The imperative with pronouns: „Erledige es sofort!"

Der Imperativ mit Pronomen:„Erledige es sofort!"

Mit dem Imperativ und den passenden Pronomen (Akkusativ und Dativ) kann man höflich und effektiv sagen, was jemand tun soll. Beispiel: „Mach es!“, „Hilf mir!“, „Sag es mir!“

(With the imperative and the correct pronouns (accusative and dative), you can say politely and effectively what someone should do. Example: „Mach es!“, „Hilf mir!“, „Sag es mir!“)

Teacher explanation

What’s the point here?

In German imperatives (commands), pronouns can be the objects.

The key skill: when you use two object pronouns (one accusative + one dative), German has a very fixed order.

Akkusativ (direct object) = what is being done / given (it, him, her, them)
Dativ (indirect object) = to whom / for whom (to me, to you, to him…)

Step 1: Identify Akkusativ vs. Dativ (fast test)

Ask: What? / Whom? (directly affected) → Akk.
Ask: To whom? / For whom? (recipient/benefit) → Dat.

Example idea: “Give the report to the boss!”

Give what? → the report → Akk.
Give (to) whom? → the boss → Dat.

Step 2: Word order rule in imperatives

If you use both pronouns, the order is:

Akkusativ pronoun + Dativ pronoun

Pattern	Correct German	Meaning
Imperativ + Akk.	Erledige es bitte heute!	Do it today, please.
Imperativ + Dat.	Hilf mir mit der Aufgabe!	Help me with the task.
Imperativ + Akk. + Dat.	Gib es mir!	Give it to me!

Common mistake: swapping the pronouns

English allows “Give me it” in some contexts, but German does not in standard word order.

~~Gib mir es!~~ → sounds wrong / non-standard
Gib es mir! ✅

Where do the pronouns go in the sentence?

In imperatives, the verb comes first. Pronouns follow right after (especially in short commands).

Schick sie mir bitte heute. (verb + Akk + Dat)
Erklär es mir kurz im Meeting. (verb + Akk + Dat)

“bitte”, time, and place can move around, but the pronoun order stays the same.

Mini self-check before you choose an answer

Do I have one pronoun or two?
If two: which one is Akk. (it/him/her/them)?
Which one is Dat. (mir/dir/ihm/ihr/uns/euch/ihnen)?
Place them as: Akk. + Dat.

What you should be able to do now

Turn nouns into pronouns in commands: Erledige die Aufgabe! → Erledige sie!
Use dative recipients naturally: Hilf dem Kollegen! → Hilf ihm!
Use both objects with correct order: Gib den Bericht dem Chef! → Gib ihn ihm!

If both a dative pronoun and an accusative pronoun are used, the accusative pronoun comes before the dative pronoun.

Formel (Formula)	Beispiel (Example)
Imperativ + direktes Pronomen (Akk.)	Erledige es bitte heute! (Get it done today, please!)
Imperativ + indirektes Pronomen (Dat.)	Hilf mir mit der Aufgabe! (Help me with the task!)
Akk. + Dat.	Gib es mir! (Give it to me!)

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. Schick ___ bitte die Aufgabe bis 16 Uhr.

2. Erledige ___ sofort, dann können wir gemeinsam weitermachen.

3. Gib ___ bitte nach dem Meeting.

4. Erklär ___ bitte noch einmal, die Teamrollen.

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct command with pronouns in the imperative.

Exercise 3: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Formulate the sentences as imperatives with pronouns: Replace the noun with the appropriate pronoun (accusative or dative). If both pronouns occur, the accusative comes before the dative (e.g. “Give the report to the boss!” → “Give it to him!”).

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints

Schick die E-Mail an Frau Keller, bitte.

⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
Schick sie ihr bitte.
(Please send it to her.)
Hilf dem Kollegen mit dem Formular!

⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
Hilf ihm damit!
(Help him with it!)
Gib den Schlüssel dem Nachbarn!

⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
Gib ihn ihm!
(Give it to him!)
Bring die Unterlagen ins Büro und gib die Unterlagen dem Chef.

⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
Bring sie ins Büro und gib sie ihm.
(Bring them to the office and give them to him.)

Exercise 4: Grammar in action

Instruction: Play team leader and colleague: Give clear instructions with pronouns.

Show/Hide translation

Situation

Im Büro ist Zeitdruck, das Team muss eine Aufgabe heute noch klären.

Discuss

Welche Aufgabe ist jetzt dringend und wer übernimmt sie? (Which task is urgent right now and who will take it on?)
Wie sagt ihr das höflich, aber klar, mit Respekt? Was sagst du, wenn ein Kollege einen Fehler macht? Wie unterstützt ihr euch gemeinsam, damit die Kommunikation besser wird? (How do you say it politely but clearly, with respect? What do you say when a colleague makes a mistake? How do you support each other so that communication improves?)

Useful words and phrases

Erledige es bitte heute. (Please do it today.)
Hilf mir mit der Aufgabe. (Help me with the task.)
Gib es mir kurz, dann informiere ich die Leitung. (Give it to me briefly, then I’ll inform management.)

Use in conversation

Imperativ + Akkusativpronomen (z.B. Erledige es!) (Imperative + accusative pronoun (e.g., Do it!))
Imperativ + Dativpronomen (z.B. Hilf mir!) (Imperative + dative pronoun (e.g., Help me!))
Imperativ mit Akkusativ- und Dativpronomen (z.B. Gib es mir!) (Imperative with accusative and dative pronouns (e.g., Give it to me!))