How to Make French Command Forms

If you want to place an order in a classic Parisian bistro, you'll need to conjugate in the imperative form.

In the French language, the the gramatical rules pertaining to commands and instructions are defined by the imperative tense. Fortunately, the imperative tense does not require a unique conjugation. French commands are made with imperative verbs taken from the present active indicative--the most basic form of verb conjugation. However, it's important to know how the command forms for several different contexts.

Instructions

1. Give a command that also applies to yourself by using the first-person plural conjugation of the present indicative. For example, "let's dance" translates as "danseons". As in this example, intransitive verbs do not require the inclusion of a subject in their command form.

2. Form a command directed towards multiple people, or towards a person whom you are addressing formally, by using the second-person plural conjugation. For example, "wash your hands" becomes "lavez les mains."

3. Make commands in the "tu" form by using the first-person singular form of the present active tense. For example, "open the door" translates to "ouvre la porte."

4. Add an object pronoun by hyphenating it to the verb. Third-person pronouns remain the same as in the active voice (le, la, les and leur) but "me" and "te" become "moi" and "toi". For example, "give them the book" translates to "donne-leur le livre", but "give me the book" is "donne-moi le livre."

5. Command people not to do something by following the same syntax as the present indicative tense, but omit the subject. A good way to remember this is to think of the classic song, "Ne Me Quitte Pas", which translates to "Don't leave me."

Tips & Warnings

• Several idiomatic expressions involving commands are classified as "reflexive verbs". It's helpful to know how to identify these, as they require the use of personal pronouns where it wouldn't be intuitive in English.

• Fortunately, there are very few irregular imperative conjugations in French. Among them are "avoir" (to have), "être" (to be), "savoir" (to know) and "vouloir" (to want).

References

• "Oxford French Verbs". Rowlinson, William. 1991.
• Speak 7: The French Imperative