Irregular Imperatives in German

The imperative mood in German is used to give commands, orders, or advice. While most verbs follow regular rules to form the imperative, there are important exceptions. These can be elegantly divided into two main categories: fully irregular verbs and strong verbs with root vowel changes.

Part 1: Fully Irregular Verbs

These verbs do not follow the standard vowel shift patterns and instead have unique irregularities in their stems, particularly in the informal singular du (you) form.

The verb "sein" (to be)

This is the most irregular verb in the imperative, changing its stem across almost all forms:

• du (informal singular): Sei!
  Example: Sei ruhig! (Be quiet!)
• ihr (informal plural): Seid!
  Example: Seid vorsichtig! (Be careful!)
• Sie (formal): Seien Sie!
  Example: Seien Sie pünktlich! (Be on time!)
• wir (let's): Seien wir!
  Example: Seien wir ehrlich! (Let's be honest!)

The verbs "haben" (to have) and "werden" (to become)

These verbs drop a consonant from their stem in the du form. While "haben" can sometimes take an optional "-e", "werden" always keeps it.

• haben: Hab(e)!
  Example: Hab keine Angst! (Don't be afraid! / Have no fear!)
• werden: Werde!
  Example: Werde bald gesund! (Get well soon!)

Part 2: Strong Verbs with Root Vowel Changes

Many strong verbs experience a vowel change in their stem during the present tense (specifically for du and er/sie/es). In the imperative, these verbs follow very strict, yet elegant, rules depending on the type of vowel change.

Group A: Vowel changes from "e" to "i" or "ie"

The Rule: If a verb changes from "e" to "i" or "ie" in the present tense, keep this change in the du imperative form. Crucially, these verbs never take an "-e" ending.

• sprechen (to speak) → Sprich!
  Example: Sprich lauter, bitte! (Speak louder, please!)
• lesen (to read) → Lies!
  Example: Lies das Buch! (Read the book!)
• geben (to give) → Gib!
  Example: Gib mir das Geld! (Give me the money!)
• sehen (to see) → Sieh!
  Example: Sieh mal! (Look!)

Special Case: "nehmen" (to take)
The verb nehmen belongs to this group (e to i), but it undergoes an additional spelling change where the "h" becomes an "m". Like the others, it drops the "-e" ending.

• nehmen (to take) → Nimm!
  Example: Nimm die Schlüssel! (Take the keys!)

Group B: Vowel changes from "a" to "ä" or "au" to "äu"

The Rule: If a verb takes an umlaut in the present tense (changing "a" to "ä" or "au" to "äu"), you remove the umlaut for the imperative. They behave like regular verbs and may take an optional "-e" ending. This is a common trap for learners!

• fahren (to drive/go) → Fahr(e)! (Not: Fähr!)
  Example: Fahr langsamer! (Drive slower!)
• schlafen (to sleep) → Schlaf(e)! (Not: Schläf!)
  Example: Schlaf gut! (Sleep well!)
• laufen (to run/walk) → Lauf(e)! (Not: Läuf!)
  Example: Lauf schnell! (Run fast!)