German A1 · Imperative & Giving Directions
Imperativ (du) – A1 German Grammar
The imperative (du)
You form the "du" imperative from the verb stem, usually dropping the -st ending and the pronoun. "du kommst" becomes "Komm!"
| Infinitive | du form | Imperative |
|---|---|---|
| kommen | du kommst | Komm! |
| gehen | du gehst | Geh! |
| warten | du wartest | Warte! |
| essen | du isst | Iss! |
| sein | du bist | Sei! |
Examples: Komm her! (Come here!) · Geh nach Hause! (Go home!) · Sei leise! (Be quiet!)
"essen" has a vowel change (e → i), and "sein" is irregular: Sei ruhig! (Be calm!)
Softer with "bitte" and "mal"
Komm bitte! · Warte mal! – "bitte"/"mal" make the command friendlier.
-e when the stem ends in -t/-d
warten → Warte!, arbeiten → Arbeite! (the -e stays).
Common mistakes
- ❌ Du komm! → ✅ Komm! (no pronoun).
- ❌ Kommst! → ✅ Komm! (no -st).
- ❌ Ess! → ✅ Iss! (vowel change e→i).