In addition to the Sie (formal) version of commands, there are ways to give commands to those whom you know on a less formal basis, using the two other words for “you” in German: du and its plural, ihr. You cannot use the formal command with people to whom you say du. There are informal imperative formations, and they are really quite simple. For informal singular (du), take the stem of the verb and add –e:

Gehe! (Go.)  Bleibe! (Stay.)  Komme! (Come.)

If the verb is irregular and has a vowel change in the present tense (–e to –i or –ie), make that change in the verb stem, but do not add an –e on the end:

Gib! (Give.) Sprich! (Speak.) Sieh! (See.) Sei! (Be.)

For the informal plural (ihr), just use the regular present tense conjugation without the pronoun. It's also the imperative of the verb:

Geht! (Go.) Sprecht! (Speak.) Bleibt! (Stay.) Seid! (Be.) Seht! (See.)

Let's compare how the three different forms of the imperative form work. Listen to your CD for the German pronunciation.

Table 14-3. Comparing the Forms of Imperative

Naturally, commands are given politely in German just as they are in English. The word bitte (please) is commonly used with the imperative:

Exercise 14-3

Change the following infinitives to the three types of imperative.

Exercise 14-4

Look at the following names to decide how familiar you are with someone. If you see a first name alone (Maria), you would use du with that person. If you see two first names (Maria und Andreas), you would use ihr with them. If you see a title and a last name (Frau Keller), you would be on a formal basis with that person and use Sie with her. Form the appropriate imperative using the phrases that follow the names. For example, when presented with the two phrases: Karl / gehen nach Hause, you say, “Gehe nach Hause!”

• Sabine / fahren morgen in die Stadt.

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• Karin und Heidi / bleiben im Klassenzimmer.

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• Herr Schultz / sprechen bitte lauter.

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• Helga / kommen ins Kino.

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• Thomas / lesen die Zeitung.

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• Professor Heine / schreiben bitte den Text auf deutsch.

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• Herbert und Hans / laufen schnell nach Hause.

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• Wilhelm / geben uns zehn Dollar.

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• Frau Braun / warten bitte im Wohnzimmer.

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• Reinhardt / essen das Brötchen.

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