German grammar › A1
Imperative — commands
Level A1 · du, ihr, Sie, wir — four ways to tell someone what to do
What is the imperative?
The imperative is the verb form for telling someone what to do — instructions, requests, advice, invitations: Komm! · Warten Sie bitte!
When you use it
- Giving instructions: Nimm den Bus 12.
- Polite requests: Setzen Sie sich bitte.
- Suggestions with wir: Gehen wir! (Let’s go!)
Pattern
Verb first + (Sie / wir) + …
What changes
the form depends on who you talk to: du, ihr, Sie — or wir
Examples
- Komm! · Kommt! · Kommen Sie! — Come! — to du · ihr · Sie
Remember: A German command starts with the verb.
Watch out: With du, drop the pronoun and -st: du kommst → Komm! — not “Kommst!”.
Uses: Present tense and Strong verbs (essen → Iss!).
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