Conjugation – der Imperativ

The 2nd person singular:

The infinitive ending -en is left off. Either the imperative form is the stem itself or the verb can take an -e ending, though this is not necessary. To avoid the double vocal ending, -e is usually added.

gehen → Geh! / Gehe! = Go.
kommen → Komm! / Komme! = Come.
warten → Warte! = Wait.
trinken → Trink(e) die Milch! = Drink the milk.

The co-verb comes at the end of the sentence (making a sentence frame) in the imperative too:

aufstehen → Steh auf! = Stand up.

Stem changing verbs:

Verbs with Brechung retain the stem change and never take an -e ending:

lesen → Lies! = Read.
helfen → Hilf mir! = Help me.
nehmen → Nimm Brot! = Take some bread.
essen → Iss Käse! = Eat some cheese.
sprechen → Sprich! = Speak.

Verbs with Umlaut do not have a stem change in the imperative. They can take the -e ending:

schlafen (indicative: du schläfst) → Schlaf(e) schön! = Sleep well.
halten → Halt! = Stop.
lassen → Lass mich in Ruhe! = Leave me in peace. (Don’t disturb me.)
laufen → Lauf schnell! = Run quickly.
fahren → Fahr nicht so schnell! = Don’t drive so fast.

Imperative of sein ‘to be’ and werden ‘to become’:

sein → Sei geduldig! = Be patient.
werden → Werde Lehrer! = Become a teacher.

The 1st person plural:

This is the same as the present indicative (more exactly: present subjunctive which is practically the same as the present indicative in this case) but the word order is inverted:

Gehen wir! = Let’s go.
Schlafen wir! = Let’s sleep

Gehen wir nicht! = Let’s not go.
Schlafen wir nicht! = Let’s not sleep.

The 2nd person plural:

This is the same as the present indicative form but without a personal pronoun:

Geht! = Go (included: all of you).
Schlaft! = Sleep (included: you all).

Formal (polite) form both in the singular and in the plural:

This is the same as the present indicative (more exactly: present subjunctive which is practically the same as the present indicative in this case) but the word order is inverted:

Gehen Sie! = Go, will you? / Would you be so kind as to go?
Schlafen Sie! = Sleep, will you?

Gehen Sie nicht! = Please do not go.
Schlafen Sie nicht! = Please do not sleep.

Note: The missing forms of the imperative can be expressed using the present subjunctive (Konjunktiv Präsens) or the modal sollen.

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