What is the German Imperative (Sie Form)?
The German imperative (Sie form) is how you give formal, polite commands to people you don't know well or in professional settings. It's identical to the present tense Sie form, just inverted word order.
The German Sie imperative is the formal command: Kommen Sie! (Come!), Essen Sie! (Eat!), Schreiben Sie! (Write!). It uses the Sie form of the present tense.
- •Komm! (Come!)
- •Iss dein Essen! (Eat your food!)
- •Schreib einen Brief! (Write a letter!)
- •For friends, family, children
- •Kommen Sie! (Come!)
- •Essen Sie Ihr Essen! (Eat your food!)
- •Schreiben Sie einen Brief! (Write a letter!)
- •For strangers, elders, professionals
Step-by-step worked examples
Convert 'Machen Sie das!' to present tense Sie.
Imperative: Machen Sie! Present Sie form: Sie machen Note: In imperative, Sie is inverted to the front: Machen Sie!
Give the Sie imperative for 'sprechen' (to speak).
Sie form present: Sie sprechen Invert for imperative: Sprechen Sie! (Speak!)
Form Sie imperative for 'nehmen' (to take).
Sie form present: Sie nehmen Imperative: Nehmen Sie! (Take! — formal)
Flashcards
Quick quiz
Q1.Which is the correct Sie imperative for 'gehen' (to go)?
Q2.What's the Sie present tense for 'Essen Sie Ihre Suppe!'?
Q3.When do you use Sie imperative?
Q4.Which sentence is Sie imperative?
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Common mistakes
Using du with strangers or in professional settings. — Correct: Always use Sie (formal) with people you don't know well or in business contexts.
Not capitalizing 'Sie' in the imperative. — Correct: Sie is always capitalized, even in the middle of a sentence: Bitte, kommen Sie herein!
Forgetting to invert word order: 'Sie kommen!' — Correct: Invert: Kommen Sie! (not Sie kommen!)
Mixing du and Sie in the same command. — Correct: Pick one form per context. Don't say 'Komm Sie!' — either 'Komm!' (du) or 'Kommen Sie!' (Sie).
FAQ
What is the Sie imperative?
It's the polite, formal command form: Kommen Sie! (Come!), Essen Sie! (Eat!), Schreiben Sie! (Write!)
How do you form Sie imperative?
Take the Sie form of present tense and invert word order: Sie trinken → Trinken Sie!
When should you use Sie imperative?
With strangers, elders, people in authority, or in formal/professional settings. Always capitalize 'Sie'.
Can Sie imperative be used for one person or multiple people?
Both! Sie is both singular formal and plural, so 'Kommen Sie!' can mean 'Come!' to one or many people formally.