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AP German Language & Culture · Unit 5: Contemporary Life

5.3 The Imperative (Commands)

Three command forms

German commands match the person: informal du, informal plural ihr, and formal Sie. 'Speak!' = Sprich! (du), Sprecht! (ihr), Sprechen Sie! (formal).

du commands

The du command drops the -st ending (and the pronoun): 'du spielst' → 'Spiel!' Strong verbs with a vowel change keep it: 'Sprich!,' 'Nimm!'

Sie commands

The Sie command keeps the pronoun and inverts: 'Kommen Sie!' (Come!), 'Warten Sie!' (Wait!). It's polite and used with strangers.

Key terms

du command
drops -st and pronoun: Spiel! Komm!
ihr command
uses ihr form: Spielt! Kommt!
Sie command
keeps pronoun, inverts: Kommen Sie!
Strong verbs
keep vowel change: Sprich! Nimm!
Purpose
gives orders, advice, and instructions

Try an AP-style question

The du imperative of "kommen" is…

  1. Kommst!
  2. Kommt!
  3. Komm!
  4. Kommen Sie!
Show the answer

C. Drop -st.

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