To give a command and tell someone what to do in German, you need to use the Imperativ (imperative) mood. But how does the imperative mood work in German? Similar to the German tenses, it changes your sentence structure and conjugates main verbs in specific ways, which clearly signal that you’re giving a command.
With the imperative mood, you can confidently tell someone a step to follow or an action to take. Imperative German expressions can also add nuance to your message with negations, question words, and modal particles that help you sound like a native German speaker.
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Commanding with the imperative mood in German
The Imperativ (imperative) form in German is known as a “mood”, which means it affects your sentence grammatically to show how you, as the speaker, feel about what’s being said.
You’ll use the Imperativ (imperative) mood to:
- Give commands
- Give directions
- Make requests
- Give advice
- Deliver warnings
Sentences that use the imperative mood will always be formed in the German present tense. If you need to give additional information about time, like saying someone needs to perform your command “tomorrow,” you can simply add a temporal adverb like morgen (tomorrow) or bald (soon) for context.
- Senden Sie den Bericht. = Send the report.
- Geh nach links. = Go to the left.
- Hilf mir bitte. = Help me, please.
- Mach dir keine Sorgen. = Don’t worry.
- Fassen Sie das nicht an. = Don’t touch that.
Comparing German vs. English imperatives
The imperative mood is used very similarly between the German and English languages in that both:
- Use the imperative mood to give commands, warnings, or advice
- Placing the main verb at the start of the sentence
- Often omit the subject for an imperative sentence
The biggest difference, however, lies in German’s four distinct imperative forms based on grammatical person. There are different verb Konjugationen (conjugations) in German depending on if you’re talking to one person, multiple people, including yourself, or for different levels of formality. English uses one set of conjugations in the imperative, regardless of to whom you’re speaking.
Additionally, German imperative verbs sometimes undergo a stem change, depending on the verb, whereas English imperative verbs almost always use the base, unchanged spelling.
Forming a sentence in the German imperative mood
The imperative form of expressions largely uses the same German sentence structure as other types of statements. The only major differences are swapping the positions of your main verb and subject pronoun, and sometimes how you conjugate the main verb of your expression.
[main verb, imperative conjugated] + [subject, only if Sie, wir, or uns] + [objects/additional info]
To form a sentence using the German imperative mood, follow these easy steps:
- Place your main verb at the start of the sentence.
- Select your subject pronoun and place it as the second word of the sentence if that pronoun is Sie (you, formal singular and plural) or wir (we). Otherwise, don’t include the pronoun, and it will be implied instead.
- Conjugate the main verb of your sentence according to your pronoun.
- Set the objects and adverbs of your expression at the end of the sentence.
These examples will help you get an idea of what the imperative mood looks like in German sentences:
- Gehen Sie geradeaus. = Go straight ahead.
- Triff mich im Café! = Meet me at the café.
- Lass uns in den Park gehen. = Let’s go to the park.
- Ruf mich an! = Call me!
How German pronouns guide imperative conjugations
Your choice of German pronouns in imperative expressions is critical because it dictates how to conjugate the main verb of the sentence. Depending on the audience of your command, you may choose between four pronouns in the German imperative form:
- Sie (you, formal singular and plural)
- wir (we/let’s)
- du (you, informal singular)
- ihr (you, informal plural)
It’s important to note that, while wir directly translates to “we” in English, its meaning is closer to “let’s” in this context, as in “let’s go.”
Sie and wir imperatives for formal commands and including yourself
You’ll find it easiest to form the German imperative with the subject pronouns of Sie (you, formal singular and plural) and wir (we). This is because the conjugation of your main verb remains the same as in standard, declarative statements when either of these pronouns is the subject.
The only thing you need to change about an imperative German expression with these pronouns is swapping the position of your verb with the position of your pronoun.
[main verb, conjugated] + [Sie/wir (subject)] + [objects/additional info]
Below, you’ll see the comparison of a simple, declarative German sentence in the indicative mood and how little it changes when shifted to the imperative mood.
| Indicative Mood | Imperative Mood |
| Sie lesen das Buch. = You are reading a book. | Lesen Sie das Buch. = Read the book. |
| Sie machen die Hausaufgaben. = You are doing the homework. | Machen Sie die Hausaufgaben. = Do the homework. |
| Wir gehen ins Kino. = We are going to the cinema. | Gehen wir ins Kino. = Let’s go to the cinema. |
| Wir essen jetzt. = We are eating now. | Essen wir jetzt. = Let’s eat. |
While wir is closer to “let’s” in English for imperatives, it comes across as less of a suggestion than saying lass uns (let us). You’d use wir imperative commands when you’re telling someone “we’re doing this together” rather than suggesting “let’s maybe do this together.”
Ihr imperatives to command many friends
Imperative German sentences with ihr (you, informal plural) look similar to those with Sie (you, formal singular and plural) and wir (we). You keep the normal, present-tense conjugation of the main verb that you would usually use for ihr. The only difference is that you don’t include ihr in the sentence. It’s implied instead.
[main verb, conjugated] + [objects/additional info]
You can think of it like how we don’t say “you” in English and imply it instead in commands, such as “Go to the store.” The word “you” isn’t said, just like ihr, but your audience will understand that you’re directing the command at them.
| Indicative Mood | Imperative Mood |
| Ihr steht früh auf. = You all wake up early. | Steht früh auf. = Wake up early. |
| Ihr seid leise. = You all are quiet. | Seid leise! = Be quiet! |
| Ihr spielt Fußball. = You all play soccer. | Spielt Fußball. = Play soccer. |
Du imperatives for commanding one friend
The pronoun du (you, informal singular) uses a partially new pattern when selected for an imperative German sentence. The sentence structure is the same as imperatives with ihr (you, informal plural), where your main verb is first, and du is implied and not written or spoken.
[main verb, conjugated] + [objects/additional info]
However, the conjugation of your main verb will look different with du. The verb of a du-imperative is formed by:
- Taking the normal, present-tense conjugation of your verb with du.
- Removing the standard -st ending
- If the stem of the verb ends in a -d, -t, -ig, -m, or -n after another consonant, then add an -e to the end of the verb.
| German Verb | Du-Imperative form | English Translation |
| antworten | antworte | answer |
| essen | iss | eat |
| fahren | fahr | drive |
| fragen | frag | ask |
| gehen | geh | go |
| helfen | hilf | help |
| machen | mach | do/make |
| nehmen | nimm | take |
| spielen | speil | play |
| warten | warte | wait |
- Fahr hier nicht Ski! = Do not ski here!
- Iss stattdessen eine Banane. = Eat a banana instead.
- Spiel bitte hier! = Please play here!
Lass uns and lassen Sie uns for softer imperative suggestions
Both lass uns and lassen Sie uns mean “let’s” in German, similar to wir (we/let’s) imperatives. The difference is that lass uns and lassen Sie uns sound to a German like a gentle suggestion more than a command. In contrast, wir imperatives sound more like a strict command you want someone to follow.
These two phrases use a unique sentence structure from regular du (you, informal singular), Sie (you, formal). Keep in mind that in the phrase lass uns, you’re using an implied du, which is not included in imperative statements.
The main difference here is that your main verb will be moved to the end of the sentence in its infinitive form.
[lass uns/lassen Sie uns] + [objects/additional info] + [main verb, infinitive form]
- Lass uns zum Supermarkt fahren. = Let’s drive to the store.
- Lassen Sie uns mal über das Monatsbudget reden. = Let’s discuss the monthly budget.
How the imperative affects separable German verbs
Some German verbs have special prefixes that, in some instances, can be separated from the main part of the verb. These are known as separable German verbs.
When using a separable German verb in the German imperative form, its prefix will be “chopped off” from the rest of the verb and moved to the very end of the clause.
The remaining main part of your verb will remain at the very start of the sentence and be conjugated according to your subject pronoun, just like any other German verb out there.
| German Separable Verb | German Example | English Translation |
| anrufen (to call) | Ruf mich an. | Call me. |
| ausziehen (to take off) | Ziehen Sie die Schuhe aus. | Take off your shoes. |
| anmachen (to turn on) | Mach das Licht an. | Turn on the light. |
Using question words in the imperative German form
You can include German question words in your German imperative form sentences to command someone to provide information.
- Sag mir, wo du hingehst. = Tell me where you are going.
- Zeigt mir, was ihr gekauft habt. = Show me what you all bought.
- Erklären Sie mir, wie das funktioniert! = Explain to me how that works!
To do so, conjugate and set your main verb at the start as you would with any other imperative German expression, followed by your subject pronoun, if needed.
[imperative verb] + [pronoun (if needed)] + [object/adverb], [question word] + [subordinate clause]
Oftentimes, you’ll need to follow up with an object pronoun like mich (myself) or mir (me). Once you have your first words set up in that manner, place a comma followed by your question word of choice. A subordinate clause will end your sentence.
Modifying your imperative German sentences
Once you’re comfortable setting up simple commands with the imperative form in German, you can add nuance by modifying your command. There are two ways you can modify your commands in German:
- Negate your sentence
- Adjust the tone of your sentence with modal particles
Tips for negating the German imperative
Setting up a “negated” German imperative sentence is simply communicating “don’t do something” instead of saying “do something.”
- Gehen wir nicht. = Let’s not go
- Rufen Sie mich nicht an! = Do not call me!
- Steh nicht auf. = Don’t get up.
To accomplish this, just place the word nicht (not) at the end of the sentence. The word nicht will go after any objects or adverbs in your expression, but just before the prefix of a separated verb, when one is present.
Soften or harden your command with modal particles
You can insert Modalpartikeln (modal particles) into your commands to adjust the tone of your message. Modalpartikeln are often considered filler words in a sentence, so they can be tricky to directly translate into English.
- Komm mal her! = Come here for a moment.
- Warte halt hier. = Just wait here.
- Hör doch auf damit! = Stop with that, will you?
They appear as the second word in an imperative form German sentence, right after the main verb, or as the third word when there is a pronoun that needs to be included.
| German Modal Particle | Intended Tone | English Translation |
| aber | intensifies what’s being said or shows surprise | but/what |
| also | continues from an old thought or starts a conversation | so/well |
| auch | confirms information | really/also |
| denn | used in questions to make them sound more casual | so/then |
| doch | conveys surprise or disbelief, gives a “yes” answer to a statement with negation | yes/but |
| eben | expresses resignation or resigned acceptance | just/now/then/exactly |
| eigentlich | softens tone, expresses curiosity, or introduces a change in topic | actually |
| halt | conveys resignation | just |
| irgendwie | communicates general vagueness | somehow |
| ja | expresses surprise, urgency, or signals that something is obvious | yes |
| mal | softens tone, is never stressed in the sentence | say/once |
| nun | shows resigned acceptance | just |
| nur | expresses urgency or disbelief, adds threat or reassurance to commands | better/just |
| schon | emphasizes temporal context or adds confidence | already/ever/never |
| total | adds emphasis | totally |
| überhaupt | signals finality or emphasizes that something is generally not the case | absolutely/at all |
| wohl | shows probability or signals concession | certainly/true |
| zwar | communicates agreement, but is often followed by a counterargument | to be sure/it’s true |
Key Takeaways about the imperative form in German
The imperative form in German is an essential grammatical tool for giving commands. Keep these key points in mind about the German Imperativ (imperative) mood:
- The German imperative is a mood used to give commands, directions, requests, advice, or warnings.
- Main verbs always come first in the German imperative, followed by a pronoun, when needed.
- The form of German “you” used in your imperative expression guides how to conjugate your verb.
- Modal particles like mal (once) and doch (but), as well as negations, can be used to modify the tone and nuance of your command.
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