The French Imperative: Giving Commands (and the Missing S)
Form French commands without a subject pronoun: mange !, mangeons !, mangez !. Learn irregular forms and when the final s returns: manges-en !.
French commands (imperative) usually use the tu/nous/vous present indicative forms without the subject pronoun: mangeons ! (let’s eat), mangez ! (eat, formal/plural). For -er verbs, the tu form also drops its final s: mange !, not manges! In affirmative reflexive commands, the pronoun follows the verb: lève-toi ! (get up!); in the negative, it precedes it: ne te lève pas. Irregular forms include sois, aie and sache; an s returns before attached en or y: manges-en !, vas-y !.
Quick answer
French commands (imperative) usually use the tu/nous/vous present indicative forms without the subject pronoun: mangeons ! (let’s eat), mangez ! (eat, formal/plural). For -er verbs, the tu form also drops its final s: mange !, not manges! In affirmative reflexive commands, the pronoun follows the verb: lève-toi !; in the negative, it precedes it: ne te lève pas. Learn irregular forms such as sois, aie and sache, and add an s before attached en or y: manges-en !, vas-y !.
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This delivers the imperative detail referenced from movement verbs in the imperative.
Forming the imperative
For most verbs, start with the tu/nous/vous present indicative forms and omit the subject pronoun. Adjust the tu ending where needed: mange, mangeons, mangez. Do not apply this shortcut to every verb: être, avoir, savoir and vouloir have special imperative forms.
The missing S: -er verbs in the tu form
Tu manges → mange ! (not manges!) - the tu imperative of -er verbs has no final s. The same applies to va ! and to certain -ir verbs with an -e ending, such as ouvre ! and offre !. Other verbs retain their s: finis !, prends !.
| Présent (tu) | Impératif (tu) |
|---|---|
| tu manges | mange ! |
| tu parles | parle ! |
| tu vas | va ! |
Before an attached en or y, add an s for pronunciation: manges-en !, penses-y !, vas-y !. Compare va en acheter: here en belongs to acheter, so there is no added s or hyphen after va. Laisser has a special pattern: laisses-en échapper un peu.
Irregular imperatives
| Verb | Tu | Nous | Vous |
|---|---|---|---|
| être | sois | soyons | soyez |
| avoir | aie | ayons | ayez |
| savoir | sache | sachons | sachez |
For polite requests, vouloir commonly gives veuillez: veuillez patienter (please wait).
The reflexive imperative flip
In an affirmative command, 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).
Before en or y, toi becomes t’: va-t’en ! (go away!), but ne t’en va pas (don’t go away). The s in vas-y is not added before the intervening t’ in va-t’en.
Commands, correctly formed
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Questions about this note
How do you form a French command?
Usually start with the tu/nous/vous present indicative form, without the subject pronoun. Adjust the tu ending (mange, va) and learn irregular forms such as sois, aie and sache.
Why does mange lose its s?
The tu imperative of -er verbs has no final s: mange ! But an s is added before an attached en or y: manges-en !, penses-y !
What's the imperative of être?
Sois, soyons, soyez - irregular.
How do reflexive commands work?
In affirmative commands, put the reflexive pronoun after the verb: lève-toi ! In negative commands, put it before: ne te lève pas. Before en or y, use the elided form, as in va-t’en.
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.