Every recipe, user guide, sign, game rule and piece of advice uses commands: Add the eggs. Turn left. Don't forget your water bottle. Let's go! In French these are made with the impératif (imperative). The good news is that you already know the forms: the impératif is simply the present tense without the subject pronoun. Tu finis → Finis ! (Finish!) Vous écoutez → Écoutez ! (Listen!) There are only three forms. The tu form speaks to one person you know well, the vous form speaks to one person politely or to a group, and the nous form means let's: Mangeons ! (Let's eat!). Because there is no subject, the verb ending is the only thing that tells you who is being addressed.
| Infinitive | tu | nous (let's...) | vous | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| parler (-er) | parle | parlons | parlez | speak |
| écouter (-er) | écoute | écoutons | écoutez | listen |
| finir (-ir) | finis | finissons | finissez | finish |
| attendre (-re) | attends | attendons | attendez | wait |
| aller | va | allons | allez | go |
| faire | fais | faisons | faites | do, make |
| prendre | prends | prenons | prenez | take |
| mettre | mets | mettons | mettez | put |
| Infinitive | tu | nous | vous | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| être | sois | soyons | soyez | Sois prudent ! (Be careful!) |
| avoir | aie | ayons | ayez | N'ayez pas peur ! (Don't be afraid!) |
| savoir | sache | sachons | sachez | Sachez que... (Be aware that...) |
Negative commands and pronouns
To tell someone not to do something, wrap the verb in ne... pas as usual: Ne touche pas ! (Don't touch!) Ne parlez pas ! (Don't talk!) Pronouns behave differently in the two kinds of command. In a negative command the pronoun stays in its usual place, in front of the verb: Ne le regarde pas ! (Don't look at it!) In an affirmative command, the pronoun moves after the verb and is joined to it with a hyphen: Regarde-le ! (Look at it!). After the verb, me and te become moi and toi: Écoute-moi ! (Listen to me!) and, with reflexive verbs, Lève-toi ! (Get up!).
- Regarde-le ! (Look at it!)
- Écoutez-moi ! (Listen to me!)
- Téléphone-lui ! (Phone him / her!)
- Lève-toi ! (Get up!)
- Allons-y ! (Let's go!)
- Prends-en deux ! (Take two of them!)
- Ne le regarde pas ! (Don't look at it!)
- Ne m'écoutez pas ! (Don't listen to me!)
- Ne lui téléphone pas ! (Don't phone him / her!)
- Ne te lève pas ! (Don't get up!)
- N'y allons pas ! (Let's not go there!)
- N'en prends pas ! (Don't take any!)
Writing instructions: a recipe
Recipes, craft guides and game rules are often written with the vous form, which addresses any reader politely. Each step starts with a verb, so the instructions are short and clear. (You will also see recipes that use the infinitive instead — Mélanger la farine — which reads like a list of tasks; both are correct, but do not mix the two styles in one text.)
- Mettez 250 grammes de farine et une pincée de sel dans un grand bol.
- Ajoutez quatre œufs et mélangez bien.
- Versez 500 millilitres de lait petit à petit, sans arrêter de mélanger.
- Laissez reposer la pâte pendant trente minutes.
- Faites chauffer une poêle avec un peu de beurre.
- Versez une petite louche de pâte et faites cuire une minute de chaque côté.
- Servez les crêpes avec du sirop d'érable ou des fruits frais. Bon appétit !
Translation: 1. Put 250 grams of flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. 2. Add four eggs and mix well. 3. Pour in 500 millilitres of milk little by little, without stopping mixing. 4. Let the batter rest for thirty minutes. 5. Heat a pan with a little butter. 6. Pour in a small ladle of batter and cook one minute on each side. 7. Serve the crêpes with maple syrup or fresh fruit. Enjoy! Notice the useful pattern faites chauffer (heat, literally make heat) and faites cuire (cook): faire + infinitive is everywhere in French recipes.
Suggestions: building a welcoming school
The nous form is perfect for suggestions that include yourself, like a poster or a student council campaign: it means let's, so it invites people rather than ordering them around. The tu form gives friendly, personal advice. Here is a poster for a welcome week at an Ottawa high school.
- Accueillons les nouveaux élèves dès le premier jour.
- Dis bonjour à quelqu'un que tu ne connais pas encore.
- Invite une nouvelle personne à ta table à la cafétéria.
- Écoutons les idées de tout le monde avant de décider.
- Apprenons quelques mots dans les langues de nos camarades.
- Ne laissons personne seul pendant la pause.
- Soyons curieux, ouverts et gentils : une école, c'est une communauté !
Translation: Let's welcome new students from the very first day. Say hello to someone you don't know yet. Invite a new person to your table in the cafeteria. Let's listen to everyone's ideas before deciding. Let's learn a few words in our classmates' languages. Let's not leave anyone alone during the break. Let's be curious, open and kind: a school is a community! The poster mixes nous commands (shared goals) and tu commands (advice for each reader). In Ne laissons personne seul, the negative ne... personne wraps the command just like ne... pas.