A2Verbs

Requests and commands

What should you do in “Würze die Suppe”?

Take a look

Brate das Fleisch in der Pfanne.

Fry the meat in the pan.

Take a look

Brate das Fleisch in der Pfanne.Fry the meat in the pan.
Würze die Suppe mit Salz und Pfeffer.Season the soup with salt and pepper.
Vergiss das Aufwärmen nicht!Don’t forget to warm up!

The rule

A command or request tells someone what to do: Würze die Suppe mit Salz und Pfeffer. With du, the verb often comes first and loses -st: du würzt, but Würze! Some forms are special, such as du vergisst, but Vergiss! For a polite request with Sie, the verb also comes first, followed by Sie. Bitte makes a request sound friendlier. Notice who the instruction addresses.

Remember: With du, a command often starts with the verb without -st.

Goes with lesson 29, 30, 34 of the course.

What differs for you

English often gives a command with the bare verb and no subject, so the shape of “Würze die Suppe” is familiar. German also drops du in a direct command, but its verb form comes from German conjugation: “du würzt” becomes “Würze”. Some commands are special, as with “Vergiss”. A polite request with Sie follows another pattern.

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The forms

Imperative

Grundform	du	ihr	Sie
kommen	Komm!	Kommt!	Kommen Sie!
warten	Warte!	Wartet!	Warten Sie!
nehmen	Nimm!	Nehmt!	Nehmen Sie!
aufstehen	Steh auf!	Steht auf!	Stehen Sie auf!
sein	Sei!	Seid!	Seien Sie!

Common mistakes

*Würzst die Suppe!Würze die Suppe!
*Du vergiss das Aufwärmen!Vergiss das Aufwärmen nicht!

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Quick check

Which form fits? ___ das Fleisch in der Pfanne.
Which form fits? ___ die Suppe mit Salz und Pfeffer.
Which form fits? ___ das Aufwärmen nicht!
Which form fits? ___ den Ofen auf 180 Grad vor.
Which form fits? Bitte ___ mir zu.

The answers appear after “Check”.

The same exercises come back in the course — there Langula remembers what you know and asks again at the right moment. Learn German free →

← Grammar

Verbs

A1Sein and habenWhy is it “ich bin” but “er ist”?A1Separable verbsWhy is “auf” at the end?A2Können, müssen and wollenWhy does “sein” appear after “muss”?A2Reflexive verbsWhy is mich in “Ich freue mich auf das Wochenende”?B1Passive voiceThe passive voice is used when the action is more important than who performs it.B1Subjunctive IISubjunctive II expresses unreal situations, wishes, polite requests, and hypothetical conditions.

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