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German · Grammar · A1 to B1

The German imperative: komm!, kommt!, kommen Sie! and how to say it politely

Who are you talking to?
Pick a verb
Komm her!
Kommcomeher!here
KOM HAIR · “Come here!” Why: du kommst → komm. Drop -st and du.

Short answer: the imperative is the form for orders, requests and instructions. German has three, one for each way of saying “you”. For du, drop -st and the pronoun: du kommst → Komm! For ihr, use the normal form without the pronoun: Kommt! For Sie, swap the verb and pronoun: Kommen Sie! Add bitte, mal or doch to make it friendlier.

Building the imperative

Three forms from the present tense

Every form starts from the present tense. Only the du form needs changing; ihr and Sie are the present tense you already know. A fourth form, wir, makes suggestions: Gehen wir! (“Let’s go!”).

VerbduihrSieNote
machendo, makemach!macht!machen Sie!Regular: drop -st.
arbeitenworkarbeite!arbeitet!arbeiten Sie!-t stem keeps -e.
gebengivegib!gebt!geben Sie!e → i in du.
lesenreadlies!lest!lesen Sie!e → ie in du.
schlafensleepschlaf!schlaft!schlafen Sie!No a → ä.
seinbesei!seid!seien Sie!Irregular.
habenhavehab!habt!haben Sie!Hab keine Angst! (Don’t be afraid!)
werdenbecomewerd!werdet!werden Sie!Werd nicht frech! (Don’t get cheeky!)
Making it polite

Bitte, mal, doch

A bare imperative can sound sharp. Germans soften it with small words called particles, which have no direct English translation but change the tone. The same request, from blunt to friendly:

blunt
Machdodas Fensterthe windowzu!shut
MAKH das FENS-ter TSOO · “Shut the window!”A plain order; fine between close family.
neutral
Machdobittepleasedas Fensterthe windowzu.shut
MAKH BI-te das FENS-ter TSOO · “Please shut the window.”Bitte goes after the verb or at the end.
casual
Machdomaljustdas Fensterthe windowzu.shut
MAKH MAAL das FENS-ter TSOO · “Shut the window, would you?”Mal (from einmal, “once”) makes it a small, quick favour.
friendly
Machdodochdomaljustdas Fensterthe windowzu.shut
MAKH DOKH MAAL das FENS-ter TSOO · “Why don’t you shut the window?”Doch mal: a gentle suggestion.
polite
KönntencouldSieyoubittepleasedas Fensterthe windowzumachen?shut
KÖN-ten zee BI-te das FENS-ter TSOO-ma-khen · “Could you please shut the window?”For strangers, a question with könnten (Konjunktiv II) is politer than any imperative.
Instructions with the infinitive

Bitte nicht rauchen. Einsteigen bitte!

Signs, recipes, announcements and manuals often skip the imperative and use the plain infinitive (the dictionary form) at the end. It addresses nobody in particular.

Separable and reflexive verbs

Ruf mich an! Setz dich!

The imperative verb comes first, so the separable prefix still goes to the end, and a reflexive pronoun (dich, euch, sich) follows the verb.

Machdodie Türthe doorauf!open
MAKH dee TÜR AUF · “Open the door!”Aufmachen: the prefix auf goes to the end.
Stehstandbittepleaseauf!up
SHTAY BI-te AUF · “Please get up!”Aufstehen: steh … auf.
Beeilhurrydich!yourself
be-AIL dikh · “Hurry up!”Sich beeilen is reflexive: dich after the verb.
Ziehtputeuchyourselveswarmwarman!on
TSEET oikh VARM AN · “Wrap up warm!”Separable and reflexive: euch after the verb, an at the end.
Keep going

Related guides

Kannst du…?Modal verbs →Ask politely with können.ruf … anSeparable verbs →Why the prefix goes last.sichReflexive verbs →Setz dich, beeil dich.doch malParticles →Doch, mal and the rest.