Instructions and Commands

Imperative Mood

The imperative mood is used to give instructions, directions, and orders. It can also be used to make requests. In German, an exclamation point is generally used with the imperative.

In German the imperative mood has familiar and polite forms, as well as different forms when talking to one person or more than one person.

Polite Form

The polite form of the imperative mood is used when talking to people you don't know very well, and in formal situations. The polite form is the same whether you're talking to one person or more than one person. The polite form of the imperative is the same as the polite form of "you", but with the pronoun Sie following the verb.

Familiar Form

The familiar form of the imperative is used with friends and family. The familiar imperative has two forms, one for when talking to one person and one for when talking to more than one person. As in English, the pronoun is usually not used, though it can be added for emphasis.

The following table shows the familiar form of the imperative for several common verbs.

For the singular form of the imperative, an e can be optionally added to the end of most verbs. Some verbs like geben change the vowel in the stem of the verb for the singular form. In this case an e is never added to the end of the verb.

Bitte is often used with the imperative to make a 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,

Zurückbleiben!	Stand back.
Nicht Rauchen!	No Smoking

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.

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.