may-lon-ZHON BYAN a-vek un FWAY · “Let’s mix well with a whisk.”
tuMélangenousMélangeonsvousMélangez
Why:Nous mélangeons keeps the e before -ons to keep the soft g sound.
Short answer: the imperative is the form for orders, instructions and invitations. It has three forms, all taken from the present tense without the subject: tu (Mange !), vous (Mangez !) and nous for “let’s” (Mangeons !). For -er verbs, the tu form drops its -s. Object pronouns follow the verb with hyphens: Prends-le ! (Take it!). Four verbs are irregular: être, avoir, savoir and vouloir.
Forming the imperative
Tu manges → Mange !
Start from the present tense and drop the subject. The one change: -er verbs (and aller) lose the -s of the tu form. It comes back before y and en for the sound: Vas-y !, Manges-en !
Verb
tu
nous
vous
Note
parlerto speak
parle
parlons
parlez
-er: no -s
allerto go
va
allons
allez
no -s, but vas-y
finirto finish
finis
finissons
finissez
-ir: keeps -s
prendreto take
prends
prenons
prenez
-re: keeps -s
venirto come
viens
venons
venez
irregular stem
faireto do
fais
faisons
faites
faites, like vous faites
The four irregular verbs
Sois sage !, Aie confiance, Veuillez patienter
These four take their imperative from the subjunctive, so the forms look new. Tap a card to hear all three forms.
Pronouns with commands
Donne-le-moi ! Ne me le donne pas !
In a positive command, pronouns come after the verb, joined by hyphens, and me and te become moi and toi. In a negative command, everything returns to normal order, before the verb.
Positive
Prends-le !take-it
pron LUH · “Take it!”
Negative
Nenotle prendsit takepas !not
nuh luh PRON PA · “Don’t take it!”
Positive
Donne-moigive-meton numéro.your number
don MWA ton nü-may-ROH · “Give me your number.”
Negative
Nenotme donneme givepasnotça.that
nuh muh DON PA SA · “Don’t give me that.”
Positive · two pronouns
Donne-le-moi !give-it-me
don luh MWA · “Give it to me!”
Negative · two pronouns
Nenotme le donneme it givepas !not
nuh muh luh DON PA · “Don’t give it to me!”
Softer ways to give instructions
S’il vous plaît, veuillez, ne pas fumer
A bare imperative can sound blunt. French softens it in several ways, from casual to very formal.
blunt
Fermeclosela porte !the door
fairm la PORT
“Shut the door!”Fine with family; abrupt with strangers.
friendly
Fermeclosela porte,the doors’il te plaît.please
fairm la PORT, seel tuh PLAY
“Shut the door, please.”S’il te plaît with tu; s’il vous plaît with vous.
polite
Tu peuxyou canfermerclosela porte ?the door
tü PUH fair-MAY la PORT
“Can you shut the door?”A question is softer than any imperative.
formal
Veuillezkindlyfermerclosela porte.the door
vuh-YAY fair-MAY la PORT
“Please close the door.”Veuillez + infinitive: written notices and formal emails.
impersonal
Ne pasnotfermerclosela porte.the door
nuh pa fair-MAY la PORT
“Do not close the door.”Signs and instructions use the infinitive, with ne pas together before it.
Let’s: the nous imperative
Allons-y ! Partons ! Voyons…
The nous form of the present, without nous, means “let’s”. Some have become fixed expressions you’ll hear every day.
Allons-y !let’s-go-there
a-lon-ZEE · “Let’s go!”
Partonslet’s-leavetout de suite.right away
par-TON too-tuh-SWEET · “Let’s leave right away.”
Voyons…let’s-see
vwa-YON · “Let’s see…”
Mangeonslet’s-eatensemble !together
mon-ZHON on-SONBL · “Let’s eat together!”
Nenotperdonslet’s-losepasnotde temps.any time
nuh pair-DON pa duh TON · “Let’s not waste time.”
Soyonslet’s-beclairs.clear
swa-YON KLAIR · “Let’s be clear.”
Commands that aren’t commands
Tiens ! Dis donc ! Voyons !
Some imperatives have lost their literal meaning and work as exclamations or fillers.