Tu Imperative

Impératif de la deuxième personne du singulier

The majority of imperative conjugations are identical to their present tense conjugations – the only difference is that there’s no subject pronoun. The exception is the tu form of some verbs, in some constructions.

The basic rule is this: The imperative tu conjugation for –er, –frir, and –vrir verbs is the present tense minus the final s:

Par exemple…

Parle plus lentement.		Speak more slowly.
Va trouver ton frère.		Go find your brother.
Ouvre-nous la porte.		Open the door for us.
Offre-lui-en.		Offer him some.

However, when the tu imperative is followed directly by an adverbial pronoun (en or y), the final s must be maintained for euphony.

Vas-y !		Go ahead!
Parles-en.		Talk about it.
Découvres-y un monde magique.		Discover a magical world there.

 With the exception of the four irregular imperatives listed in the imperative lesson, the tu imperative of all other -ir verbs and all -re verbs is identical to the tu present tense – the s is always maintained:

Finis tes devoirs.		Finish your homework.
Ne sors pas ce soir.		Don’t go out tonight.
Prends ton anorak.		Take your jacket.

 Related lessons

• Imperative conjugations
• Using the imperative
• Imperative lessons – PwLF super list
• Present tense
• Introduction to verbs

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