The German Imperative: How to Give Commands, Requests, and Advice

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The imperative is how you tell someone what to do in German. Whether you are giving directions, making a request, or writing a recipe, you need this form. The rules are straightforward — and once you know the three forms, you can handle any situation.

This guide covers all three imperative forms (du, ihr, Sie), irregular verbs, and how to soften commands so you sound polite rather than bossy.

The Three Imperative Forms

German has three imperative forms because German has three ways to say "you." Each form is used for a different audience.

If you are not sure when to use du vs. Sie, our guide on you in German explains the rules.

The Du-Form (Informal Singular)

This is the most common imperative form. Use it with friends, family, children, and peers.

Rule: Take the du-form of the present tense, drop the -st ending and the pronoun.

• du kommst → Komm! (Come!)
• du gehst → Geh! (Go!)
• du schreibst → Schreib! (Write!)
• du trinkst → Trink! (Drink!)
• du machst → Mach! (Do it! / Make it!)

That is the whole rule for regular verbs. Drop -st, drop du, and you have the imperative.

Study Tip: The du-imperative is the shortest form of a verb you will ever see. One syllable is enough: Komm!, Geh!, Lies!, Gib! Practice saying them out loud — they should sound quick and direct.

The Ihr-Form (Informal Plural)

Use this when speaking to a group of people you know informally.

Rule: Use the ihr-form of the present tense, drop the pronoun.

• ihr kommt → Kommt! (Come!)
• ihr geht → Geht! (Go!)
• ihr schreibt → Schreibt! (Write!)
• ihr trinkt → Trinkt! (Drink!)

This is the easiest form. The verb stays exactly the same as the ihr-conjugation — you just remove ihr.

The Sie-Form (Formal)

Use this with strangers, in professional settings, and with anyone you address as Sie.

Rule: Use the Sie-form of the present tense and flip the word order (verb before Sie).

• Sie kommen → Kommen Sie! (Come!)
• Sie gehen → Gehen Sie! (Go!)
• Sie schreiben → Schreiben Sie! (Write!)
• Sie nehmen → Nehmen Sie! (Take!)

Notice that Sie (capitalized) stays in the sentence. This is the only imperative form where the pronoun is included.

Irregular Imperatives

Some common verbs have irregular imperative forms. These are verbs you use every day, so they are worth memorizing.

Verbs With Vowel Change (e → i/ie)

Several strong verbs change their vowel from e to i or ie in the du-form.

The vowel change only affects the du-form. The ihr and Sie forms are regular.

• Gib mir das Buch! — Give me the book! (du)
• Gebt mir das Buch! — Give me the book! (ihr)
• Geben Sie mir das Buch! — Give me the book! (Sie)

Study Tip: The verbs with e→i change in the imperative are the same verbs that change in the du/er present tense. If you already know that "du gibst" has a vowel change, the imperative "Gib!" follows the same pattern. Practice these verbs with our conjugation tool.

Verbs With Vowel Change (a → ä) — NO Change in Imperative

Verbs that change a → ä in the present tense do NOT change in the imperative. This is a common mistake.

• du fährst → Fahr! (Drive!) — NOT "Fähr!"
• du schläfst → Schlaf! (Sleep!) — NOT "Schläf!"
• du läufst → Lauf! (Run!) — NOT "Läuf!"

Remember: e→i changes carry over to the imperative. a→ä changes do not.

Sein (To Be)

Sein has a completely irregular imperative — it does not follow any pattern.

Sei is extremely common. You will hear it in phrases like:

• Sei still! — Be quiet!
• Sei nicht traurig. — Don't be sad.
• Sei ehrlich. — Be honest.
• Sei vorsichtig! — Be careful!

Haben (To Have)

Also slightly irregular:

• du: Hab Geduld! — Have patience!
• ihr: Habt Spaß! — Have fun!
• Sie: Haben Sie keine Angst! — Don't be afraid!

Separable Verbs in the Imperative

With separable verbs, the prefix goes to the end of the sentence — just like in regular sentences.

• aufstehen → Steh auf! (Get up!)
• mitkommen → Komm mit! (Come along!)
• anfangen → Fang an! (Start! / Begin!)
• zuhören → Hör zu! (Listen!)
• aufmachen → Mach auf! (Open up!)
• zumachen → Mach zu! (Close!)

The formal versions:

• Stehen Sie auf! — Get up! (formal)
• Kommen Sie mit! — Come along! (formal)
• Hören Sie zu! — Listen! (formal)

Separable verbs follow all the same imperative rules — the prefix just moves to the end.

Negative Imperatives

To tell someone NOT to do something, add nicht after the verb (or after the object).

• Geh nicht! — Don't go!
• Trink nicht so viel! — Don't drink so much!
• Vergiss das nicht! — Don't forget that!
• Machen Sie das nicht! — Don't do that! (formal)
• Sei nicht böse. — Don't be angry.

For "don't" with nouns, use kein:

• Mach keinen Lärm! — Don't make noise!
• Hab keine Angst! — Don't be afraid!

For a complete guide on German negation, see kein vs. nicht.

Making Commands Polite

A bare imperative can sound harsh. Germans use several strategies to soften commands into polite requests.

Add "bitte" (Please)

The simplest way. Bitte can go before or after the verb.

• Bitte setz dich. — Please sit down.
• Komm bitte mit. — Please come along.
• Sprechen Sie bitte langsamer. — Please speak more slowly.

Add "mal"

Mal (once / just) makes a command sound casual and friendly.

• Schau mal! — Look! / Check this out!
• Komm mal her. — Come here (for a sec).
• Hör mal zu. — Listen (for a moment).

Mal signals that the request is small and not demanding. It is extremely common in everyday German.

Add "doch"

Doch adds encouragement — it suggests "go ahead" or "why don't you."

• Setz dich doch. — Go ahead and sit down.
• Probier doch mal. — Why don't you try it?
• Kommen Sie doch rein. — Do come in.

Use Conditional Instead

For maximum politeness, avoid the imperative altogether and use a conditional question.

• Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen? — Could you please help me?
• Würdest du bitte das Fenster öffnen? — Would you please open the window?

These are not imperatives at all, but they achieve the same result more politely.

Study Tip: When speaking German, always default to polite forms. "Könnten Sie bitte..." (Could you please...) is safer than a direct imperative in any situation where you are unsure. Practice softeners like bitte, mal, and doch until they become automatic.

Common Imperative Phrases in Everyday Life

These are imperative phrases you will encounter constantly in Germany.

Signs and Instructions

• Drücken — Push (on doors)
• Ziehen — Pull (on doors)
• Einsteigen bitte! — All aboard! (on trains)
• Nicht rauchen! — No smoking!
• Bitte anschnallen! — Please fasten your seatbelt!

In the Classroom

• Hört zu! — Listen up! (to a group)
• Macht eure Bücher auf! — Open your books!
• Schreibt das auf! — Write that down!
• Lies den Text vor! — Read the text aloud!
• Wiederholt den Satz! — Repeat the sentence!

At Home

• Räum dein Zimmer auf! — Clean your room!
• Mach die Tür zu! — Close the door!
• Wasch dir die Hände! — Wash your hands!
• Komm essen! — Come eat!
• Geh schlafen! — Go to sleep!

For more useful everyday phrases, see common German phrases.

The Wir-Form (Let's...)

German also has a "let's" construction using the wir-form.

• Gehen wir! — Let's go!
• Fangen wir an! — Let's begin!
• Essen wir! — Let's eat!
• Sprechen wir darüber. — Let's talk about it.

The pattern: verb first, then wir. It works just like the Sie-imperative but with wir instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The German imperative is simpler than most grammar books make it seem. For the du-form, drop -st and du. For the ihr-form, drop ihr. For the Sie-form, flip verb and Sie. The only extras to memorize are the e→i vowel changes and sei (be).

In real life, soften your commands with bitte, mal, or doch. This makes the difference between sounding rude and sounding natural.

For more grammar guides, explore German tenses, German cases explained, or German word order rules. Practice verb conjugations with our conjugation tool.