Imperative Mood
Imperativ
German has three imperative forms because it has three ways to say you. For du use the bare verb stem (Komm!), for ihr use the normal ihr-form (Kommt!), and for formal Sie use the infinitive followed by Sie (Kommen Sie!). Adding bitte softens any of them: Komm bitte her!
Give commands and make requests in German.
Rules & Explanations
Imperative Mood
Imperativ
Come here! Open the door! Please sit down! These are commands. German has three forms of commands because of du, ihr, and Sie. Each form is different!
German has 3 forms: du-form (friends), ihr-form (group of friends), Sie-form (formal). Each is made differently!
English has one command form: Open the door! It is the same for everyone — friend, group, boss.
Komm! (du) / Kommt! (ihr) / Kommen Sie! (Sie)
Come! (to a friend) / Come! (to friends) / Come! (formal)
Three ways to say Come! depending on who you are talking to.
Using the wrong imperative form can sound rude or strange. Learn all three forms!
The 3 Imperative Forms
Die 3 Imperativ-Formen
du: verb stem only. ihr: same as normal ihr-form. Sie: infinitive + Sie.
| Form | How to make it | kommen | machen | lesen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| du (informal singular) | verb stem (drop -st from du-form) | Komm! | Mach! | Lies! (stem vowel changes!) |
| ihr (informal plural) | same as ihr-form | Kommt! | Macht! | Lest! |
| Sie (formal) | infinitive + Sie | Kommen Sie! | Machen Sie! | Lesen Sie! |
du = stem only (Komm!). ihr = normal ihr-form (Kommt!). Sie = infinitive + Sie (Kommen Sie!).
du = short (stem only). ihr = add -t. Sie = full infinitive + Sie.
Common Mistakes
-
✗ Kommen! (to a friend)
✓ Komm! (to a friend)
For du: use the stem only. Komm! not Kommen!
-
✗ Komm Sie!
✓ Kommen Sie!
For Sie: use the infinitive + Sie. Kommen Sie!
Special Cases
Besondere Fälle
| De | En | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sein | Sei ruhig! / Seid ruhig! / Seien Sie ruhig! | Be quiet! (irregular in all forms) |
| haben | Hab Geduld! / Habt Geduld! / Haben Sie Geduld! | Have patience! |
| Vowel change e→i/ie | du-form keeps the change | lesen → Lies! sprechen → Sprich! geben → Gib! |
| Vowel change a→ä | du-form does not keep the change | fahren → Fahr! (not Fähr!) schlafen → Schlaf! |
| Add bitte for politeness | bitte = please | Komm bitte! / Kommen Sie bitte! |
Watch out!
sein is completely irregular. Vowel change e→i stays. Vowel change a→ä disappears!
Quick Reference
Kurzübersicht
- ▸3 forms: du (stem: Komm!), ihr (Kommt!), Sie (Kommen Sie!)
- ▸du-form: just the verb stem. Drop -st from du-form.
- ▸ihr-form: same as normal ihr conjugation (Kommt, Macht, Lest)
- ▸Sie-form: infinitive + Sie (Kommen Sie, Machen Sie)
- ▸e→i/ie stays in du: Lies! Sprich! Gib! But a→ä disappears: Fahr! Schlaf!
- ▸Add bitte (please) to be polite: Komm bitte! Kommen Sie bitte!
Examples
Komm bitte her!
Come here please! (du)
Kommdu-form: stem only. kommen → Komm!
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Komm | come (du imperative) |
| bitte | please |
| her | here |
Kommt bitte her!
Come here please! (ihr)
Kommtihr-form: same as normal. ihr kommt → Kommt!
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Kommt | come (ihr imperative) |
| bitte | please |
| her | here |
Kommen Sie bitte her!
Come here please! (Sie)
Kommen SieSie-form: infinitive + Sie. kommen + Sie.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Kommen | come (infinitive) |
| Sie | you (formal) |
| bitte | please |
| her | here |
Mach die Tür zu!
Close the door! (du)
Machdu: stem of machen = Mach. Separable: zu at end.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mach | do/close (du imp.) |
| die Tür | the door |
| zu | closed (prefix) |
Lies das Buch!
Read the book! (du)
Lieslesen has vowel change e→ie. du liest → Lies!
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Lies | read (du imp., e→ie!) |
| das | the |
| Buch | book |
Sprich langsamer!
Speak slower! (du)
Sprichsprechen has vowel change e→i. du sprichst → Sprich!
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sprich | speak (du imp., e→i!) |
| langsamer | slower |
Fahr vorsichtig!
Drive carefully! (du)
Fahrfahren: a→ä disappears in du imperative. Fahr! (not Fähr!)
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Fahr | drive (du imp., NO umlaut!) |
| vorsichtig | carefully |
Sei ruhig!
Be quiet! (du)
Seisein is completely irregular: Sei! Seid! Seien Sie!
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sei | be (du imp., irregular!) |
| ruhig | quiet |
Practice Exercises
8 interactive exercises
___ bitte die Tür!
___ bitte die Tür! (du, machen)
You got on this topic's exercises.
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Common questions about the German imperative
How do you form commands in German?
Pick the form that matches your listener. For du, take the du-form and drop the -st: du kommst gives Komm!, du machst gives Mach!. For ihr, use the ordinary ihr-form: Kommt!, Macht!. For Sie, use the infinitive plus Sie: Kommen Sie!, Machen Sie!. Only the Sie-form keeps the pronoun.
What are the three imperative forms in German?
They mirror the three you-pronouns: du for one person you know well, ihr for several people you know well, and Sie for formal address, singular or plural. The same command therefore has three shapes: Komm bitte her!, Kommt bitte her!, and Kommen Sie bitte her!. Using the wrong one can sound rude or oddly stiff.
Do stem-changing verbs keep their vowel change in the imperative?
Only the e to i or ie change survives. Lesen gives Lies!, sprechen gives Sprich!, geben gives Gib!, nehmen gives Nimm!. The a to ä change disappears in the du-imperative: fahren gives Fahr!, not Fähr!, and schlafen gives Schlaf!. The ihr- and Sie-forms are unaffected either way.
How do I make a German command polite?
Add bitte, which fits naturally after the verb or the object: Komm bitte her!, Kommen Sie bitte her!, Mach bitte die Tür zu!. Choosing the Sie-form is itself the strongest politeness signal with strangers. For requests, a question with können is even softer: Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen?
What is the imperative of sein and haben in German?
Sein is fully irregular: Sei ruhig! for du, Seid ruhig! for ihr, and Seien Sie ruhig! for Sie. Haben is more predictable but still worth memorising: Hab Geduld!, Habt Geduld!, Haben Sie Geduld!. These two show up constantly in instructions and encouragement, so learn all six forms as a set.