The Imperative (Commands) in German

Level: A1. The imperative is how you tell someone to do something — Come here!, Wait!, Open the window! German picks one of three forms depending on who you are talking to, and the shape is close to the present tense you already know.

The rule

The imperative is the command form of a verb. Because German has three ways to say “you” — du (one friend), ihr (several friends) and Sie (one or more people, formally) — it also has three command forms, plus an optional “let’s” form with wir.

The key habit for English speakers: in the du and ihr commands you drop the pronoun. You do not say Du komm!; you just say Komm! The Sie command is different — there the verb comes first and Sie stays: Kommen Sie!

Build each form from the present tense:

• du: take the present du form (du kommst), cut the -st, and you have the command: Komm! The pronoun disappears.
• ihr: the command is simply the present ihr form with the pronoun dropped: ihr kommt → Kommt!
• Sie: turn the Sie statement around so the verb leads: Sie kommen → Kommen Sie!

A written du command may add an -e (Komme!), but this sounds formal or old-fashioned; in speech almost everyone drops it. There are two places where the -e cannot be dropped, because the bare stem is unpronounceable: stems ending in -d or -t (Arbeite!, Warte!, Rede!), and stems ending in a consonant plus -m or -n (Öffne!, Atme!).

The command forms

The wir form means “let’s …” and looks like the Sie form with wir: Gehen wir! (Let’s go!), Fangen wir an! (Let’s start!).

Stem-changing verbs: the e-to-i trap

This is the single most common imperative mistake, so learn the split as a pair. Strong verbs that change e to i or ie in the present du form keep that change in the command — and they never add an -e:

But verbs that change a to ä (or au to äu) in the present du form drop the umlaut in the command and go back to the plain vowel:

The two forms that matter most, sein and haben, are irregular:

How to say it

A few of these command words hold sounds English speakers get wrong:

• ei in Sei!: like English “eye” — Sei! rhymes with “sigh”.
• ie in Lies!, Sieh!: like “ee” — Lies! sounds like “lees”.
• ss in Iss! / Vergiss! (spelled ss, not ß, because the vowel is short): a sharp, short “s” (never a “z” sound).
• ch in Sprich!, Mach!: after i a soft hiss (Sprich!); after a a throaty sound (Mach!).
• h in Geh!, Sieh!: the vowel before it is long and the h is silent — “gay”, “zee”.

Example sentences

1. Komm her!
   Come here!
   du command of kommen, no pronoun
2. Geh nach Hause!
   Go home!
   du, bare stem geh
3. Wartet auf mich!
   Wait for me!
   ihr form = present ihr-form
4. Warte einen Moment!
   Wait a moment!
   stem ends in -t, so -e stays
5. Öffne bitte das Fenster.
   Please open the window.
   -ne stem keeps -e; bitte softens it
6. Kommen Sie bitte herein!
   Please come in!
   formal Sie, verb first, Sie kept
7. Gib mir das Buch!
   Give me the book!
   geben: e to i stays, no -e
8. Nimm einen Schirm mit!
   Take an umbrella with you!
   nehmen: Nimm!, separable mit at end
9. Lies den Text laut vor.
   Read the text aloud.
   lesen: e to ie stays
10. Sprich bitte langsamer!
    Please speak more slowly!
    sprechen: Sprich!
11. Iss dein Gemüse!
    Eat your vegetables!
    essen: Iss!, sharp ss
12. Hilf mir bitte!
    Help me please!
    helfen: Hilf!
13. Fahr vorsichtig!
    Drive carefully!
    fahren: a to ä dropped, Fahr!
14. Schlaf gut!
    Sleep well!
    schlafen: Schlaf!, not Schläf!
15. Sei ruhig!
    Be quiet!
    sein: Sei! (du)
16. Seid vorsichtig, Kinder!
    Be careful, children!
    sein: Seid! (ihr)
17. Seien Sie bitte geduldig.
    Please be patient.
    sein: formal Seien Sie!
18. Hab keine Angst!
    Don't be afraid!
    haben: Hab!
19. Steh bitte auf!
    Please stand up!
    separable aufstehen splits: Steh ... auf
20. Ruf mich später an!
    Call me later!
    separable anrufen: Ruf ... an
21. Machen wir eine Pause!
    Let's take a break!
    wir form = let's
22. Mach das nicht!
    Don't do that!
    negative command: nicht after the verb

Common mistakes

• ❌ Du komm her! → ✅ Komm her! Drop the pronoun in the du command.
• ❌ Fähr langsam! → ✅ Fahr langsam! The a-to-ä umlaut is dropped in the command.
• ❌ Geb mir das! → ✅ Gib mir das! The e-to-i change stays: Gib!
• ❌ Wart! → ✅ Warte! A stem ending in -t keeps the -e so it can be pronounced.
• ❌ Komm Sie herein! → ✅ Kommen Sie herein! The formal command uses the full -en form with Sie.
• ❌ Sei Sie ruhig! → ✅ Seien Sie ruhig! The formal form of sein is Seien Sie, not Sei Sie.

A short conversation

— Komm rein und setz dich! (Come in and sit down!) — Danke. Gib mir bitte zwei Minuten. (Thanks. Give me two minutes, please.) — Klar. Nimm dir einen Kaffee. (Sure. Have a coffee.) — Seien Sie so nett und warten Sie kurz auf meinen Kollegen. (Be so kind and wait a moment for my colleague.)

Usage notes

• bitte and softening. A bare command can sound sharp. Add bitte (please) or the particle mal to soften it: Komm mal her!, Gib mir bitte das Salz.
• Keep the separable prefix at the end. A separable verb splits in the command, with the prefix last: aufstehen → Steh auf!, anrufen → Ruf an!, zumachen → Mach zu!
• Negative commands just add nicht (or kein-) after the verb: Geh nicht! (Don’t go!), Mach dir keine Sorgen! (Don’t worry!).
• The reflexive pronoun stays. With reflexive verbs the pronoun comes right after the verb: Setz dich! (Sit down!), Beeil dich! (Hurry up!).
• Signs and recipes are full of Sie and infinitive commands: Bitte drücken (Please push), Nicht rauchen (No smoking). The infinitive at the end is a common impersonal command on notices.

Compared with the regular present tense

The command forms come straight from the regular present tense: the du command is the du form minus -st, and the ihr command is identical to the present ihr form. The difference is word order and the missing pronoun — a statement keeps the verb in position 2 with its subject (Du kommst), while the command drops the subject and leads with the verb (Komm!). The same e-to-i and a-to-ä shifts you met in the present tense with stem changes decide the du command, so knowing du gibst and du fährst already tells you Gib! and Fahr!

Quick recap before the quiz.

Practice

Practice

German imperative practice

Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.

1 How do you tell one friend 'Come here!'?

Du komm her! Komm her! Kommen Sie her! Kommt her!

Check

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Komm her! — The du command is the bare stem with no pronoun: Komm her!

2 Command of 'geben' (du): ____ mir das Buch!

Check

Hint: e changes to i, no -e

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Gib — geben keeps the e-to-i change: Gib!

3 Command of 'fahren' (du): ____ vorsichtig!

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Hint: a to ä is dropped

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Fahr — The a-to-ä umlaut disappears in the command: Fahr!, not Fähr!

4 Build the formal command: 'Please come in!'

SieKommenhereinbitte

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Kommen Sie bitte herein — Formal: verb first, then Sie — Kommen Sie bitte herein!

5 Match each verb to its du command.

• nehmen Match for nehmen — choose — Lies!Nimm!Sei!Warte!
• lesen Match for lesen — choose — Lies!Nimm!Sei!Warte!
• sein Match for sein — choose — Lies!Nimm!Sei!Warte!
• warten Match for warten — choose — Lies!Nimm!Sei!Warte!

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• nehmen → Nimm!
• lesen → Lies!
• sein → Sei!
• warten → Warte!

nehmen/lesen keep e-to-i(e); sein is irregular Sei!; warten keeps -e.

6 Which is the correct 'Be quiet!' to a stranger?

Sei ruhig! Sei Sie ruhig! Seien Sie ruhig! Seid Sie ruhig!

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Seien Sie ruhig! — The formal form of sein is Seien Sie.

Quiz

Check yourself

German imperative

12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.

0/12 0 answered

1. 1The du and ihr commands drop which word?

   A the verb B the pronoun (du/ihr) C bitte D nicht
   Show answer

   the pronoun (du/ihr) — You say Komm!, not Du komm!

2. 2The formal Sie command puts the verb…

   A at the end B first, with Sie kept C in position 3 D in the infinitive
   Show answer

   first, with Sie kept — Kommen Sie! — verb first, Sie stays.

3. 3Command of 'nehmen' (du):

   A Nehm! B Nimm! C Nähm! D Nimmst!
   Show answer

   Nimm! — nehmen changes e to i: Nimm!

4. 4Command of 'fahren' (du):

   A Fähr! B Fahre! C Fahr! D Fährst!
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   Fahr! — a-to-ä is dropped: Fahr!

5. 5Why is 'Wart!' wrong?

   A wrong verb B a stem ending in -t keeps the -e: Warte! C needs a pronoun D needs Sie
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   a stem ending in -t keeps the -e: Warte! — Stems in -d/-t keep the -e so they can be said: Warte!

6. 6The ihr command of 'kommen' is…

   A Komm! B Kommt! C Kommen Sie! D Kommen!
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   Kommt! — It equals the present ihr-form: Kommt!

7. 7'Be careful, children!' (to a group of kids):

   A Sei vorsichtig! B Seid vorsichtig! C Seien Sie vorsichtig! D Seien wir vorsichtig!
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   Seid vorsichtig! — ihr form of sein is Seid!

8. 8The separable verb 'aufstehen' as a du command is…

   A Aufsteh! B Steh auf! C Stehen auf Sie! D Auf steh dich!
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   Steh auf! — The prefix goes to the end: Steh auf!

9. 9Command of 'sprechen' (du): ____ bitte langsamer!
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   Sprich — sprechen keeps e-to-i: Sprich!

10. 10How do you say 'Don't do that!'?

    A Nicht mach das! B Mach nicht das! C Mach das nicht! D Macht das nicht Sie!
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    Mach das nicht! — nicht follows the verb and object: Mach das nicht!

11. 11The 'let's …' form uses which pronoun?

    A du B ihr C Sie D wir
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    wir — Gehen wir! = Let's go.

12. 12Command of 'haben' (du):

    A Hast! B Hab! C Habe Sie! D Habst!
    Show answer

    Hab! — haben: Hab! — e.g. Hab keine Angst!

Recap cheat-sheet

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