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French grammar Part of Chapter 5

CEFR A1-B1

4 min read

Test yourself (21 questions)

French Imperative: tu, nous, vous Commands with Examples

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

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.

the ending (or the whole irregular form)written, not saidWhat do the colours mean?
Verbtunous (let's)vous

Quick check

Now use it: three quick questions on the chart above. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Choose the right command.

  1. Be good! (tu, être)

  2. Don't be afraid! (vous, avoir)

  3. Let's go! (aller)

  • ! - 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.

Drop the pronoun: tu attends becomes Attends ! (Wait!)
FormTellingExample
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.

tu parles becomes Parle ! (Speak!)
PresentCommandEnglish
!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!

The irregular imperatives

Four verbs do not use their present tense. Three are common; the fourth, , lives almost only in the polite .

Verbtunousvous
--
  • ! - Be good!
  • ! - Don't be afraid!
  • . - Know that I'm here.
  • . - Please wait. (every French phone queue)

The trap is reaching for the present tense: and as confiance are wrong. and are the two you will use every week: ! (Be calm!), ! (Have faith!)

Pronouns with positive commands

In a positive command, the object pronoun moves after the verb and joins it with a hyphen. and become and .

pronoun in a positive commandpronoun in a negative commandthe s that comes backWhat do the colours mean?
Verb
Pronoun
Rest
-
-
empty
-
empty
-
empty
  • ! - Give me the book!
  • - ! - Look at it!
  • - ! - Sit down!
  • ! - Let's go!

Two pronouns keep the order , , first, then , , , , : -- ! (Give it to me!) Reflexive verbs work the same way: - ! (Get up!)

Pronouns with negative commands

Add ... and the pronoun goes back in front of the verb, as in any ordinary sentence. and go back to and .

ne
Pronoun
Verb
pas
Rest
empty
’
empty
’
empty
PositiveNegative
! !
- ! !
! !
- ! !
  • ! - Don't give me the book!
  • ! - Let's not go there!

The whole rule fits in one line: positive, pronoun after with a hyphen; negative, pronoun before, as usual.

Vas-y and manges-en: the s comes back

Before and , the dropped s of an -er command comes back, said as a z, so two vowels do not collide:

Va ! (Go!) becomes Vas-y ! (Go on!)
  • ! - Go! but ! - Go on!
  • ! - Eat! but - ! - Eat some!

In a negative command the pronoun moves in front and the s goes again: ! (Don't go there!)

Commands you will hear every day

Learn these as whole phrases, in the and forms:

tuvousEnglish
! !Listen!
! !Look!
! !Come!
! !Wait!
! !Go on!
!- !Tell me!
! !Be careful!
! !Don't forget!
Four panels: a male teacher with glasses, a moustache and a tie holds his palm out beside a chair with an arrow pointing down (sit down); a closed book, an arrow, then the same book lying open with a hand on its page (open the book); a round no-running sign with a red slash (do not run); a woman with long hair and a bow holds a finger to her lips (be quiet).
  1. - !
  2. !
  3. !
  4. - !

Classroom commands: sit down, open the book, don't run, be quiet. A teacher talking to a class uses vous.

Common mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
! !-er command drops the s
! ! is irregular
- ! !after the verb, me becomes
! !negative: pronoun goes in front
- ! !the s comes back before y

And there is no word for let's to translate: ! is the whole command.

What to do next

  1. Give a friend five commands with , then the same five to a stranger with .
  2. Make each one negative and move the pronoun.
  3. Then read French object pronouns, the system the commands bend.

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/4

Build the command from the present-tense stem and the ending.

  1. tu + parler (Speak!)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. nous + finir (Let's finish!)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. vous + attendre (Wait!)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  4. tu + finir (Finish!)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Sort into groups

0/6

Does the tu command keep the s of the present tense?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Pick the right one

0/4

Choose the right command.

  1. Be good! (tu, être)

  2. Don't be afraid! (vous, avoir)

  3. Let's go! (aller)

  4. Give me the book! (tu)

Spot the mistake

0/4

Tap the mistake English speakers make.

Put the words in order

0/3

Put the words in order.

  1. Don't give me the book!

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. Let's not go there!

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. Don't get up!

    Your sentence is empty.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you form the French imperative?
Take the present tense for , or and drop the subject pronoun. For -er verbs, also drop the final s of the form: becomes (speak!). -ir and -re verbs keep it: , . gives let's (, let's speak) and the polite or plural command (). , , and are irregular: , , , .
Where do pronouns go with French commands?
In a positive command the pronoun follows the verb with a hyphen, and me becomes , becomes : (give me the book), - (sit down), (let's go). In a negative command it goes back in front of the verb as usual: me , .
How do you say let's in French?
Use the form of the imperative with no pronoun: (let's go to the cinema), (let's eat), (let's leave). French has no separate word for let's. Let's not is the same form inside ... : .
Which French verbs have irregular imperatives?
(, , ), (, , ) and (, , ), , which appears mainly as the formal + infinitive: (please wait). Everything else is the present tense the subject pronoun, with the s dropped from forms ending in -es and from .
Why is it and not -y?
Because the s dropped from the imperative comes back before y and , so the two vowels do not collide: (go) but (go on), (eat) but - (eat some). The s is said as a z, linking into the pronoun. In a negative command the pronoun moves in front and the s disappears again: .