Imperative Commands in German

In Brief

German has three main ways to tell someone to do something: use the verb stem for informal singular du (Komm!), the normal ihr verb form without ihr for informal plural (Kommt!), and the infinitive followed by Sie for formal address (Kommen Sie!). With a separable verb, the prefix goes at the end: Mach die Tür zu!

Overview

The imperative is the verb form used for commands, instructions, requests, advice, and invitations. You hear it in everyday phrases such as Komm rein! (“Come in!”), and you see it in recipes, signs, software instructions, and public announcements. Although “command” can sound forceful, an imperative with bitte can be a perfectly normal request.

This is an A1 topic because the core patterns build directly on present-tense verbs. The main choice is social rather than grammatical: are you speaking to one person as du, to several people as ihr, or formally to one or more people as Sie? English uses the same visible verb in “Come!” regardless of the audience; German marks this distinction.

German normally leaves out the subject (the person doing the action) in the du and ihr imperative. In the formal pattern, however, Sie must remain. This makes the intended audience clear even when no name is used.

How It Works

The three core forms

Start from a verb’s present-tense forms. The stem is the basic part left after removing the infinitive ending -en or -n: machen → mach-, wandern → wander-.

Audience	Formation	machen	Meaning
one person, informal (du)	stem, usually without -st or du	Mach!	Do it!
several people, informal (ihr)	present ihr form, omit ihr	Macht!	Do it!
one or more people, formal (Sie)	infinitive + Sie	Machen Sie!	Do it!

The pronouns du and ihr are normally omitted. Compare the statements Du kommst heute and Ihr kommt heute with the commands Komm heute! and Kommt heute!

Informal singular: the du imperative

For many verbs, remove -st from the present-tense du form and omit du:

Infinitive	Present with du	Imperative
kommen	du kommst	Komm!
machen	du machst	Mach!
lernen	du lernst	Lern!
warten	du wartest	Warte!
öffnen	du öffnest	Öffne!

An ending -e is possible with many verbs: Komm! and Komme! are both grammatical. In current everyday speech, the shorter form is common. The -e is retained where pronunciation requires it, especially after stems such as wart- and öffn-: Warte!, Öffne! It is also common in more elevated or fixed expressions, such as Lebe wohl! (“Farewell!”).

Do not blindly take the infinitive stem when a verb has an e → i or e → ie vowel change in the du form. That change remains in the imperative:

Infinitive	Present with du	Correct imperative
geben	du gibst	Gib!
nehmen	du nimmst	Nimm!
sprechen	du sprichst	Sprich!
lesen	du liest	Lies!
sehen	du siehst	Sieh!

By contrast, verbs with a → ä in the present tense lose the umlaut in the imperative: du fährst → Fahr!, du läufst → Lauf!, du schläfst → Schlaf!

Informal plural: the ihr imperative

Use exactly the normal present-tense ihr form, but leave out ihr:

• ihr kommt → Kommt!
• ihr arbeitet → Arbeitet!
• ihr lest → Lest!
• ihr fahrt → Fahrt!

This pattern is usually the easiest because no new verb form is needed. Add ihr only when contrasting or strongly emphasizing the group: Kommt ihr mit! is unusual as a neutral command, while Ihr bleibt hier, und wir gehen weiter clearly contrasts two groups.

Formal commands and requests with Sie

For formal address, place the infinitive first and Sie immediately after it:

• Kommen Sie bitte herein.
• Warten Sie einen Moment.
• Nehmen Sie Platz.

Here Sie means formal “you” and is capitalized. The form works for both one person and several people. Unlike du and ihr, it cannot normally be omitted: Warten Sie! is complete, but Warten! sounds like an impersonal instruction or a sharply abbreviated order rather than a standard formal request.

Separable verbs

A separable verb has a prefix that moves away from the verb in a main clause. The imperative follows the same pattern: the conjugated part comes first and the prefix goes at the end.

Infinitive	du	ihr	Sie
aufmachen	Mach auf!	Macht auf!	Machen Sie auf!
mitkommen	Komm mit!	Kommt mit!	Kommen Sie mit!
anrufen	Ruf an!	Ruft an!	Rufen Sie an!
zuhören	Hör zu!	Hört zu!	Hören Sie zu!

Other words can stand between the verb and its prefix: Mach bitte das Fenster auf! The prefix still closes the command.

Essential irregular verbs

The most important special case is sein (“to be”). Its forms must be learned separately.

Verb	du	ihr	Sie
sein	Sei!	Seid!	Seien Sie!
haben	Hab! / Habe!	Habt!	Haben Sie!
werden	Werde!	Werdet!	Werden Sie!

Common examples are Sei vorsichtig! (“Be careful!”), Seid leise! (“Be quiet!”), and Seien Sie ehrlich! (“Be honest!”).

Negatives and objects

To tell someone not to do something, form the imperative normally and add nicht (“not”) or a form of kein (“no/not any”):

• Komm nicht zu spät! — Don’t come too late.
• Macht keinen Lärm! — Don’t make any noise.
• Vergessen Sie den Schlüssel nicht! — Don’t forget the key.

Object pronouns normally follow the opening verb: Hilf mir!, Ruf mich an!, Zeigen Sie es mir! An object is a person or thing affected by the action; in Hilf mir, mir is the person receiving the help.

Examples in Context

German	English	Note
Komm her!	Come here!	Informal, one person
Warte bitte kurz.	Please wait a moment.	-e is needed in warte
Lies die Nachricht noch einmal.	Read the message again.	lesen keeps its ie change
Fahr vorsichtig!	Drive carefully!	No umlaut in the imperative
Sei nicht nervös.	Don’t be nervous.	Irregular sein
Kommt rein und setzt euch.	Come in and sit down.	Informal, several people
Macht die Tür zu!	Close the door!	Separable zumachen
Hört bitte gut zu.	Please listen carefully.	Separable zuhören
Öffnen Sie das Buch auf Seite zehn.	Open the book to page ten.	Formal instruction
Nehmen Sie bitte Platz.	Please take a seat.	Formal and courteous
Rufen Sie mich morgen an.	Call me tomorrow.	Object between verb and prefix
Vergessen Sie Ihre Karte nicht.	Don’t forget your card.	Formal negative command
Probier mal die Suppe!	Try the soup!	mal softens an informal suggestion
Gehen wir!	Let’s go!	First-person plural suggestion

Common Mistakes

Keeping the du ending

• Wrong: Kommst her!
• Right: Komm her!
• Why: The informal singular imperative normally drops both du and the present-tense ending -st.

Omitting Sie in a formal request

• Wrong: Öffnen bitte das Fenster! (addressing a customer formally)
• Right: Öffnen Sie bitte das Fenster!
• Why: The formal imperative requires the infinitive followed by Sie. Capitalization distinguishes formal Sie from sie (“she” or “they”).

Using a singular command for a group

• Wrong: Komm rein! (to several friends)
• Right: Kommt rein!
• Why: Use the ihr imperative for two or more people whom you address informally.

Putting a separable prefix beside the verb

• Wrong: Aufmach die Tür!
• Right: Mach die Tür auf!
• Why: In an imperative main clause, the separable prefix moves to the end.

Applying every present-tense vowel change

• Wrong: Fähr langsam! or Geb mir das Buch!
• Right: Fahr langsam!; Gib mir das Buch!
• Why: The e → i/ie change remains (gib, lies), but an a → ä umlaut does not (fahr, lauf). Learn these frequent forms as complete chunks.

Translating English “do not” word for word

• Wrong: Tun nicht rauchen!
• Right: Rauchen Sie nicht! or, on a sign, Nicht rauchen!
• Why: German negates the imperative with nicht; it does not add an equivalent of auxiliary “do.”

Usage Notes

An imperative is not automatically rude, but tone and situation matter. Bare forms such as Gib mir das! can sound abrupt. Bitte is the safest softener: Gib mir bitte das Salz or Geben Sie mir bitte das Salz. In speech, friendly intonation matters as much as punctuation.

German often uses a question when English speakers would also choose a polite question: Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen? (“Could you please help me?”) is softer than Helfen Sie mir bitte! A service employee may use a formal imperative naturally—Unterschreiben Sie bitte hier—because it gives a clear instruction, not because it is unfriendly.

Informal particles make requests sound more conversational. mal can make an action feel quick or casual: Schau mal! (“Take a look!”). doch can encourage someone or respond to hesitation: Komm doch mit! (“Why don’t you come along?”). Depending on tone, particles can also add impatience, so first learn them in common friendly phrases.

Written German uses infinitives for impersonal public instructions: Bitte nicht berühren (“Please do not touch”), Tür schließen (“Close door”), or Vor Gebrauch schütteln (“Shake before use”). These do not address the reader as du, ihr, or Sie and are especially common on signs, labels, and forms.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following patterns at A1, but you will meet them later.

Suggestions with wir

German can form a “let’s” suggestion with the verb first and wir after it: Gehen wir! (“Let’s go!”), Fangen wir an! (“Let’s begin!”), Seien wir ehrlich! (“Let’s be honest!”). This resembles the formal Sie order, but the pronoun makes the meaning clear.

Third-person wishes and elevated language

Forms such as Es lebe die Freiheit! (“Long live freedom!”) express a wish rather than a direct command. Recipes and traditional instructions may also use man with the present subjunctive: Man nehme zwei Eier (“Take two eggs,” literally “one should take two eggs”). The subjunctive is a special verb form used here to present an instruction indirectly. These patterns are formal, literary, or conventional—not everyday A1 conversation.

Passive and impersonal commands

Sharp institutional commands may use a past participle alone: Aufgepasst! (“Pay attention!”), Stillgestanden! (“Attention!”), or Nicht angefasst! (“Hands off!”). A past participle is a verb form such as gemacht or angefasst, often used in perfect tenses; in these fixed commands it stands independently. Such forms can sound forceful and should be recognized before being imitated.

Pronouns for emphasis

Although du and ihr are usually absent, they can appear in contrasts: Du kommst mit, und ihr bleibt hier! (“You come with me, and you all stay here!”). Grammatically these can resemble present-tense statements; context and intonation supply the command. For neutral instructions, the standard pronoun-free imperative remains clearer.

Practice Tips

1. Build three-form sets. Choose five useful verbs and say each command for du, ihr, and Sie: Komm! – Kommt! – Kommen Sie! Include one separable verb each day.
2. Learn irregular forms in short phrases. Memorize Gib mir …, Nimm bitte …, Lies …, Fahr vorsichtig, and Sei ruhig rather than isolated verb forms.
3. Adjust the same request for register. Turn Mach das Fenster auf! into Macht das Fenster auf! and Machen Sie bitte das Fenster auf! This trains grammar and social choice together.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Regular Verbs (Present) — the present-tense stem and the ihr form provide the foundation for imperative forms.