2025.08.28 2025.09.05

How to Form the French Imperative | Conjugation Rules and Usage

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In French, the imperative is used to give direct instructions, commands, suggestions, or prohibitions, such as “Do this,” “Let’s go,” or “Don’t do that.”

In French, the verb form changes depending on the person being addressed, and the word order sometimes differs from that of normal declarative sentences.

In this lesson, I will explain the basics of forming imperatives, including affirmative and negative commands, as well as the placement of pronouns.

Contents

1. The Basics of the Imperative
2. Forming Affirmative Commands
3. Imperatives with nous and vous
4. Forming Negative Commands
5. Placement of Object Pronouns
6. Summary

1. The Basics of the Imperative

The imperative is formed using the verb without a subject, directly expressing an order or request. Unlike English, French imperative forms change depending on who the command is directed to.

There are three main types of imperative forms in French:

Addressee	Corresponding Subject Pronoun	Notes	Example
Informal singular	tu	Use the 2nd person singular form (for -er verbs, drop final -s).	Mange ! (Eat!)
Inclusive plural	nous	Used for proposals or suggestions (“Let’s…”).	Allons-y ! (Let’s go!)
Plural or polite	vous	Used for polite commands or addressing more than one person.	Écoutez bien. (Listen carefully.)

2. Forming Affirmative Commands

In affirmative commands, the verb is used without a subject. The conjugated form is taken directly.

Tu manges. (You eat.) → Mange ! (Eat!)
Vous écoutez. (You listen.) → Écoutez ! (Listen!)

For -er verbs in the tu form, the final -s is dropped. For -ir and -re verbs, the final -s remains.

Tu manges → Mange !

Exception: If the verb is followed by the pronouns y or en, the final -s is retained.

Manges-en ! (Eat some!)

3. Imperatives with nous and vous

The nous form is used to suggest an action together (“Let’s…”).

Finissons nos devoirs. (Let’s finish our homework.)
Allons-y ! (Let’s go!)

The vous form is used for polite instructions or when addressing multiple people.

Fermez la porte, s’il vous plaît. (Please close the door.)
Lisez ce texte. (Read this passage.)

Both the nous and vous imperative forms simply use their regular conjugated forms.

4. Forming Negative Commands

Negative imperatives follow the structure: Ne + verb + pas …

The verb form is the same as in affirmative imperatives, but surrounded by ne … pas.

Ne mange pas ! (Don’t eat!)
Ne vous levez pas. (Don’t stand up.)
→ vous is the reflexive pronoun for se lever
Ne nous dépêchons pas. (Let’s not hurry.)
→ nous is the reflexive pronoun for se dépêcher

The rule is simple: in the imperative, negation is always expressed with ne … pas around the verb.

5. Placement of Object Pronouns

The placement of object pronouns differs between affirmative and negative imperatives.

Affirmative commands: Verb + pronoun (linked with a hyphen)

In affirmative imperatives, pronouns follow the verb and are connected with a hyphen.

Vas-y ! (Go!)
Parle-lui ! (Talk to him!)

Negative commands: ne + pronoun + verb + pas

In negative imperatives, pronouns precede the verb, with no hyphen.

Ne lui parle pas. (Don’t talk to him.)
Ne nous en parlons pas. (Let’s not talk about it.)

6. Summary

The imperative in French is formed with the verb alone, without a subject.
Commands are addressed with tu, nous, or vous, and the verb conjugates accordingly.
For -er verbs in the tu form, drop the final -s (e.g., Parle !). Keep the -s when followed by y or en.
Negative imperatives follow the structure ne + verb + pas, with subject pronoun omitted.
Pronoun placement changes:
1. Affirmative → pronouns follow the verb with a hyphen.
2. Negative → pronouns precede the verb, no hyphen.