Requests, Instructions and Commands

The Imperative Mood in German

The imperative mood is used to give instructions, directions, and commands, and it can also be used to make requests.

German has both familiar and polite imperative forms, and the form changes depending on whether you are addressing one person or more than one person.

Polite Form

The polite imperative is used in formal situations or when speaking to people you do not know well. It is the same whether you are addressing one person or several people.

To form the polite imperative, use the verb in its infinitive-like form followed by the pronoun Sie.

Familiar Form

The familiar imperative is used with friends, family, and people you know well. It has two forms:

• du-form (singular, one person)
• ihr-form (plural, more than one person)

As in English, the pronoun is usually omitted, but it can be added for emphasis.

Common Verbs in the Familiar Imperative

Notes on Forming the Singular Imperative

• Many verbs may optionally add -e to the end of the singular form (e.g., komm(e)). The optional e is rare in modern spoken German.
• Some verbs, such as geben, undergo a vowel change in the stem for the singular form (e.g., gib!). In these cases, -e is never added.

Using Bitte

The word Bitte is often added to soften a command or turn it into a polite request.

Examples

Gib mir das Buch!	Give me the book! (to one person)
Gebt mir das Buch!	Give me the book! (to more than one person)
Geben Sie mir das Buch!	Give me the book! (polite)
Komm her.	Come here. (to one person)
Kommt her.	Come here. (to more than one person)
Kommen Sie her.	Come here. (polite)
Tu das nicht!	Don't do that! (to one person)
Tut das nicht!	Don't do that! (to more than one person)
Tun Sie das nicht!	Don't do that! (polite)
Bitte setzen Sie sich.	Please sit down. (polite)
Hilf mir!	Help me! (to one person)
Vergiß nicht.	Don't forget. (to one person)
Mach schnell!	Hurry up! (to one person)

Infinitive Form

This form is often seen on signs or heard in public announcements. It's also used in recipes. For example,

Recipe Example

1 Heizen den Ofen auf 375ºF.
2 Mischen Zucker, Butter, Vanille und Ei in einer großen Schüssel.
3 Mehl, Backpulver und Salz einrühren.
4 Nüsse und Schokoladenstückchen einrühren.
5 Legen den Teig mit abgerundeten Esslöffeln in einem Abstand von etwa 5 cm auf ein nicht gefettetes Backblech.
6 Backen 8 bis 10 Minuten oder bis sie hellbraun sind.
7 Etwas abkühlen lassen und vom Backblech nehmen.
8 Auf Drahtgitter legen und abkühlen lassen.

Wir-Form (First-Person Plural Imperative)

German also has a wir‑imperative, which corresponds to English expressions like “Let’s…”. It is used when the speaker includes themselves in the action they are proposing.

To form the wir‑imperative, simply use:

verb + wir

This structure is identical to the normal present‑tense word order used in yes/no questions, but here it functions as a suggestion or collective command.

The Human Body

Here are some common German words for the human body. For more German words and phrases related to the human body, have a look at the lesson The Human Body.

der Kopf (Köpfe)	the head
die Haut (Häute)	the skin
das Gesicht (er)	the face
das Haar (e)	the hair
das Auge	the eye
die Augen	the eyes
das Ohr	the ear
die Ohren	the ears
der Mund (Münder)	the mouth
der Arm	the arm
die Arme	the arms
die Hand	the hand
die Hände	the hands
der Finger	the finger
die Finger	the fingers
der Daumen	the thumb
die Daumen	the thumbs
das Bein	the leg
die Beine	the legs
der Fuß	the foot
die Füße	the feet