The imperative is used to express a wish, request or order. This form is used, for example, to explain to someone how to get to a particular place. If you address the person with Sie, you use the formal imperative.
The formal imperative is created by putting the conjugated verb in first position, before the personal pronoun.
Statement:
| Sie | gehen | geradeaus. |
| Sie | überqueren | den Schillerplatz. |
Imperative sentence:
|
Gehen |
Sie |
geradeaus. |
| Überqueren |
Sie |
den Schillerplatz. |
The verb sein is irregular in the imperative:
Statement: Sie sind pünktlich.
Imperative sentence: Seien Sie pünktlich.
|
Grammatical terms in German: der Imperativ: The imperative is a special form of the verb. It is used to express a wish, a request or an order. |