The French Imperative: Giving Commands (and the Missing S)
French commands drop the subject pronoun - and for -er verbs, they drop the tu-form s too: mange !, not manges !. The full imperative rules.
French commands (imperative) simply drop the subject pronoun from the tu/nous/vous présent forms: mangeons ! (let’s eat), mangez ! (eat, formal/plural). For -er verbs, the tu form also drops its final s: mange !, not manges! Reflexive commands flip the pronoun after the verb: lève-toi ! (get up!).
Quick answer
French commands (imperative) simply drop the subject pronoun from the tu/nous/vous présent forms: mangeons ! (let’s eat), mangez ! (eat, formal/plural). For -er verbs, the tu form also drops its final s: mange !, not manges! Reflexive commands flip the pronoun after the verb: lève-toi ! (get up!).
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This delivers the imperative detail referenced from movement verbs in the imperative.
Forming the imperative
Drop the subject pronoun and use the tu/nous/vous présent forms directly: mange, mangeons, mangez.
The missing S: -er verbs in the tu form
Tu manges → mange ! (not manges!) - the s drops specifically for -er verbs (and aller) in the tu-imperative.
| Présent (tu) | Impératif (tu) |
|---|---|
| tu manges | mange ! |
| tu parles | parle ! |
| tu vas | va ! |
Irregular imperatives
| Verb | Tu | Nous | Vous |
|---|---|---|---|
| être | sois | soyons | soyez |
| avoir | aie | ayons | ayez |
| savoir | sache | sachons | sachez |
The reflexive imperative flip
Se lever → lève-toi ! - the pronoun moves after the verb, and te becomes toi. See French reflexive verbs for the base pattern this builds on. The negative form reverses this: ne te lève pas (don’t get up).
Commands, correctly formed
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Questions about this note
How do you form a French command?
Drop the subject pronoun from the tu/nous/vous présent form.
Why does mange lose its s?
-er verbs drop the tu-form s specifically in the imperative - manges becomes mange.
What's the imperative of être?
Sois, soyons, soyez - irregular.
How do reflexive commands work?
The pronoun moves after the verb: lève-toi ! (not te lève).
How do you say "don't get up" in the negative imperative?
Ne te lève pas - the pronoun returns to its normal position before the verb.