped that ending for -er-type tu forms. Pronunciation and spelling finally line up: you say parle, you write Parle !**
Practice French conjugation for free in the Croissant Verbs app
Quizzes and spaced repetition for every tense, for free on your phone—plus short grammar guides on our Learn hub.
The four irregular verbs
Être, avoir, savoir, and vouloir do not use the usual tu present stem in the imperative. Learners often meet these forms first in the subjunctive; here they are commands**.
| Verb | Tu | Nous | Vous |
|---|---|---|---|
| Être | Sois (be) | **Soyons (let’s be) | Soyez (be) |
| Avoir** | Aie (have) | **Ayons (let’s have) | Ayez (have) |
| Savoir** | Sache (know) | **Sachons (let’s know) | Sachez (know) |
| Vouloir** | **Veuille (please) | — | Veuillez (please) |
- Sois sympa. — Be nice. · Soyez prudents. — Be careful (plural / formal).
- Aie confiance. — Have confidence. · Ayez l’amabilité de… — Formal letter set-ups (“have the kindness to…”).
- Sache que… — “Know that…” (assertion / warning). · Sachez + clause in professional FAQs.
- Veuillez patienter. — “Please wait.” (Veuillez + infinitive** is standard on signs and in customer service.)
- Veuillez agréer… — Stock closing in formal emails; learners rarely use veuille in casual **tu speech.
Negative commands and pronouns
Negative commands
Wrap ne … pas around the verb—same skeleton as a normal negative sentence. Ne often drops in very informal speech (Mange pas ça !), but written French and exams expect ne.
- Ne mange pas ça ! — Don’t eat that!
- Ne vous inquiétez pas ! — Don’t worry! (formal / plural reflexive)
Pronoun placement (the hyphen rule)
In affirmative commands, object and reflexive pronouns go after the verb, with a hyphen. Me and te become moi and toi (disjunctive forms).
- Regarde-moi ! — Look at me!
- Finis-le ! — Finish it! · Donne-lui un verre d’eau. — Give him / her a glass of water.
- Dépêche-toi ! — Hurry up! (Reflexive te → toi after the verb.)
Negative + pronouns
In negative commands, pronouns move before** the verb—like ordinary negation.
- **Ne me regarde pas ! — Don’t look at me!
Pro tip: the S returns with en and y
When en (“of it / some”) or y (“there”) follows the tu imperative of an -er-type verb, French restores the -s for liaison and smoother linking.
- Mange tes légumes → Manges-en ! — Eat some (of them)!
- Va à l’école → Vas-y ! — Go there! (Allons-y ! uses nous but the same y idea.)
Mini-scripts you can steal
Read these aloud; they bundle politeness, vous, and pronouns the way native material does.
- Café: Un café, s’il vous plaît. Gardez la monnaie. — A coffee, please. Keep the change.
- Flat share: Range ta chambre. Et ne laisse pas tes chaussures dans le couloir !
- Team lead: On se retrouve à 14 h. Envoyez-moi le fichier avant midi.
- Teacher: Ouvrez vos livres à la page 12. Écoutez bien la consigne.
The 10-minute “boss” drill
Pick five verbs you use daily; for each, say one affirmative tu, one negative tu, and one vous command. Then add one with en or y. Track mistakes in a short log—same idea as our 10-minute conjugation routine.
- Morning: Lève-toi ! / Ne retarde pas !
- Coffee: Bois ton café ! / N’oublie pas ton badge !
- Work: Travaille vingt minutes sans téléphone. / Relis ton mail avant d’envoyer.**
Frequently asked questions
- What is the French imperative (l’impératif) in simple terms?
- The French imperative is the mood you use to give orders, instructions, or friendly suggestions. You use the present tense stem for tu, nous, or vous, but you drop the subject pronoun—Parle !, not Tu parles ! as a command.
- Why is there no -s on Parle! if tu parles has an -s?
- For affirmative tu commands, -er-type verbs (including aller and verbs like ouvrir in tu) drop the final -s. It is a fixed spelling rule. The -s can return before en or y (Manges-en, **Vas-y).
- How do French negative imperatives work?
- Put ne before the verb and pas after—Ne fume pas ! If there are object pronouns, they sit before the verb in negatives—Ne me dérange pas !—while affirmative commands put them after with a hyphen—Dérange-moi !**
- When should I use tu vs vous in the imperative?
- Tu commands target one person you know well (friend, child, peer). Vous targets several people or one adult you do not know well / need to respect (client, manager, stranger). The grammar is the same; vous is the **polite default in service and professional French.
Stack skills, not isolated rules: lock the present tense, learn verb groups so you know when -s drops, then drill imperatif présent with real sentences—not only bare verbs. The links below point to high-frequency verbs, common mistakes, and a daily practice** template.
Croissant Verbs®: Direct, delicious, and strictly consistent.