Tu Imperative

Impératif de la deuxième personne du singulier

Imperative of tu
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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

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French imperative

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