Instructions

1

If you are addressing an elder, a stranger or a business colleague, the German imperative would take the formal you. Begin with the verb in “Sie” form. Then add “Sie.” For example, “answer the question” would be “antworten Sie die Frage!” Antworten is the Sie form of the verb “to answer.” Sie is the pronoun for "you" formal. Die Frage means “the question.” To tell someone to “read the book,” say “lesen Sie das Buch.” Lesen is the Sie form of the verb “to read.” Sie is the pronoun for "you" formal. Das Buch is “the book.”
2

If you are addressing a child, a friend or a family member, the German imperative would take the “du” form (you familiar). Use the verb in the “du” form but omit the –st ending. Omit the du pronoun. For example, “answer the question” would be “antworte die Frage!” Antworte is the du form of the verb “to answer” but without the –st ending. “Read the book” would be “lies das Buch!” Lies is the du form of the verb lessen (to read) without the –st ending.
3

For German imperatives in the du form, a verb might take on an –e ending depending on which consonants precede it. For example, “open the door” would be “öffne die Tür!” “Find the letter” would be “finde das Brief!”
4

If the verb takes a vowel change from a to ä in the du form, do not make the vowel change in the imperative. For example, the verb fahren conjugates to “du fährst,” but the imperative is “fahr!”
5

If the verb changes from e to ie in the du form, then there is no –e ending in the imperative. For example, the verb lesen conjugates to “du liesst,” but the imperative form is “lies!”
6

For German imperatives in the “ihr” form (you familiar plural, you all), use the ihr-form of the verb without the pronoun ihr. The imperative “answer the question” would be “antwortet die Frage!” Antwortet is the ihr form of the verb “to answer.” “Read the book” would be “lest das Buch!” Lest is the ihr form of the verb lessen, meaning “to read.”
7

For German imperatives in the “wir” form (we), start with the verb in wir form and add the pronoun “wir.” For example, “let’s answer the question” would be “antworten wir die Frage!” "Antworten" is the “we” form of the verb to answer. "Wir" is the pronoun meaning "we." “Let’s read the book” would be “lessen wir das Buch!”