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📢 Imperatives & Commands

How to give instructions, make requests, and say "let's" in German

A1 8 min read 4 sections

Four Imperative Forms

German has four imperative forms, each matching a different "you" or "we." The du-form is informal singular — use it with one friend, family member, or child. The ihr-form is informal plural — use it when addressing a group of people you know well. The Sie-form is formal — use it with strangers, elders, or in professional settings (always capitalised). The wir-form means "let's" — it's a suggestion or invitation to do something together.

Komm her! (du) — Come here! Kommt her! (ihr) — Come here! (to a group) Kommen Sie her! (Sie) — Come here! (formal) Kommen wir! (wir) — Let's go!Each form addresses a different audience — picking the right one shows social awareness.

Tip: In everyday speech, Germans use the du-form most often among friends. The Sie-form is essential in shops, offices, and with anyone you'd address as "you" formally.

Regular Formation

For regular verbs, the du-form takes the verb stem (drop -en/-n from the infinitive). The trailing -e is optional and often dropped in speech (Mach! or Mache!). The ihr-form adds -t to the stem. The Sie-form and wir-form use the full infinitive followed by the pronoun. Stem-changing verbs that shift e→i or e→ie keep that change in the du-form (lesen→Lies!, nehmen→Nimm!), but the a→ä change does NOT apply (fahren→Fahr!, not *Fähr!).

Infinitive	du	ihr	Sie	wir
machen	Mach!	Macht!	Machen Sie!	Machen wir!
kommen	Komm!	Kommt!	Kommen Sie!	Kommen wir!
lesen	Lies!	Lest!	Lesen Sie!	Lesen wir!
nehmen	Nimm!	Nehmt!	Nehmen Sie!	Nehmen wir!

Tip: Remember: e→i/ie stem changes apply ONLY to the du-form. The ihr/Sie/wir forms always use the regular stem. And a→ä verbs like fahren, schlafen, laufen do NOT change in the imperative — Fahr!, Schlaf!, Lauf!

Irregular Imperatives

A few very common verbs have irregular imperative forms that must be memorised. "Sein" (to be) is the most irregular — the du-form is "Sei!" and the formal is "Seien Sie!" (not *Sind Sie!). "Haben" and "werden" follow a more predictable pattern but still differ slightly from regular formation. "Wissen" is rarely used in the imperative but included for completeness.

Infinitive	du	ihr	Sie	wir
sein	Sei!	Seid!	Seien Sie!	Seien wir!
haben	Hab!	Habt!	Haben Sie!	Haben wir!
werden	Werde!	Werdet!	Werden Sie!	Werden wir!
wissen	Wisse!	Wisst!	Wissen Sie!	Wissen wir!

Sei ruhig! — Be quiet! Seid vorsichtig! — Be careful! (to a group) Seien Sie geduldig! — Be patient! (formal)Be quiet! / Be careful! (plural) / Be patient! (formal)

Tip: "Seien Sie" is the only formal imperative that doesn't match the infinitive. Every other verb uses the infinitive for the Sie-form, but "sein" uses "seien." This is the single biggest exception to memorise.

Polite Requests

A bare imperative can sound abrupt. Germans soften commands with "bitte" (please), which can appear at the start, middle, or end of the sentence. For even more politeness, use "Könnten Sie …?" (Could you …? — formal) or "Würdest du …?" (Would you …? — informal). These Konjunktiv II forms turn a command into a polite request.

Pattern	Example	Translation
Imperative + bitte	Kommen Sie bitte herein!	Please come in! (formal)
Bitte + imperative	Bitte setzen Sie sich!	Please sit down! (formal)
Könnten Sie + infinitive	Könnten Sie mir helfen?	Could you help me? (formal)
Würdest du + infinitive	Würdest du das Fenster öffnen?	Would you open the window? (informal)
Könntest du + infinitive	Könntest du bitte leiser sein?	Could you please be quieter? (informal)

Tip: "Bitte" is your universal softener. Even a direct imperative becomes polite with it: "Mach die Tür zu" (Close the door) vs. "Mach bitte die Tür zu" (Please close the door). In formal settings, prefer "Könnten Sie …?" over bare imperatives.

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📢 Imperatives & Commands

Four Imperative Forms

Regular Formation

Irregular Imperatives

Polite Requests

Practice with Interactive Quizzes

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