Recap + liaison: commands with y and en
The Impératif Présent — Congratulations 🎉 and One Last Thing...
🎉 Congratulations — You’ve Mastered the Imperative!
First, take a moment to celebrate your progress! You now know how to use the imperative for affirmative commands, pronouns, negation, and irregulars. That’s a huge step in speaking French naturally and confidently.
But before we close, there’s one last expert-level twist…
The Return of the “S” (Liaison Trick)
For verbs in the 1st group (-ER) and the verb Aller, we usually drop the “s” in the second person singular:
Tu manges → Mange !
However, if the verb is immediately followed by “y” or “en”, we add the “s” back to make pronunciation easier.
Examples:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Manges-en ! | Eat some! |
| Vas-y ! | Go on! |
| Donnes-en ! | Give some! |
👉 This “s” is purely for phonetic flow. It doesn’t change the verb meaning.
Important Note 2
The Imperative is grammatically correct, but it carries a specific "vibe." Choose your tense based on the situation:
1. The "Boss" Mode (Imperative) Use it for instructions, recipes, or assembly manuals. It is direct and efficient.
- Mélangez les œufs. (Mix the eggs.)
- Cliquez ici. (Click here.)
2. The "Pro" Mode (Future or Conditional) In a professional email or a polite request, the Imperative can sound too harsh or bossy. Use the Future or Conditional instead to soften the tone.
- Brutal: Fais ce rapport. (Do this report.)
- Polite: Pourrais-tu faire ce rapport ? (Could you do this report?)
- Polite: Tu voudras bien m'envoyer le dossier. (You will [kindly] send me the file.)
If you want to be helpful, use the Imperative. If you want to be liked, use the Conditional!
Key Takeaways
- You have mastered most imperative rules: affirmative, negative, reflexive, irregulars.
- The second-person singular “s” is normally dropped for -ER verbs and Aller.
- Add it back when followed by y or en for easier pronunciation.
- This is the last major exception in the imperative — now you can truly command like a native!
In the app, you will find interactive exercises and quizzes tailored for this intermediate level.
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.
