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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