The imperative is used to express a request, command or instructions. You already know how to construct the formal imperative.
To create the more familiar form, use the verb form for the 2nd person singular in the present tense. The personal pronoun and the -st conjugation ending are left out. The verb moves to the beginning of the sentence.
| gehen: | Du gehst mit mir zur Walpurgisnacht. | Geh mit mir zur Walpurgisnacht! | ||
| nehmen: | Du nimmst den Apfel. | Nimm den Apfel! |
For verb stems that end with -s, only the –t ending is left out.
| lesen: | Du liest die Zeitung. | Lies die Zeitung! |
Irregular verbs don't have an umlaut in the imperative.
| fahren: | Du fährst. | Fahr! |
An -e ending is added in the imperative form for verb stems that end with -d/-t in the present tense, or that end with the + -m/-n/-l
| warten: | Du wart-est | Warte! | ||
| atmen: | Du atm-est | Atme! |
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Stay polite! When making demands, you can combine imperative with "bitte". It sounds friendlier: |
More:
Of course you can use the imperative when speaking to more than one person. For the more familiar form, just use the 2nd person plural. As with the singular, the verb moves to the first position and the personal pronoun is left out.
Examples:
| Ihr passt auf. | Passt auf! | |
| Ihr macht die Augen auf. | Macht die Augen auf! |
The imperative forms of "sein" are irregular:
| For the imperative in the singular | sei | Sei nicht so! | ||
| For the imperative in the plural | seid | Seid nicht so! |