How do I use an imperative?

Imperatives are used to give orders, express encouragement or give advice. They are formed from the present tenses forms of verbs of the second person singular (tu), second person plural (vous) and the first person plural (nous). All you have to do is take the verb form and remove the subject and the final s of any verb which ends in es or as.
Tu:e.g. 'open the box' = 'ouvre la boîte' (notice how it is 'ouvre' without the s)
Vous:e.g. 'leave me alone' = 'laissez-moi seul'
Nous:e.g. 'let's go' = 'allons-y'
There are four verbs with irregular imperative forms: être, avoir, savoir, vouloir. Instead of being formed from the present tense, they are formed from the present subjunctive.
Tu: e.g. 'be happy' = 'sois heureux'e.g. 'please sit down' = 'veuille t'asseoir'(vouloir in the imperative is almost only used to mean please) Vous: e.g. 'know the answer' = 'sachez la réponse'
Nous: e.g. 'let's have this one' = 'ayons celui-là' 

AD
Answered by Amelia D. French tutor

1908 Views

See similar French A Level tutors

Related French A Level answers

All answers ▸

What is the imperfect tense? When would you use it?


I'm finding learning vocabulary boring and difficult, can you suggest any ways to do it?


I'm struggling to perfect my French accent - how can I improve this quickly and independently?


In what way is the following sentence grammatically incorrect? - "Il faut que je fais un effort."


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning