A2.36 - From post office to email

The imperative: affirmative form

L'impératif : forme affirmative

L'impératif est utilisé pour donner des ordres, des conseils ou des souhaits. Exemple : 'Écoute' ou 'Fais attention'. Il se forme sans sujet.

(The imperative is used to give orders, advice, or wishes. Example: “Écoute” or “Fais attention”. It is formed without a subject.)

What the imperative is (and why it looks “short”)

The imperative is the form you use to give instructions, advice, or a request.

  • No subject pronoun: you do not say tu / nous / vous.
  • You use only three persons: tu (informal), nous (let’s…), vous (polite / plural).
Meaning French English
Instruction to one person (informal) Envoie la pièce jointe. Send the attachment.
Suggestion / teamwork Envoyons le mail maintenant. Let’s send the email now.
Polite instruction / to several people Envoyez le dossier. Send the file / Please send the file.

How to form it quickly (from the present tense)

For most verbs, the imperative uses the same forms as the present tense for:

  • tu = present tu form (but without tu)
  • nous = present nous form (but without nous)
  • vous = present vous form (but without vous)
Person Present Imperative
tu Tu réponds. Réponds !
nous Nous répondons. Répondons !
vous Vous répondez. Répondez !

The classic trap: -ER verbs in the “tu” form (no -s)

With -er verbs, the tu imperative usually has no -s.

  • Tu: Parle ! / Envoie ! / Allume !
  • Not: Parles ! / Envoies ! / Allumes !

Self-check: If the infinitive ends in -er, your tu imperative most likely ends with -e (not -es).

“Nous” and “vous”: don’t confuse imperative with a normal statement

These two mistakes are very common in professional contexts (emails, instructions):

  • Using the present with the subject (statement) instead of the imperative (instruction).
  • Mixing up nous and vous forms.
Goal Correct Wrong
Instruction (polite) Mettez le timbre sur l’enveloppe. Vous mettez le timbre sur l’enveloppe.
Let’s do it (team) Partons maintenant. Nous partons maintenant.

Polite instructions: “Veuillez + infinitive”

In workplaces and customer service, French often uses:

  • Veuillez + infinitive = “Please …” (formal, polite)
  • Only with vous

Model: Veuillez joindre le fichier au message.

  • Not: Voulez joindre… (this sounds like “Do you want to…?”)
  • Not: Veuille… (not used in this everyday polite way)

Key irregular imperatives you must recognize

Some high-frequency verbs have special imperative forms. Learn them as fixed phrases.

Infinitive tu nous vous
aller Va ! Allons ! Allez !
faire Fais ! Faisons ! Faites !
dire Dis ! Disons ! Dites !
être Sois ! Soyons ! Soyez !

Mini checklist before you speak (or write) an instruction

  1. Who am I talking to? one person informal (tu) / team (nous) / polite or plural (vous)
  2. Remove the subject: no tu / nous / vous.
  3. If it’s an -er verb + tu: check you didn’t add -s.
  4. If you want “Please …” in a formal tone: use Veuillez + infinitive.
  5. Watch for irregulars: va, fais, dis, sois, soyez…
  1. There are only three persons: tu, nous, vous.
  2. For verbs ending in –er, you do not add an s in the 2nd person singular.
Personne (Person)ParlerPartirAttendre (To wait)Répondre
TuParle ! (Speak!)Pars ! (Leave!)Attends ! (Wait!)Réponds ! (Reply!)
NousParlons ! (Let’s speak!)Partons ! (Let’s leave!)Attendons ! (Let’s wait!)Répondons ! (Let’s reply!)
VousParlez ! (Speak!)Partez ! (Leave!)Attendez ! (Wait!)Répondez ! (Reply!)

Exceptions!

  1. Some verbs have an irregular imperative. Aller: Va ! Allons ! Allez !; Faire: Fais ! Faisons ! Faites !; Dire: Dis ! Disons ! Dites !

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. _____ le timbre sur l'enveloppe, s'il vous plaît.

_____ the stamp on the envelope, please.

2. _____ la pièce jointe avant midi.

_____ the attachment before noon.

3. _____ patient, le facteur arrive bientôt.

_____ patient, the mail carrier will arrive soon.

4. _____ l'ordinateur et ouvre ta boîte mail.

_____ the computer and open your email.

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence in the imperative (affirmative form).

1.
Error: for the imperative with "tu" you do not add -s for verbs in -er (the correct form is "Send").
Error: the imperative omits the subject ("tu") and the conjugation is incorrect (imperative form is "Send").
2.
Error: this is the infinitive ("put"), not the imperative. For the polite "vous" form you need "Put" as an imperative.
Error: sentence in the present tense with the subject "vous"; the imperative omits the subject ("Put …").

Exercise 3: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite each sentence in the imperative (without a subject) using the person indicated in parentheses. Example: You close the door. (tu) → Close the door.

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints
  1. Tu allumes ton ordinateur tout de suite. (tu)
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Allume ton ordinateur tout de suite.
    (Turn on your computer right away.)
  2. Nous envoyons le mail à l’entreprise maintenant. (nous)
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Envoyons le mail à l’entreprise maintenant.
    (Let's send the email to the company now.)
  3. Vous mettez bien le timbre sur l’enveloppe. (vous)
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Mettez bien le timbre sur l’enveloppe.
    (Put the stamp correctly on the envelope.)
  4. Tu téléphones à la poste pour demander les horaires. (tu)
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Téléphone à la poste pour demander les horaires.
    (Call the post office to ask for the opening hours.)

Exercise 4: Grammar in action

Instruction: In pairs, give clear instructions to prepare the shipment and email.

Show/Hide translation
Situation
Au bureau, un colis urgent arrive et il faut envoyer un mail rapidement.
(At the office, an urgent package has arrived and you need to send an email quickly.)
Discuss
  • Quelles étapes suivez-vous d’abord pour préparer le colis et l’enveloppe ? (What steps do you take first to prepare the package and the envelope?)
  • Que dites-vous à votre collègue pour préparer l’enveloppe et mettre le timbre ? (impératif) ? (What do you say to your colleague to get the envelope ready and put the stamp on? (use the imperative))
Useful words and phrases
  • Allume l’ordinateur et vérifie la pièce-jointe. (Turn on the computer and check the attachment.)
  • Mettez le timbre sur l’enveloppe et fermez-la. (Put the stamp on the envelope and seal it.)
  • Envoyons le mail maintenant, puis déposons le colis à la poste. (Let’s send the email now, then drop the package off at the post office.)
Use in conversation
  • Impératif tu (sans sujet) (Tu imperative (no subject))
  • Impératif nous pour organiser l’action (Nous imperative to organize the action)
  • Impératif vous pour consignes polies (Vous imperative for polite instructions)

Written by

This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

Profile Picture

Marco De Faria

Master in Foreign Languages

University of Poitiers

University_Logo

France


Last Updated:

Monday, 06/04/2026 20:16