The imperative mood in French is used to give commands, make requests, or offer advice. It is only conjugated in the second-person singular (tu), first-person plural (nous), and second-person plural (vous). A key distinction exists between affirmative (eg, Do something) and negative (eg Don’t do something) imperatives, affecting both conjugation and word order.

Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative is straightforward. The subject pronoun is omitted, and the verb is conjugated in the present tense, with some exceptions.

Examples:

• Parle plus fort. (Speak louder.)
• Finissons nos devoirs. (Let’s finish our homework.)
• Attendez ici. (Wait here.)

For -er verbs in the tu form, the final -s is dropped (except when followed by y or en):

• Mange tes légumes. (Eat your vegetables.)
• But: Vas-y ! (Go ahead!)

Negative Imperative

The negative imperative follows the structure ne + verb + pas (or another negative adverb). Unlike the affirmative, the subject pronoun is not omitted in written French, though it often is in speech.

Examples:

• Ne parle pas si vite. (Don’t speak so fast.)
• Ne finissons pas maintenant. (Let’s not finish now.)
• N’attendez pas ici. (Don’t wait here.)

Pronouns in negative imperatives precede the verb:

• Ne le mange pas. (Don’t eat it.)
• Ne nous oubliez pas. (Don’t forget us.)

Key Differences

1. Subject Pronouns:

• Affirmative: Omitted (Finis ton travail).
• Negative: Included (Ne finis pas ton travail).

2. Pronoun Placement:

• Affirmative: Follows the verb (Donne-le-moi).
• Negative: Precedes the verb (Ne me le donne pas).

3. Verb Endings:

• Affirmative tu for -er verbs drops the -s (Mange).
• Negative retains it (Ne mange pas).

Additional Examples

Affirmative:

• Écoute bien. (Listen carefully.)
• Allons au parc. (Let’s go to the park.)
• Ouvrez la porte. (Open the door.)

Negative:

• N’écoute pas ces rumeurs. (Don’t listen to these rumors.)
• N’allons pas là-bas. (Let’s not go there.)
• N’ouvrez pas cette boîte. (Don’t open this box.)