Imperative and pronoun order

In affirmative commands, pronouns are glued to the verb with hyphens, and French links them in speech. A silent final consonant wakes up before y and en, which both start with a vowel sound.

The liaison /z/

The -s in vas-y and parles-en is added only for sound: normally the tu-imperative of -er verbs has no -s (Va !, Parle !). Before y and en the -s comes back so you hear a smooth /z/, like the English z in zoo, never a pause.

The stressed le

After the verb, le carries the stress of the whole phrase and sounds fuller, close to /lø/ (like German ö in schön, but short): Fais-le ! /fɛ.lø/, Dis-le ! /di.lø/. In Donne-le-moi, the stress moves to the last word: /dɔn.lə.ˈmwa/.

moi, toi, and the elision m'en

• Donne-moi ça ! /dɔn.mwa.sa/: moi sounds like English mwah.
• Assieds-toi ! /a.sje.twa/
• Donne-m'en ! /dɔn.mɑ̃/ (moi + en becomes m'en), Va-t'en ! /va.tɑ̃/ (go away!)

Tip: say the whole command as one word, like German Gib's mir! Rhythm matters more than individual sounds: allez-y is three even syllables, a-lé-zi.

1. Forming the imperative

Take the present tense of tu, nous and vous, and drop the subject. Like German Komm! / Kommen Sie! and English Come!, there is no pronoun.

• Viens ! Come! / Komm!
• Allons-y ! Let's go! / Los geht's! (the nous form = English let's, German gehen wir)
• Faites attention ! Be careful! / Passen Sie auf!

Trap: verbs in -er (and aller, ouvrir, offrir) drop the -s of the tu form: tu regardes becomes Regarde !, tu vas becomes Va ! Exception: before y and en the -s returns: Vas-y !, Manges-en !

2. Four irregular imperatives

• Sois sage ! Be good! (to a child)
• N'ayez pas peur. Don't be afraid.
• Sachez que la réunion est annulée. Please note that the meeting is cancelled.
• Veuillez patienter. Please wait. (very formal, on signs and in emails)

3. Negative imperative: nothing special

Ne ... pas goes around the verb as usual: Ne fais pas ça ! Don't do that! Ne claquez pas la porte. Don't slam the door.

4. Pronouns in affirmative commands: AFTER the verb

In a positive command, object pronouns follow the verb, joined by hyphens, and me/te become moi/toi:

• Regarde-moi ! Look at me!
• Aide-la. Help her.
• Asseyez-vous. Sit down. / Assieds-toi.

With two pronouns the order is: verb + le/la/les + moi/toi/lui/nous/vous/leur + y + en.

• Donne-le-moi ! Give it to me! (German: Gib es mir!, the same order!)
• Envoie-la-lui. Send it to him/her.
• Montrez-les-nous. Show them to us.
• Donnez-m'en. Give me some. (moi + en = m'en)

5. Everywhere else: pronouns BEFORE the verb

In negative commands and in normal sentences, pronouns stand before the verb in this fixed order:

• Ne me le donne pas ! Don't give it to me!
• Je le lui ai dit. I told him/her (it).
• Il y en a encore. There is still some.
• Ne t'inquiète pas. Don't worry.
• Ne leur en parlez pas. Don't talk to them about it.

Memory trick: in the before-the-verb order, le comes after me/te/nous/vous but before lui/leur: il me le dit, but il le lui dit. When two third persons meet, le goes first.

6. Softening a command

A bare imperative can sound abrupt. Add s'il te plaît / s'il vous plaît, or use a question: Tu peux fermer la fenêtre ? On signs and in emails, French loves Merci de + infinitive: Merci de nettoyer la table. Thank you for cleaning the table (= please clean it).

French nouns in -ude, mostly -tude, usually have an English twin in -ude. German often has a Latin loanword too (Attitüde, Altitude in aviation) or a native word. Big bonus: almost all of them are feminine: la solitude, une habitude.

Traps

• habitude = habit (Gewohnheit). The French word habit means an outfit or costume! D'habitude = usually.
• certitude and exactitude exist in English but are rare; think certainty, accuracy.
• inquiétude looks like inquiry but means worry (from inquiet).
• les études = (university) studies: Il fait des études de droit. He studies law.
• A few non-tude words are masculine: le prélude, le coude (elbow).