A2 · The verb: present tense and stem
The imperative
telling somebody to do something
Three forms for three ways of saying you — and a particle that turns an order into an offer.
German has three imperatives because it has three words for "you". The du form is the bare stem: komm!, geh!, mach! The ihr form is the ordinary present: kommt! The Sie form keeps the pronoun and inverts: Kommen Sie!
The du form may add an -e, and usually does not: komm rather than komme. It is required only where the stem would be unpronounceable without it — arbeite!, öffne!, rechne!
Strong verbs that change e to i keep the change in the imperative and never take the -e: gib!, nimm!, sprich!, lies! Verbs that change a to ä do not: fahr!, schlaf!
Die Form
| du | Komm! Geh! Mach! Gib! |
| ihr | Kommt! Geht! Macht! |
| Sie | Kommen Sie! Gehen Sie! |
| with -e | Arbeite! Öffne! Rechne! |
| separable | Mach die Tür zu! Ruf mich an! |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
The du imperative is the bare stem, usually without -e.
Komm bitte her.Come here, please.
The Sie imperative keeps the pronoun and puts the verb first.
Nehmen Sie bitte Platz.Please take a seat.
Verbs that change e to i keep the change and take no -e.
Gib mir bitte das Salz.Pass me the salt, please.
A separable prefix goes to the end, as always.
Mach bitte das Fenster auf.Please open the window.
Genauer hingesehen
Why a German imperative sounds blunt without a particle
A bare German imperative is an order, and it is heard as one. Komm mit is an instruction; komm doch mit is an invitation; komm mal mit is casual. The difference is a single unstressed syllable carrying no dictionary meaning at all.
This is where fluent learners most often sound unfriendly without knowing it. English softens with intonation and with phrases — why not, would you like to — and German softens with a particle. Leaving it out is grammatically perfect and socially audible.
Ausnahmen und Sonderfälle (2)
-
the verb is sein
the forms are irregular: sei, seid, seien Sie.
Sei bitte pünktlich.Please be on time.
Sein is irregular everywhere else too, and the imperative is no exception.
-
the instruction is general rather than addressed to somebody
German uses a bare infinitive at the end: Bitte zurückbleiben. Nicht rauchen.
Bitte zurückbleiben!Please stand clear of the doors!
A notice has no addressee, so it states the instruction rather than telling a person.
Woran man es erkennt
- !
- bitte
- doch
- mal
- Komm
- Geh
- Nehmen Sie
Beispielsätze
Setz dich doch.Do sit down.
Warten Sie bitte einen Moment.Please wait a moment.
Sprich bitte lauter.Please speak up.
Kommt endlich!Come on, will you!
Ruf mich an, wenn du da bist.Call me when you get there.
Noch 8 Beispielsätze
Nimm dir noch ein Stück.Do have another piece.
Hör bitte auf damit.Please stop that.
Seien Sie bitte vorsichtig.Please be careful.
Lies das noch einmal durch.Read that through again.
Fahr bitte langsamer.Please drive more slowly.
Vergiss deinen Schlüssel nicht.Do not forget your key.
Geben Sie mir bitte Bescheid.Please let me know.
Macht bitte kurz Pause.Do take a short break.
Besonderheiten (2)
-
The -e is required after a consonant cluster
Where the bare stem could not be pronounced, the <z>-e</z> comes back: <z>arbeite</z>, <z>öffne</z>, <z>rechne</z>, <z>atme</z>. It is the same reason the <z>du</z> and <z>er</z> forms of these verbs insert one — a spelling that follows the mouth rather than a rule to memorise.
Arbeite nicht so lange.Do not work so long.
-
lassen makes a polite suggestion
<z>Lass uns gehen</z> and <z>lassen Sie uns anfangen</z> are the German "let us", and they are far more common than the first-person plural imperative <z>gehen wir</z>, which sounds slightly formal. Both exist and both are correct.
Lass uns morgen darüber reden.Let's talk about it tomorrow.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
A verb that changes e to i keeps the change in the imperative and refuses the -e. The two errors travel together: adding the ending and restoring the vowel are the same instinct to make the form look like the infinitive. The rule is short — gib, nimm, sprich, lies, hilf, iss — and worth learning as those six words rather than as a rule.
Bare stem for du. Verb first for Sie.
Jetzt selbst
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