Classroom language: the imperative

Understand your teacher's instructions and ask for help in French. Instructions use the imperative, the form of the verb for giving orders.

Key Stage 3
About 14 minutes

Practise this lesson free (7 questions)

Your teacher says

Écoutez ! = Listen! Regardez le tableau. = Look at the board. Répétez. = Repeat.
Ouvrez vos cahiers. = Open your exercise books. Fermez la porte. = Close the door.
Levez la main. = Put your hand up. Asseyez-vous. = Sit down. Taisez-vous ! = Be quiet!
Travaillez avec un partenaire. = Work with a partner.

Making the imperative

Take the tu, nous or vous form and drop the pronoun. For -er verbs and aller, the tu form also drops its -s: tu regardes, Regarde ! Negative: Ne parlez pas ! = Don't talk!
Present tense	Imperative	Meaning
tu écoutes	Écoute !	Listen! (one friend)
vous écoutez	Écoutez !	Listen! (polite or several people)
nous écoutons	Écoutons !	Let's listen!
tu fais	Fais !	Do!
tu vas	Va !	Go!

You say

Je ne comprends pas. = I don't understand.
Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? = Can you repeat, please?
Comment dit-on "pen" en français ? = How do you say "pen" in French?
Qu'est-ce que ça veut dire ? = What does that mean?
J'ai oublié mon cahier. = I have forgotten my exercise book.
Je peux aller aux toilettes, s'il vous plaît ? = Can I go to the toilet, please?

Worked example

Tell one friend (tu form): Listen and repeat.

tu écoutes: drop tu and the -s: Écoute.
tu répètes: drop tu and the -s: Répète.
Join with et.

Answer: Écoute et répète !

Key idea

The imperative is the present tense tu, nous or vous form without the pronoun; -er verbs drop the -s in the tu form (Regarde !). Nous form = let's. Negative: Ne parlez pas ! Ask for help: Je ne comprends pas. Pouvez-vous répéter ?

Common mistakes

Not “Regardes !”. In the imperative, -er verbs lose the -s of the tu form.
Not “Nous travaillons !”. With nous, it is a statement (we work), not let's.
Not “Que veut dire ruler ?”. Que veut dire ... ? asks what a French word means.
Not “Où est ruler ?”. Où est ... ? = where is ...?

Quick check

Try two quick questions

See if it has sunk in. Answers are marked straight away.

Extra practice

2 more questions

Try each one, then tap to check.

What does "Regardez !" mean?
1. Listen!
2. Write!
3. Sit down!
4. Look!
Show the answer
Answer: Look!
Regarder = to look.
Tell one friend to listen. Which is correct?
1. Écoutes !
2. Écouter !
3. Tu écoute !
4. Écoute !
Show the answer
Answer: Écoute !
Tu imperative of -er verbs drops the -s.

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Practise this lesson free (7 questions)All KS3 French lessons

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Sources and references

National Curriculum in England, Key Stage 3: French programme of study

Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.