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The German imperative – giving orders and naming wishes (Imperativ / Befehlsform)


To communicate your orders, instructions and wishes in German, you use the imperative form of a verb.
If you want to look up this phenomenon in a German grammar, please look for ‚Imperativ‘ or ‚Befehlsform'.

  • In the singular you address one person: the ending of the verb is deleted and the personal pronoun is omitted.
    Example:
    Du gehst in das Haus. → Geh in das Haus!
    You (sg) enter the house. → Enter the house.
  • In the plural, you address several persons: the personal pronoun is (again) omitted and the ending of the verb just stays the same.
    Example:
    Ihr geht in das Haus. → Geht in das Haus!
    You (pl) enter the house. → Enter the house!