Mange tes légumes ! Finis tes devoirs. Allons-y ! Prenez la première rue à droite. Donne-moi le livre, s'il te plaît.
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GrammarA2imperativecommands
The imperative
L'impératif
A2fr22 min
What you'll learn
- Give instructions and commands
- Drop the subject pronoun
- Place pronouns after an affirmative command
Tips for this lesson
- The imperative uses tu/nous/vous forms, but drops the subject pronoun entirely.
- -er verbs drop the final -s from the tu form: tu manges → mange !
- In affirmative commands, object pronouns move AFTER the verb, joined with a hyphen.
Step 1 of 6
1Reading
In context
Read. Notice there's no subject pronoun before the verb — just the command.
Step 2 of 6
2The pattern
The pattern — verb only, no pronoun
The imperative is just the tu/nous/vous verb form, with the subject pronoun dropped entirely.
The imperative gives instructions, commands, or suggestions. It uses the tu, nous, or vous form of the present tense, but drops the subject pronoun completely — "tu manges" (you eat) becomes just "Mange !" (Eat!). One spelling quirk: for -er verbs, the tu form also drops its final -s: tu manges → Mange ! (not "Manges !"). The nous form works as "let's...": Allons ! (Let's go!). In an affirmative command, an object pronoun moves to after the verb, joined with a hyphen: "donne-moi" (give me), "fais-le" (do it) — the opposite order from a normal sentence.
| Register | Normal sentence | Imperative |
|---|---|---|
| tu (-er verb) | tu manges | Mange ! |
| tu (-ir/-re verb) | tu finis | Finis ! |
| nous ('let's') | nous allons | Allons ! |
| vous | vous prenez | Prenez ! |
Mange tes légumes !
Eat your vegetables!
-er verb: dropped subject AND dropped -s.
Finis tes devoirs.
Finish your homework.
-ir verb keeps its normal tu-ending (finis).
Allons-y !
Let's go!
nous form = 'let's...' — a very common use.
Donne-moi le livre.
Give me the book.
Affirmative command: pronoun moi goes AFTER the verb, with a hyphen.
Erreurs fréquentes
- Tu mange !Mange !
The imperative drops the subject pronoun completely — never keep tu/nous/vous.
- Manges tes légumes !Mange tes légumes !
-er verbs lose the final -s in the tu imperative form — mange, not manges.
- Le donne-moi.Donne-le-moi. / Donne-moi le livre.
In an AFFIRMATIVE command, the pronoun goes after the verb (with a hyphen), not before it like in a normal sentence.
Exceptions & à retenir
Negative commands put the pronoun back before the verb
Ne me donne pas ça ! (Don't give me that!) — in a NEGATIVE command, the pronoun returns to its normal pre-verb position, unlike the affirmative rule you just learned.
être and avoir have irregular imperatives
être → sois, soyons, soyez (Sois sage ! = Be good!); avoir → aie, ayons, ayez (Aie confiance ! = Have confidence!) — these don't come from a simple present-tense drop.
me/te become moi/toi after the verb
In affirmative commands, me and te change to moi and toi when placed after the verb: donne-moi (not donne-me), lève-toi (not lève-te, reflexive example).
Astuces & mémo
- Build any imperative in two steps: 1) take the tu/nous/vous present form, 2) drop the pronoun (and the -s for -er verbs in tu).
- Nous + imperative is your go-to for 'let's...': Allons-y ! Mangeons ! Commençons !
- Only AFFIRMATIVE commands move the pronoun after the verb — negative commands keep it before, like a normal negative sentence (see exceptions).
Step 3 of 6
3Q&A drill
Match the command
Match each normal sentence to its imperative form.
- Q1tu mangesA____________
- Q2tu finisA____________
- Q3nous allonsA____________
- Q4vous prenezA____________
Step 4 of 6
4Fill the blanks
Guided practice — form the command
Turn each verb into an imperative command.
Example
(manger, tu) tes légumes !
→ Mange tes légumes !
Exercice
(finir, tu) ton travail.
Exercice
(aller, nous)-y !
Exercice
(donner, tu) -moi le livre.
Answer pool — drag onto a blank (or tap to fill the next one)
Next empty blank: 1
Step 5 of 6
5Word order
Build the sentence
Put the words in the correct order.
Example
légumestesmange→Mange tes légumes.
- Sentence 1Tap the words below to build the sentence.
- Sentence 2Tap the words below to build the sentence.
- Sentence 3Tap the words below to build the sentence.
- Sentence 4Tap the words below to build the sentence.
Step 6 of 6
6Speak freely
Produce it
Give four instructions or suggestions using tu, nous and vous imperatives.
Ex.Écoute bien ! Finis ton travail avant midi. Allons au cinéma ce soir. Prenez la première rue à gauche.
- 1.Donnez trois conseils à un ami avec l'impératif.
- 2.Suggérez une activité avec 'nous'.
- 3.Donnez des instructions pour aller quelque part.