Ch 5 · Lesson 26French · Chapter 5 · Lesson 26 · Grammar primer
Commands: écoute, venez, partons
The imperative is the present tense without the pronoun: , (let's) and . One rule to learn: -er verbs drop the s of ( , !).
The short version
The -er command loses its s
, .
Why?Hide
becomes , becomes . -er verbs (and -type verbs whose form ends in -es) drop the final -s in the imperative; and keep theirs. The exception is euphonic: the s comes back before y and , which is why it is and -.
The French imperative is the present tense without the subject pronoun. It has three forms: , (let's) and . -er verbs also drop the s of the form.
| Verb | tu | nous (let's) | vous |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
!- Speak! (to a friend)!- Let's speak!!- Speak! (polite, or to several people)
The three forms
Take the present tense, drop , or , and the verb alone is the command.
| Form | Telling | Example |
|---|---|---|
| one person you know | ! | |
| a group that includes you | ! | |
| someone polite, or a group | ! |
!- Wait! (to a friend)!- Let's wait!!- Wait! (to a stranger, or to a group)
There is no separate word for let's: the form does the job alone. ! means let's leave, and ! means let's eat.
The -er drop-the-s rule
For -er verbs, the command drops the final s of the present tense. You do not hear it either way, so this is a rule for writing.
| Present | Command | English |
|---|---|---|
| ! | Eat! |
| ! | Look! |
| ! | Listen! |
| ! | Go! |
-ir and -re verbs keep their s: ! (Finish!), ! (Wait!), ! (Take it!).
The rule really follows the spelling of the form: if it ends in -es, the s goes. So , which ends , behaves like an -er verb, and so does ( ):
!- Open the door!!- Go to school!
Going further: The irregular imperatives and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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