Orders and advice: il faut, merci de..., ne pas..., ...

Ordres et conseils : il faut, merci de..., ne pas..., ...

Exprimez un ordre, un conseil ou une demande avec fais, faites, il faut, veuillez, merci de.

(Give an order, a piece of advice or a request with fais, faites, il faut, veuillez, merci de.)

Teacher explanation

What you are doing here: giving instructions (from direct to polite)

In professional French, you have several ways to give an order, advice, or a request.

Direct: imperative (Impératif)
Neutral / “it’s necessary”: il faut / devoir
Polite / formal: merci de, prière de, veuillez
General rules / signs: infinitive (ne pas + infinitif, défense de + infinitif)

Impératif: the “do it” form (tu / nous / vous only)

Use the imperative when you speak directly to someone.

Person	Typical use (work context)
tu	colleague you address informally
nous	“Let’s…” (inclusive, collaborative)
vous	formal / plural / professional distance

Nous is often the softest imperative: Écoutons… / Restons…
Vous can be firm but still professional: Soyez… / Gérez…

Hyphens and pronouns in the imperative (the “mini-trap”)

With the imperative, object pronouns often attach with a hyphen.

Meaning	Correct	Avoid
Think about it	Pense-y	~~Pense y~~
Assert yourself	Affirme-toi	~~Affirme toi~~

Tip: if you see y, en, moi/toi, lui, leur after the verb in an order, expect a hyphen.

Il faut / devoir: sounding objective (rules, processes, necessity)

Use these when you want the instruction to sound less personal and more like a requirement.

Tu dois + infinitive = “You must / you have to” (direct responsibility)
Il faut + infinitive = “It’s necessary to…” (general requirement)
Il faut que + subjunctive = necessity aimed at a person/group, but framed objectively

Structure	Example	Why this form?
Il faut + infinitif	Il faut écouter l’équipe.	General rule: “it’s necessary to…”
Devoir + infinitif	Tu dois rester constructif.	Clear obligation for a person
Il faut que + subjonctif	Il faut que tu sois clair.	Necessity + person ⇒ subjunctive

Subjunctive after “il faut que”: the one form to watch

After il faut que, French uses subjonctif (not the normal present).

Correct: Il faut que tu sois clair.
Incorrect: ~~Il faut que tu es clair~~

Quick self-check: If you can replace it with “it is necessary that…”, you probably need il faut que + subjonctif.

Polite formulas + infinitive: firm, professional, and non-aggressive

These are very common in emails, HR communication, and meeting facilitation.

Formula	Pattern	Typical context
Merci de	merci de + infinitif	polite request (email)
Prière de	prière de + infinitif	formal notice / internal memo
Veuillez	veuillez + infinitif	very formal, professional

Correct: Merci de respecter les délais.
Incorrect: ~~Merci de respectez~~ (after merci de, you need the infinitive.)

Infinitive orders (signs, guidelines): impersonal and “rule-like”

This style is common on posters, agendas, and written procedures.

Ne pas + infinitif: Ne pas interrompre la discussion.
Défense de + infinitif: Défense de critiquer gratuitement.

Meaning: no specific “you” or “we” — it applies to everyone.

Fixed commands: short, spoken, and strong

Some orders are set expressions and don’t follow the patterns above.

Stop !
Silence !
Haut les mains !

Choosing the right level in a meeting (fast decision guide)

Do I want collaboration? → imperative nous: Écoutons… / Restons…
Do I want to sound objective (process/rule)? → il faut / il faut que
Am I writing a professional request? → merci de / veuillez + infinitif
Is it a general rule / signage? → infinitive: Ne pas… / Défense de…

Final self-check: After merci de / prière de / veuillez, do you have an infinitive? After il faut que, do you have a subjunctive?

You can express an order with the verbs devoir and falloir (followed by the infinitive or the subjunctive), with the imperative, and with the infinitive.
You can soften an order expressed with the infinitive by placing prière de or merci de at the beginning of the sentence.
Since the imperative is limited to the tu, nous et vous forms, the subjunctive completes the je, il/elle et ils/elles forms. It is used without a main clause and introduced by "que".

Impératif (Imperative)

Gère la tension calmement (Handle the tension calmly)

Affirme-toi sans agressivité (Assert yourself without aggressiveness)

Écoutons les personnes réservées (Let’s listen to the reserved people)

Soyez empathiques avec l'équipe (Be empathetic with the team)

Penses-y avant la réunion (Think about it before the meeting)

Il faut / devoir (Il faut / devoir)

Il faut écouter l'quipe. (You have to listen to the team.)

Tu dois rester constructif (You must stay constructive)

Il faut que tu sois clair (You have to be clear)

Vous devez gérer le désaccord (You must manage the disagreement)

Il faut que chacun prenne position (Everyone has to take a stance)

Formes polies ou générales (Polite or general forms)

Merci de respecter les collègues (Please respect your colleagues)

Prière de parler calmement (Please speak calmly)

Ne pas interrompre la discussion (Do not interrupt the discussion)

Défense de critiquer gratuitement (Do not criticize for no reason)

Veuillez donner une critique constructive (Please give constructive feedback)

Exceptions!

There are fixed expressions used to give an order: Stop ! Silence ! Haut les mains !

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. _____ m'envoyer votre compte rendu avant 18 h, afin qu'on puisse préparer la réunion de demain.

2. Il faut que chacun _____ position sur les priorités, sinon on va relancer le même débat lundi.

3. _____ vous exprimer calmement pendant l'entretien, même en cas de désaccord.

4. _____ interrompre les collègues quand ils présentent une critique constructive.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite each sentence into an order, piece of advice or a request using the indicated cue word (imperative, 'il faut'/devoir, polite form or infinitive).

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints

Hint Hint (Il faut que) Tu écoutes l’équipe avant de prendre une décision.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
Il faut que tu écoutes l’équipe avant de prendre une décision.
(It is necessary that you listen to the team before making a decision.)
Hint Hint (Impératif (nous)) Nous parlons plus calmement pendant les réunions tendues.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
Parlons plus calmement pendant les réunions tendues.
(Let’s speak more calmly during tense meetings.)
Hint Hint (Veuillez) Vous devez éviter d’interrompre les collègues pendant la discussion.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
Veuillez éviter d’interrompre les collègues pendant la discussion.
(Please avoid interrupting colleagues during the discussion.)
Hint Hint (Impératif (tu)) Tu dois y penser avant la réunion, sinon tu vas improviser.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
Pense-y avant la réunion, sinon tu vas improviser.
(Think about it before the meeting, otherwise you will improvise.)

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence to give an order or advice.