Lesson 29: Giving Instructions (imperative)
L'impératif — Giving Instructions · A0 → A1 · Part 4 · Past & Future
You will give instructions and orders in French using the imperative. You will learn its three forms, why -ER verbs lose their final -s, the four essential irregular commands, negative commands with ne…pas, and how to soften an order with s'il vous plaît or veuillez.
In this lesson
- the imperative
- tu / nous / vous commands
- negative commands
- polite softening
Vocabulary
| French | Meaning | Say it | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| parle ! | speak! (to one person, informal) | parl پارل | -ER verb: no final s in the tu form. Never write 'parles !'. |
| parlez ! | speak! (to several people / politely) | par-lay پارلے | The vous form keeps its -ez ending. |
| parlons ! | let's speak! | par-lon پارلوں | The nous form = 'let's …'. A suggestion, not an order. |
| écoutez ! | listen! (to several / politely) | ay-koo-tay اے کوٹے | e accent aigu = closed 'ay'. |
| répétez ! | repeat! | ray-pay-tay رے پے تے | Very common in classrooms and language apps. |
| va ! | go! (to one person) | va وا | aller is -ER, so the tu form drops the s: va ! (not vas !). |
| allez ! | go! / come on! (to several, politely, or as encouragement) | a-lay الے | Very common in speech: Allez ! = Come on! |
| sois / soyez | be! (tu / vous) | swa / swa-yay سوا / سواے | Irregular imperative of être. soyez is also used for polite requests. |
| aie / ayez | have! (tu / vous) | eh / eh-yay اے / اے یے | Irregular imperative of avoir. |
| sache / sachez | know! (tu / vous) | sash / sa-shay ساش / ساشے | Irregular imperative of savoir. sachez is common in polite speech. |
| veuillez | please / kindly (formal, before an infinitive) | vuh-yay وُہ یے | The vous imperative of vouloir. Used in signs, letters and announcements: Veuillez patienter. |
| tournez à gauche | turn left | toor-nay a gosh تورنے آ گوش | For directions: à droite = to the right, tout droit = straight ahead. |
| ouvrez la porte | open the door | oo-vray la port اوو رے لا پورٹ | la porte is feminine, so la, not le. |
| mélangez | mix / stir | may-lahn-zhay مے لانژے | A recipe verb. mélanger = to mix. |
| ajoutez | add | a-zhoo-tay آ ژوٹے | A recipe verb. ajouter = to add. |
| prenez | take | pruh-nay پرُہ نے | A recipe verb. prendre = to take. |
Pronunciation
| Word | Sounds like | Slowly | How to make the sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parle ! | parl | parl | One short syllable, no final s sound at all. If you say 'parl-s', you are reading the spelling, not the word. |
| Écoutez ! | ay-koo-tay | ay ... koo ... tay | Both é and ez give the same closed 'ay' sound. Stress the last syllable: ay-koo-TAY. |
| Va ! / Allez ! | va, a-lay | va ... a ... lay | Allez ! is the most common encouragement in French — say it as two quick syllables, almost like one word: alay. |
| Veuillez patienter | vuh-yay pa-syahn-tay | vuh ... yay ... pa ... syahn ... tay | There is no English or Urdu letter for the 'eu' of veuillez. Round your lips as if whistling and say 'uh'. The 'ill' is a 'y' sound, not a double l. |
| Ne parle pas ! | nuh parl pa | nuh parl ... pa | ne becomes 'nuh' and the pas comes after the verb. Do not stop between the two parts. |
The imperative is short and strong. In commands, French keeps the stress on the last syllable and the words are usually said a little faster and more clipped than in a normal sentence.
Grammar
The imperative has only THREE forms — and the subject pronoun disappears
The imperative is used to give orders, instructions and advice. It has only three forms: tu (one person you know well), nous (let's…) and vous (several people, or one person politely). The subject pronoun is dropped completely — you do not say 'tu parle', you simply say Parle ! Here is the surprise for learners: in the tu form, -ER verbs LOSE their final -s (and so do va, and the irregular aie, sois, sache, veuille). So it is Parle !, Mange !, Va ! — never 'Parles !', 'Manges !', 'Vas !'. The reason is sound: in Latin the imperatives of these verbs simply never had a final -s, and French kept that old shape. The only exception group is -IR and -RE verbs, which keep their -s: Finis ! Attends !
Irregular imperatives, negative commands and politeness
Four irregular imperatives are essential: être → sois / soyons / soyez; avoir → aie / ayons / ayez; savoir → sache / sachons / sachez; vouloir → veuillez (the vous form only, used before an infinitive in signs and formal speech: Veuillez patienter). Negative commands put ne…pas around the verb: Ne parle pas ! Ne partez pas ! To soften an order, add s'il vous plaît after it (Parlez plus lentement, s'il vous plaît) or use veuillez + infinitive, which is even more formal (Veuillez entrer). Compare the tone: Parle ! to a friend is a normal instruction; Parlez ! to a stranger is already polite because of vous; Veuillez parler is very formal and is used in writing and announcements.
Examples
| French | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Écoutez et répétez, s'il vous plaît. | Listen and repeat, please. | ay-koo-tay ay ray-pay-tay, seel voo pleh |
| Ouvrez la porte ! | Open the door! | oo-vray la port |
| Tournez à gauche, puis allez tout droit. | Turn left, then go straight ahead. | toor-nay a gosh, püee a-lay too drwa |
| Mélangez le riz et ajoutez le sel. | Mix the rice and add the salt. | may-lahn-zhay luh ree ay a-zhoo-tay luh sel |
| Prenez un comprimé deux fois par jour. | Take one tablet twice a day. | pruh-nay an kon-pree-may duh fwa par zhoor |
| Ne parle pas si vite ! | Don't speak so fast! | nuh parl pa see veet |
| Ne partez pas maintenant. | Don't leave now. | nuh par-tay pa mahn-tuh-nahn |
| Va au marché et achète du pain. | Go to the market and buy some bread. | va o mar-shay ay a-shet dü pan |
| Attends-moi ! Je vais venir. | Wait for me! I am going to come. | a-tahn mwa, zhuh veh vuh-neer |
| Soyez prudent, la route est longue. | Be careful, the road is long. | swa-yay prü-dahn, la root eh lon-guh |
| Veuillez patienter quelques minutes. | Please wait a few minutes. (formal) | vuh-yay pa-syahn-tay kel-kuh mee-nüt |
| Faites attention ! | Be careful! / Watch out! | fet a-tahn-syon |
| Parlons français ensemble. | Let's speak French together. | par-lon frahn-seh ahn-sahmbl |
| Hier, il m'a dit : « Reviens demain ! » | Yesterday he told me: "Come back tomorrow!" | ee-yehr, eel ma dee: ruh-vyan duh-man |
Dialogue: Dans la cuisine — une recette et une petite dispute
Notice the three tones: a polite vous instruction for a recipe, an informal tu command between friends, and a negative command.
| French | English | Say it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Bonjour ! Aujourd'hui, nous préparons un riz simple. Prenez une casserole. | Hello! Today we are preparing a simple rice dish. Take a pan. | bon-zhoor, o-zhoor-düee, noo pray-pa-ron an ree sanpl. pruh-nay ün kas-rol |
| B | D'accord. J'ai la casserole. Et après ? | All right. I have the pan. And then? | da-kor. zhay la kas-rol. ay a-preh ↗ |
| A | Ajoutez l'eau, puis mélangez doucement. Attention, ne mélangez pas trop vite ! | Add the water, then mix gently. Careful, don't mix too fast! | a-zhoo-tay lo, püee may-lahn-zhay doos-mahn. a-tahn-syon, nuh may-lahn-zhay pa tro veet |
| B | Attends, je ne comprends pas. Mélangez comme ça ? | Wait, I don't understand. Mix like this? | a-tahn, zhuh nuh kon-prahn pa. may-lahn-zhay kom sa ↗ |
| A | Oui, comme ça. Maintenant, ajoutez le sel et fermez la casserole. | Yes, like that. Now add the salt and close the pan. | wee, kom sa. man-tuh-nahn, a-zhoo-tay luh sel ay fehr-may la kas-rol |
| B | Et n'oublie pas de goûter ! | And don't forget to taste it! | ay noo-blee pa duh goo-tay |
| A | Soyez patient, deux minutes seulement ! | Be patient, only two minutes! | swa-yay pa-syahn, duh mee-nüt suhl-mahn |
| B | Voilà ! C'est prêt. Hier, j'ai préparé le même plat, mais j'ai mis trop de sel ! | There! It's ready. Yesterday I made the same dish, but I put in too much salt! | vwa-la, seh preh. ee-yehr, zhay pray-pa-ray luh mem pla, meh zhay mee tro duh sel |
Say it out loud
- Écoutez et répétez ! — Listen and repeat! Classroom classic. Both endings sound like 'ay'.
- Parle plus lentement, s'il te plaît. — Speak more slowly, please. tu form: parle (no s) + s'il te plaît.
- Ouvrez la porte ! — Open the door! vous form for a stranger: polite already.
- Tournez à gauche, puis allez tout droit. — Turn left, then go straight. Direction practice — read a map while saying it.
- Ne parle pas si vite ! — Don't speak so fast! ne + parle + pas: the negative wraps the verb.
- Va au marché et achète du pain. — Go to the market and buy some bread. va and achète: both -ER tu imperatives with no s.
- Soyez prudent ! — Be careful! soyez = vous imperative of être.
- Veuillez patienter quelques minutes. — Please wait a few minutes. The formal way — you will hear it in stations and hospitals.
- Parlons français ensemble ! — Let's speak French together! The nous form is a friendly suggestion.
Listening practice: Une recette simple — le riz au lait
Prenez une casserole et ajoutez un litre de lait. Écoutez bien : ne mettez pas trop de sucre. Mélangez doucement et attendez dix minutes. Ensuite, ajoutez un peu de riz. Tournez lentement, puis fermez la casserole. Attendez encore cinq minutes. Voilà, c'est prêt ! Servez le riz au lait et bon appétit !
Take a pan and add a litre of milk. Listen carefully: do not put too much sugar. Mix gently and wait ten minutes. Then add a little rice. Stir slowly, then close the pan. Wait five more minutes. There, it is ready! Serve the rice pudding and enjoy your meal!
Questions
- What should you take first? A plate / A pan / A cup → A pan
- What should you add to the pan? A litre of milk / A litre of water / Some salt → A litre of milk
- What should you NOT put in? Rice / Milk / Too much sugar → Too much sugar
- How long should you wait the first time? Five minutes / Ten minutes / Twenty minutes → Ten minutes
- What dish is this? Rice pudding / Pizza / Soup → Rice pudding
Remember this
- The imperative gives orders, instructions and advice, and has only three forms: tu, nous, vous.
- The subject pronoun is dropped: Parle ! not 'Tu parle !'.
- -ER verbs (and va, aie, sois, sache) lose the final -s in the tu form: Parle !, Mange !, Va !
- -IR and -RE verbs keep the s: Finis !, Attends !
- Irregular imperatives: être → sois / soyons / soyez; avoir → aie / ayons / ayez; savoir → sache / sachons / sachez; vouloir → veuillez.
- Negative: ne…pas around the verb — Ne parle pas ! Ne partez pas !
- Soften an order with s'il vous plaît, or use the formal veuillez + infinitive (Veuillez patienter).
- Useful instructions: ouvrez la porte, écoutez, répétez, tournez à gauche, mélangez, ajoutez, prenez.
- Tone: Parle ! to a friend, Parlez ! to a stranger (already polite), Veuillez parler in formal writing and announcements.
Common mistakes
| Instead of | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Parles plus lentement ! | Parle plus lentement ! | -ER verbs lose the -s in the tu imperative. The s belongs to the present tense, not to the command. |
| Vas au marché ! | Va au marché ! | aller follows the same -ER rule: Va ! (The only exception is the fixed phrase Vas-y !, which keeps the s for sound reasons.) |
| Ne parle ! | Ne parle pas ! | A negative command needs both parts: ne before the verb and pas after it. |
| Veuillez à patienter. | Veuillez patienter. | veuillez is followed directly by an infinitive, with no preposition. |
| Écoutes-moi ! | Écoute-moi ! | écouter is an -ER verb, so the tu command drops the s — even before the pronoun moi. |
Practice questions
- How many forms does the French imperative have? Two / Three / Four / Six — Three
- Which is the correct tu command of 'parler'? Parles ! / Parle ! / Parlez ! / Parlé ! — Parle !
- Which is the correct tu command of 'aller'? Vas ! / Va ! / Vais ! / Allez ! — Va !
- What is the vous imperative of 'être'? êtes / soyez / sois / serai — soyez
- How do you say 'Don't speak!' (to one friend)? Ne parle pas ! / Ne parle ! / Parle ne pas ! / Pas parle ! — Ne parle pas !
- Which form means 'let's speak'? Parlez / Parlons / Parle / Parler — Parlons
- What does 'Veuillez patienter' mean? I am patient / Please wait / You are waiting / Wait for me — Please wait
- Which verb KEEPS its final -s in the tu imperative? manger / aller / finir / parler — finir
- What is wrong with 'Manges ton riz !'? Nothing, it is correct / It should be 'Mange ton riz !' / It should be 'Mangez ton riz !' with tu / It should use pas — It should be 'Mange ton riz !'
- How do you soften the order 'Parlez plus lentement'? Add s'il vous plaît at the end / Add ne…pas / Change Parlez to Parle / Add a question mark — Add s'il vous plaît at the end
Homework (15 minutes)
Write the recipe of a dish you cook at home in 8 imperative sentences with vous (Ajoutez…, Mélangez…, Prenez…, Ne mettez pas…). Then write the same instructions for a close friend using the tu form, and check every -ER verb: no final s! Finish by saying a polite version of two instructions with s'il vous plaît and one with veuillez.
Lesson 29 of 45 · Part 4 · Past & Future · See the full A0 → A2 roadmap · Français A0 → A2