Frenchvita

The imperative

Formation

Chanter	Finir	Rendre	Aller
(tu) Chant -E	fini -S	rend -S	va -
(nous) Chant -ONS	fini -ISSONS	rend -ONS	All -ONS
(vous) Chant -EZ	fini -ISSEZ	rend -EZ	All -EZ

In English it is the equivalent of :

• Sing! (tu and vous) Let’s sing! (nous)

These three forms are identical to the present indicative except that the 2nd person singular for the first group of verbS does not have an “s” at the end.

There is an exception to the exception!! When the verb is followed by the pronouns Y or EN the verb keeps the “s” ending.

• Parles-en - talk about it
• Achetes-en - Buy some
• Vas-y -Go there
• Va au garage et gares-y ta voiture – Drive to the garage and park your car there

When we use the 3rd persons singular or plural of this mood we use the present subjunctive

• Qu’il vienne chez moi! – Let him come to my place
• Qu’elles ne soient pas en retard – Let them not be late.

The verb “vouloir” is also use to give a command and still remain polite. You will see it used at the 2nd person plural in expressions such as:

• Veuillez vous assoir – Please sit down.
• Veuillez patienter - Please be patient.

  Be aware of the use of the imperative with the object pronouns.

  • Affirmative form:
    • Mange ta soupe! Mange-la!
      • Eat your soup, eat it!
  • Negative form:
    • Ne mange pas ta soupe! - Ne la mange pas!
      • Don’t eat your soup, don’t eat it!
    • Ne me donne pas votre rhume, ne me le donne pas.
      • Don’t give me your cold, don’t give it to me.

  The object pronoun comes before the verb at the imperative with the negative form but it comes after when it is used with the affirmative form.

Exercise: Fill the gaps

This is a difficult exercise so no panick if you score poorly!

Exercise: Fill the gaps

The use of the imperative

This is the mood use to give orders or commands.
You will mainly use it with “tu”, “nous” and “vous” forms.
It is very much formed like the subjunctive as you have seen.

We are now going to leave the wonderful notions and use of subjunctive behind us. It may take time before you feel comfortable with this mood. There is so much to remember and to be aware of.

Do not get discouraged by the task. Come back to this section from time to time and learn one new notion, expression or use of the subjunctive each time. It is in my experience the most effective way.

The next things we'll look at are: The infinitive and past & present participles.