The Imperative

The imperative is the verb form you use to tell someone to do something — Stop!, Come here!, Eat up! Norwegian builds it in one of the simplest ways in the whole language: you take the infinitive and chop off the final -e. That single rule covers the overwhelming majority of verbs, with one neat exception for verbs whose stem already ends in a stressed vowel. This page covers the formation, the negative imperative, and how Norwegians soften a command so it doesn't land like a slap.

Forming the imperative: drop the -e

The Norwegian imperative is simply the stem of the verb — and for most verbs the stem is the infinitive minus its -e ending.

The logic is worth pausing on: the infinitive å spise is "stem + e", where spis- is the stem. The imperative is that bare stem. So once you know a verb's infinitive, you already know its command form — just cut the final vowel.

Vowel-stem verbs keep their vowel

A small group of very common verbs has a stem that already ends in a stressed vowel — their infinitive is just two or three letters (å gå, å se, å bo, å bli, å dra). These have no -e to drop, so the imperative is identical to the infinitive.

So you don't "remove a letter" mechanically — the real rule is the imperative equals the stem, and for these verbs the stem is the whole infinitive.

Stems ending in two consonants: the doubled-consonant trap

Watch the spelling when the stem ends in a consonant that was doubled before the -e. Verbs like å begynne ("to begin") have the stem begynn-, so the imperative keeps both n's: begynn! Likewise å hoppe ("to jump") → hopp!, å ringe → ring! (single g, because the infinitive only had one). The principle never changes — write the stem exactly as it is — but it surprises English speakers who expect a single final consonant.

One exception trumps even this rule: Norwegian never ends a word in a doubled m. So although the consonant looks doubled inside å glemme ("to forget") and å komme ("to come"), the final -m drops to one in the imperative — glem! and kom!, not glemm! / komm! (just as hjem "home" and rom "room" take a single m).

The negative imperative: telling someone not to

To form a negative command, add ikke ("not"). There are two acceptable positions, and the difference is one of tone, not grammar:

• ikke + imperative — Ikke gå! — the everyday, neutral order. This is what you'll hear most.
• imperative + det/object + ikke — Gjør det ikke! — slightly more emphatic or formal/literary, putting weight on the act being forbidden.

For a beginner, the safe and natural choice is always ikke first. The Gå ikke! pattern is correct but reads as elevated or stern — you'll meet it in written instructions and older texts more than in casual speech.

Softening: the politeness lives in the framing

Here is the cultural key that English speakers miss. Because Norwegian uses the informal du ("you") with virtually everyone — strangers, shop staff, your boss, the prime minister — there is no separate polite verb form the way French has vous or German has Sie. A bare imperative between equals is completely normal and not rude: a friend will happily say Send meg saltet ("Pass me the salt") with no softener at all.

When you do want to be gentler — a request to a stranger, or asking a real favour — you don't change the verb. You add a softener:

• vær så snill ("please", literally "be so kind") — the standard politeness tag. It can come before or after, and is often joined to an infinitive with å: vær så snill å hjelpe meg.
• vær så god — not "please" but "here you are / go ahead", offered when giving something or inviting someone to proceed.
• a question frame — turning the command into Kan du…? ("Can you…?") is often the most natural softener of all.

Note that vær itself is the imperative of å være ("to be") — irregular, like English be! — so vær så snill literally means "be so kind".

Common Mistakes

This is the number-one beginner error: leaving the -e on. Kaste is the infinitive ("to throw"); the command is the bare stem kast. Train yourself to chop the -e off every regular verb.

Same trap. Spise → stem spis- → imperative spis. The infinitive can never serve as a command in Norwegian.

The stem of å begynne is begynn- with two n's. The imperative keeps every letter of the stem; don't simplify begynn to begyn.

It isn't ungrammatical, but for everyday speech the natural order is ikke first. Gjør det ikke! belongs to written instructions, warnings, or a deliberately stern tone — not a chat with a friend.

When vær så snill introduces an action, the action takes the infinitive with å: vær så snill *å hjelpe meg*. Don't drop the å here.

Key Takeaways

• The imperative is the verb stem: for most verbs, the infinitive minus -e (spise → spis!).
• Verbs whose stem is a stressed vowel keep it, so the imperative looks like the infinitive (gå!, se!, ta!).
• Keep the stem's spelling exactly — including doubled consonants (begynn!).
• Negate with ikke, normally placed first (Ikke gå!); verb-first negation is formal/literary.
• There is no polite verb form — Norwegian's universal du means bare imperatives are normal and not rude. Soften with vær så snill å … or a Kan du …? question, never by changing the verb.