Grammar: Giving Orders

Understanding the Imperative Mood

The imperative mood is used in German to give orders or instructions. It is equivalent to command forms in English.
There are different imperative forms for ‘du’, ‘ihr’, ‘wir’, and for formal ‘Sie’.
The ‘du’ form of the imperative is formed by dropping the ‘st’ at the end of the verb. For example, ‘spiel’ from ‘du spielst’ (you play).
The ‘ihr’ form is identical to its present tense form, without any changes. For example, ‘spielt’ from ‘ihr spielt’ (you play, plural).
The ‘wir’ and ‘Sie’ forms start with the verb, followed by ‘wir’/’Sie’. For instance, ‘spielen wir’ (let’s play), ‘machen Sie’ (do!).

Giving Orders Using The Imperative

When using the imperative mood, we do not need the use of pronouns (like ‘du’, ‘ihr’, ‘Sie’). We usually say ‘Komm’ instead of ‘Du komm’ (come) and ‘Kommt’ instead of ‘Ihr kommt’ (come, group).
However, for the formal ‘Sie’ form, the pronoun is always included. Thus we say ‘Kommen Sie’ instead of just ‘Kommen’ (come, formal).
To make orders negative, place ‘nicht’ at the end of the sentence (‘Rauchen Sie nicht’ - Do not smoke).

Complex Orders

For more complex orders, ‘um…zu’ can be used to say ‘in order to’. For example, ‘Studiere, um gut Noten zu bekommen’ (Study in order to get good grades).
‘Damit’ can also be used to give a reason for an order, meaning ‘so that’. For instance, ‘Mach die Tür zu, damit es warm bleibt’ (Close the door so that it stays warm).

Common Errors to Avoid

Be careful not to drop the ‘e’ in verbs ending in ‘e’ such as ‘lese’. The command form is ‘lies’, not ’lis’.
Don’t forget to always use ‘Sie’ pronoun when giving formal orders.
Practice using the imperative mood in context to better understand when and how it is used.