Commands to Several People or Politely

Level 1

For a group, or to be polite, take the dir form of the verb and leave out the pronoun: Kommt! Maacht! Sidd roueg!

How It Works

To give a command to one friend, you use the du form: Komm! For everyone else, use the dir form of the verb. It works in two situations:

  • A group of people you would each call du, such as children or friends: Kanner, kommt eran! (Kids, come in!)
  • One person or more you speak to politely with Dir: Kommt eran, wannechgelift. (Please come in.)

How to build it. Take the present-tense form that goes with dir, and leave out the pronoun:

  • kommen: dir kommt → Kommt!
  • maachen: dir maacht → Maacht!
  • huelen: dir huelt → Huelt!
  • goen and ginn: dir gitt → Gitt! (go, give)
  • sinn: dir sidd → Sidd! (you will also see sieft)
  • hunn: dir hutt → Hutt! (you will also see hieft)

Some verbs change their vowel in the du form, like du hëls. The dir command keeps the normal vowel: Huelt e Stéck Kuch! (Have a piece of cake!) See vowel changes in the present.

Word order. The verb comes first. A small word that belongs to the verb, like zou in zoumaachen, goes to the end: Maacht d'Dier zou! (Close the door!)

iech and Iech. Some verbs need a word for "yourselves". With dir it is iech, and when you are being polite it is written with a capital letter, Iech. A teacher tells a class Setzt iech op är Plaz! (Sit in your seats!), but a doctor's assistant tells a patient Setzt Iech, wannechgelift. (Please have a seat.) See reflexive verbs.

Being polite. A polite command and a group command look the same. The capital letters on Iech and Är, a friendly voice and wannechgelift make it polite: Bréngt eis wannechgelift zwee Kaffi. (Please bring us two coffees.) For an even softer request, ask a question with kéint.

Leave the pronoun out. With the pronoun after the verb, the same words usually make a question: Kommt Dir eran? means "Are you coming in?"

Examples (6)

  1. Kommt eran!

    Come in!

    Said to several people. Kommen becomes kommt, the dir form.

  2. Kanner, maacht är Hausaufgaben!

    Kids, do your homework!

    Talking to a group of children, so är is written small.

  3. Setzt Iech, wannechgelift.

    Please have a seat.

    Polite: Iech has a capital letter, and wannechgelift softens the command.

  4. Sidd roueg, wannechgelift!

    Please be quiet!

    Sinn has the special form sidd.

  5. Maacht d'Dier zou!

    Close the door!

    Zou belongs to zoumaachen and goes to the end.

  6. Bréngt eis wannechgelift zwee Kaffi.

    Please bring us two coffees.

    A polite order in a café, using the dir form of bréngen.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the du form when you talk to a group.

    Kanner, komm eran!
    Kanner, kommt eran!

    Komm is for one friend. When you talk to several people, use the dir form with -t: kommt.

  • Using the du-form vowel change in a dir command.

    Hëlt e Stéck Kuch!
    Huelt e Stéck Kuch!

    The vowel change belongs to du hëls and hien hëlt. The dir form keeps the vowel of huelen: dir huelt, so the command is Huelt!

  • Writing iech in small letters when you are being polite.

    Setzt iech, wannechgelift, Madamm Weber.
    Setzt Iech, wannechgelift, Madamm Weber.

    When you speak politely to someone, Iech and Är are written with a capital letter. A small iech is for a group you would each call du.

How It Connects

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

Commands to Several People or PolitelyLevel 1

Learn This First

Before Commands to Several People or Politely, learn Commands to One Friend and Polite Dir.

Words in This Pattern