German Imperative

Overview

All imperative sentences include verbs written in what is called an "imperative mood ," meaning they give commands.

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June 28, 2023

The imperative mood in German has several forms, and can be “softened” by adding flavoring particles (‘doch’ and ‘mal’) and the word ‘bitte’ (please). ‘Doch’ adds urgency to a command; ‘mal’ expresses impatience; the two combined, ‘doch mal’, is more relaxed.

Beispiele:

Bitte, trinken Sie Wasser! Please, drink water! (polite)

Trinken Sie doch Wasser! Do drink water! (urgent)

Trinken Sie mal Wasser! Come on and drink water! (impatient)

Trinken Sie doch mal Wasser! Go ahead and drink water! (not forceful)

Below is an outline of the forms with more examples.

Forms of the Imperative

There are four forms of the imperative: Second person singular (du), second person plural (ihr), first person plural (wir) and second person formal singular and plural (Sie).

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Main Exceptions for 2nd person singular:

If the main part of a verb ends in consonant +“m” or “n”, add an -e at the end

Examples:

atmen, du atmest; Imperativ: Atme!

zeichnen, du zeichnest; Imperativ: Zeichne!

-BUT-

kommen, du kommst; Imperativ: Komm!

If the main part of a verb ends in “d” or “t”, add an -e at the end (warten; du wartest; Warte!)
Change from “a” to “ä” is not happening in the imperative (laufen; du läufst; Lauf!)
Change from “e” to “ie” is happening in the imperative (lesen; du liest; Lies!)

Examples:

Räum dein Zimmer auf! (Infinitiv: aufräumen; Präsens: du räumst auf)

Macht die Musik aus! (Infinitiv: ausmachen: Präsens: ihr macht aus)

Gehen Sie in das Erdgeschoss! (Infinitiv: gehen; Präsens: Sie gehen)

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Additional Topics

German Accusative and Dative Prepositions

When we talk about movement, from point A to B, we apply the Accusative case. Here’s an easy way to remember: ACtive -> ACcusative

Always ask the question, “Wohin” (where to?), when considering the accusative with these prepositions.

The difference with Dative is that we’re talking about a static situation. The question to ask here is “Wo?” (where?).

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German Review of all Tenses

There are 6 basic tenses in German. The two ‘simple’ tenses are present and simple past. They use just one, conjugated verb. The four ‘compound’ tenses are present perfect, past perfect, future, and future perfect.

German Idioms

Not only will learning idioms improve your German comprehension, but it’ll also give you insight into German culture and history. Here are some of the most common German idioms.

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

The CEFR is an international standard used to describe language ability. Here are specific details of the CEFR for this topic.

General Explanation:

Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

Specific Capabilities at this Level

Writing:

I can write a short, simple postcard, for example sending holiday greetings. I can fill in forms with personal details, for example entering my name, nationality and address on a hotel registration form.

Spoken Production:

I can use simple phrases and sentences to describe where I live and people I know.

Spoken Interaction:

I can interact in a simple way provided the other person is prepared to repeat or rephrase things at a slower rate of speech and help me formulate what I’m trying to say. I can ask and answer simple questions in areas of immediate need or on very familiar topics.

Reading:

I can understand familiar names, words and very simple sentences, for example on notices and posters or in catalogues.

Listening:

I can recognize familiar words and very basic phrases concerning myself, my family and immediate concrete surroundings when people speak slowly and clearly.