Command Form (ihr)

Level 1

To tell a group of people you know well to do something, use the ihr form of the verb and drop the pronoun. It usually ends in -t.

How It Works

The ihr imperative is used for informal plural addresses (friends, children, family).

1. Formation:
Take the 2nd person plural (ihr) form of the verb and remove the pronoun ihr. The conjugated verb moves to the first position in the sentence.

ihr macht → Macht! (Do!)
ihr geht → Geht! (Go!)

2. Spelling Rules:
If the verb stem ends in -d, -t, or certain consonant clusters like -chn, the -et ending from the standard present tense conjugation is retained for easier pronunciation.

ihr wartet → Wartet! (Wait!)
ihr öffnet → Öffnet! (Open!)

3. No Vowel Changes:
Unlike the du imperative, the ihr form never changes its stem vowel. Even if the verb has an e→i or a→ä change in the singular, the plural command remains regular.

ihr lest → Lest! (Read!)
ihr fahrt → Fahrt! (Drive!)

4. Separable and Reflexive Verbs:

For separable verbs, the prefix moves to the end: ihr steht auf → Steht auf!
For reflexive verbs, you must keep the pronoun euch: ihr setzt euch → Setzt euch!

5. The Verb 'sein':
The verb sein follows the same logic: ihr seid → Seid! (Be!)

Examples (6)

Kommt bitte schnell her!
Please come here quickly!
Word by Word: Come please quickly here!
The verb 'kommen' becomes 'kommt' (matching the 'ihr' form), and the pronoun 'ihr' is dropped. The verb moves to the first position.
Seid leise, die Kinder schlafen.
Be quiet, the children are sleeping.
Word by Word: Be quiet, the children sleep.
The imperative of 'sein' for a group is 'Seid'.
Esst euren Nachtisch!
Eat your dessert!
Word by Word: Eat your dessert!
Even though 'essen' changes to 'Iss!' for one person, it stays 'Esst!' for a group.
Wartet einen Moment!
Wait a moment!
Word by Word: Wait a moment!
Because the stem of 'warten' ends in -t, the -et ending from the present tense is retained.
Steht bitte auf!
Please stand up!
Word by Word: Stand please up!
For separable verbs, the prefix (auf-) moves to the very end of the sentence.
Setzt euch!
Sit down!
Word by Word: Set yourselves!
With reflexive verbs, you must include the pronoun euch after the verb.

Common Mistakes

Including the pronoun 'ihr' in the command.
Ihr kommt hierher!
Kommt hierher!
In German imperatives, the pronoun 'ihr' is normally dropped. Keeping it in front makes it sound like a statement ('You are coming here') rather than a command.
Applying vowel changes from the 'du' form.
Liest das Buch!
Lest das Buch!
Stem vowel changes (like e to ie) only happen in the singular 'du' form. The 'ihr' form always uses the standard plural stem.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Command Form (ihr)Level 1

Learn This First

To form the 'ihr' imperative, you need to know the plural personal pronoun 'ihr' and how to conjugate verbs for it in the present tense, as the command form simply uses that conjugated verb without the pronoun.