Mission: teach a friend your crêpe recipe
The imperative (prends, prenez, prenons) for instructions, recipes and advice, with pronouns and in the negative.
FrenchA2 · Plans and favoursAbout 5 min: 2 reading, 3 practiceUpdated
- Form the imperative for tu, vous and nous
- Drop the -s of -er verbs in the tu form (mange, va)
- Use the irregular sois, aie, sache
- Put pronouns after the verb in positive orders (prends-le) and before it in negative ones (ne le prends pas)
Plans and favours: lesson 3 of 5
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Level Level A2 (around the DELF A2 exam). Real French: recipes, instructions and friendly advice.
What it is
Your mission: your friend Léo wants to make crêpes for the first time. Talk him through it on the phone, step by step, telling him what to do and what not to do.
The imperative gives orders, instructions and advice. It's the present tense without the subject:
| Verb | tu · vous · nous |
|---|---|
| prendre | prends · prenez · prenons |
| finir | finis · finissez · finissons |
| mélanger | mélange · mélangez · mélangeons |
| aller | va · allez · allons |
-er verbs (and aller) drop the -s in the tu form: tu mélanges → mélange !, tu vas → va !
Irregular: être → sois, soyez, soyons; avoir → aie, ayez, ayons; savoir → sache, sachez, sachons.
Negative: ne … pas round the verb: Ne touche pas !
With pronouns: in a positive order the pronoun goes after, with a hyphen, and me / te become moi / toi: Prends-le. Aide-moi. In a negative order it stays before: Ne le prends pas.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
Telling a friend: "Eat!"
- -er verbs drop the -s in the tu imperative
- The imperative has no subject
Show answer
Mange !. tu manges → Mange !
Why it matters
Recipes, instructions on machines, signs (Poussez), directions (Tournez à gauche) and friendly advice (Sois prudent !) all use the imperative. You need to understand it everywhere and use it whenever you help someone do something.
Worked example
On the phone with Léo:
- Léo: Bon, je commence par quoi ?
- You: D'abord, prends un grand bol. Mets la farine et les œufs, et mélange.
- Léo: Et le lait ?
- You: Ajoute-le petit à petit. Ne le mets pas d'un coup !
- Léo: D'accord. Et pour la cuisson ?
- You: Fais chauffer la poêle. Sois patient, et attends une minute avant de retourner la crêpe. Envoie-moi une photo !
Real French: recipes in books and online often use the infinitive instead (Mélanger la farine et les œufs), and signs too (Ne pas toucher). In conversation, people use the imperative or, more softly, tu peux…: Tu peux m'aider ?
Common mistake
Keeping the -s on -er verbs: wrong: Regardes ! → Regarde ! (Exception: before y or en, the -s comes back for sound: Vas-y ! Go on!)
And putting the pronoun before a positive order: wrong: Le prends → Prends-le.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
"Help me!" (to a friend)
- After the verb, me becomes moi
- In a positive order the pronoun goes after the verb
Show answer
Aide-moi !. verb + hyphen + moi.
Key terms
- impératif
- the imperative (giving orders, instructions)
- mélanger / ajouter / mettre
- to mix / to add / to put
- faire chauffer
- to heat
- petit à petit
- little by little
- d'un coup
- all at once
- Vas-y ! / Allez-y !
- Go on! / Go ahead!
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 6 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| impératif | the imperative (giving orders, instructions) |
| mélanger / ajouter / mettre | to mix / to add / to put |
| faire chauffer | to heat |
| petit à petit | little by little |
| d'un coup | all at once |
| Vas-y ! / Allez-y ! | Go on! / Go ahead! |
Practice
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
Polite instruction to a customer: "Wait here, please."
- attends is the tu form; s'il vous plaît needs vous
- This inverted form asks "Are you waiting here?"
Show answer
Attendez ici, s'il vous plaît.. vous form, no subject: Attendez.
"Don't take it!" (le gâteau, to a friend)
- In a negative order the pronoun goes before the verb
- Casual speech, but standard French keeps ne and puts le first
Show answer
Ne le prends pas !. ne + le + verb + pas.
Sort it
Instruction to whom?
Va !
aller, tu formShow answer
tu. aller, tu form
Allons-y !
let's goShow answer
nous. let's go
Soyez à l'heure.
être, vous formShow answer
vous. être, vous form
Mets la table.
mettre, tu formShow answer
tu. mettre, tu form
Ajoutez le sucre.
ajouter, vous formShow answer
vous. ajouter, vous form
Build the sentence
Build "Add the milk little by little."
Show answer
Ajoute le lait petit à petit.. tu imperative of ajouter: Ajoute.
Practise speaking
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Mission role-play. You are Léo, my French friend, making crêpes for the first time and phoning me for help. Speak naturally but clearly, at level A2, using tu. Start with « Bon, je commence par quoi ? ». Ask me what to do at each step (bowl, flour, eggs, milk, mixing, heating the pan, cooking, turning the crêpe), one at a time, and sometimes get it wrong so I have to say what not to do. After each of my instructions, tell me in English what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again; watch the dropped -s, pronouns after the verb, and ne … pas. When I have given five correct instructions, including one negative and one with a pronoun, say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 3 sentences.
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In short
- Imperative = present without the subject: prends, prenez, prenons.
- -er verbs and aller drop the -s with tu: mange, va (but vas-y).
- Irregular: sois, aie, sache.
- Positive: pronoun after, with moi / toi: aide-moi, prends-le.
- Negative: pronoun before: ne le prends pas.
- Recipes and signs often use the infinitive instead.
Mastery check
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Check yourself
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"Let's go!"
Show answer
Allons-y !
"Be careful!" (to a friend)
Show answer
Sois prudent(e) ! (or: Fais attention !)
"Don't eat it!" (to a friend)
Show answer
Ne le mange pas !
Further reading
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français: search "recette" for cooking clips with instructions.
- RFI, Journal en français facile, daily news in simple French.
Finished? Mark it done to fill in your leaf on the French map.