The Informal Imperative
When you give advice, instructions, or commands to one person you know informally, use the informal singular imperative.
To form it, start with the present tense du form of the verb. Then, simply remove the -st ending and drop the pronoun du.
- kaufen: du kaufst → kauf
- trinken: du trinkst → trink
| Drink the tea against the cold! | Trink den Tee gegen die Erkältung! |
If the verb stem ends in certain consonants like -m or -t (e.g., atmen), keep the -e at the end to make it easier to pronounce.
| Breathe deeply and slowly. | Atme tief und langsam. |
Reflexive and Separable Verbs
If the verb is reflexive, include the pronoun dich right after the verb. If the verb also has a separable prefix (like aus- in sich ausruhen), move that prefix to the very end of the sentence.
| Please rest. | Ruh dich bitte aus. |
| Relax and sleep well. | Entspann dich und schlaf gut. |
Stem-Changing Verbs
Some strong verbs change their stem vowel in the du form (e.g., nehmen becomes du nimmst). These verbs keep their vowel change in the command form, but you still drop the -st.
- nehmen: du nimmst → nimm
This also applies to separable verbs based on nehmen, such as einnehmen (to take medicine). Notice how the verb changes and the prefix ein- goes to the end:
| Take the medicine immediately! | Nimm die Medizin sofort ein! |
| Take the pill with water. | Nimm die Tablette mit Wasser ein. |
