English Imperatives: Give Instructions and Commands (Pre-A1) — Pre-A1 English grammar lesson by Langcom

English Imperatives: Give Instructions and Commands (Pre-A1)

Raúl Maguiña

Fondateur de Langcom | Examinateur pour les examens de Cambridge et du SIELE

16 juillet 2026

PRÉ-A1✏️ Grammaire⏱️ 3 min de lecture
Imperatives give direct instructions or commands. They tell someone what to do or what not to do. We use imperatives every day in English for many situations. For example, when you want someone to listen, you say Listen! If you want someone to be quiet, you say Be quiet! To make a positive imperative, you simply use the base form of the verb. There is no subject like ‘you’ because the command is directly to the person you are speaking to. For negative imperatives, you add Don’t avant le verbe de base, par exemple Don’t talk! ou Don’t touch! Imperatives are very useful for giving simple instructions, warnings, advice, or even polite requests when you add ‘please’. They are a fundamental part of English communication and easy to learn for beginners.

Qu'est-ce que l'impératif en anglais ?

Imperatives are verbs that give a direct command, instruction, warning, or request.

They are very common in daily English. You will hear them often and use them a lot.

  • Stop! (Une commande)
  • Open your book. (Une instruction)
  • Be careful! (A warning)

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How Do You Form Positive Imperatives?

To make a positive imperative, use the base form of the verb. This is the simplest form of the verb, like go, eat, listen.

You do not add ‘s’ for ‘he/she/it’ or ‘ing’ for continuous actions. There is no subject (like ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘he’).

  • Come here. (Not ‘Comes here’ or ‘You come here’)
  • Sit down.
  • Read the instructions.

How Do You Form Negative Imperatives?

To make a negative imperative, add Don’t avant la forme de base du verbe.

Don’t est l'abréviation de Do not. We use Don’t most of the time.

  • Don’t talk. (Not ‘No talk’)
  • Don’t open that door.
  • Don’t be late.

Quand utilise-t-on l'impératif ?

We use imperatives in many situations. They are very versatile.

  • To give instructions: Mix the ingredients.
  • To give commands: Stop running!
  • To give warnings: Watch out!
  • To give advice: Eat healthy food.
  • To make polite requests (with ‘please’): Please wait for me.
Positive and Negative Imperatives
Positive Imperative Negative Imperative
Look! Don’t look!
Be quiet! Don’t be noisy!
Open the door. Don’t open the door.
Go there. Don’t go there.

Exemples

  • Listen to your teacher.
  • Don’t forget your keys.
  • Be quiet, please.
  • Don’t touch the wet paint.
  • Go straight and then turn left.

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Erreurs courantes chez les hispanophones

Spanish speakers sometimes make these mistakes with imperatives:

  • Using a subject: In Spanish, you often use ‘tú’ or ‘usted’ with commands. In English, we do not use ‘you’ with imperatives.
    Wrong: You open the door.
    Right: Open the door.
  • Using ‘No’ instead of ‘Don’t’ for negatives:
    Wrong: No talk.
    Right: Don’t talk.
  • Adding ‘to’ before the verb:
    Wrong: To sit down.
    Right: Sit down.

Questions fréquemment posées

What is the main use of an imperative?

The main use of an imperative is to give a direct command or instruction, like Come here! ou Listen!

Les impératifs ont-ils un sujet ?

No, imperatives do not have a subject. The command is understood to be for ‘you’ (the person listening).

How do I make an imperative polite?

To make an imperative polite, add please at the beginning or end of the sentence, for example: Please sit down. ou Wait for me, please.

Can I use imperatives for advice?

Yes, you can use imperatives to give advice, such as Study hard for your exam. ou Get enough sleep.

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À propos de l'auteur : Raúl Maguiña

Raúl Maguiña est le directeur de l'Asociación Educativa Langcom, un centre agréé de préparation à l'examen Cambridge English situé à ÉTATS-UNIS. Fort de plus d'une décennie d'expérience dans l'enseignement des langues et les certifications internationales, il a aidé des milliers d'étudiants, d'enseignants et d'établissements d'enseignement dans 25 pays à obtenir les certifications d'anglais Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL et Michigan.

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