English Imperatives: Give Instructions and Commands (Pre-A1)

劳尔-马吉尼亚

Langcom 创始人 | 剑桥考试和SIELE考试考官

7 月 16, 2026

PRE-A1✏️ 语法⏱️ 阅读时间 3 分钟
Imperatives give direct instructions or commands. They tell someone what to do or what not to do. We use imperatives every day in English for many situations. For example, when you want someone to listen, you say Listen! If you want someone to be quiet, you say Be quiet! To make a positive imperative, you simply use the base form of the verb. There is no subject like ‘you’ because the command is directly to the person you are speaking to. For negative imperatives, you add Don’t before the base verb, such as Don’t talk!Don’t touch! Imperatives are very useful for giving simple instructions, warnings, advice, or even polite requests when you add ‘please’. They are a fundamental part of English communication and easy to learn for beginners.

什么是英语的祈使句?

Imperatives are verbs that give a direct command, instruction, warning, or request.

They are very common in daily English. You will hear them often and use them a lot.

  • Stop! (A command)
  • Open your book. (An instruction)
  • Be careful! (A warning)

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How Do You Form Positive Imperatives?

To make a positive imperative, use the base form of the verb. This is the simplest form of the verb, like go, eat, listen.

You do not add ‘s’ for ‘he/she/it’ or ‘ing’ for continuous actions. There is no subject (like ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘he’).

  • Come here. (Not ‘Comes here’ or ‘You come here’)
  • Sit down.
  • Read the instructions.

How Do You Form Negative Imperatives?

To make a negative imperative, add Don’t before the base form of the verb.

Don’t is a short form of Do not. We use Don’t most of the time.

  • Don’t talk. (Not ‘No talk’)
  • Don’t open that door.
  • Don’t be late.

什么时候使用命令式?

We use imperatives in many situations. They are very versatile.

  • To give instructions: Mix the ingredients.
  • To give commands: Stop running!
  • To give warnings: Watch out!
  • To give advice: Eat healthy food.
  • To make polite requests (with ‘please’): Please wait for me.
Positive and Negative Imperatives
Positive Imperative Negative Imperative
Look! Don’t look!
Be quiet! Don’t be noisy!
Open the door. Don’t open the door.
Go there. Don’t go there.

示例

  • Listen to your teacher.
  • Don’t forget your keys.
  • Be quiet, please.
  • Don’t touch the wet paint.
  • Go straight and then turn left.

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西班牙语母语者常犯的错误

Spanish speakers sometimes make these mistakes with imperatives:

  • Using a subject: In Spanish, you often use ‘tú’ or ‘usted’ with commands. In English, we do not use ‘you’ with imperatives.
    Wrong: You open the door.
    Right: Open the door.
  • Using ‘No’ instead of ‘Don’t’ for negatives:
    Wrong: No talk.
    Right: Don’t talk.
  • Adding ‘to’ before the verb:
    Wrong: To sit down.
    Right: Sit down.

常见问题

What is the main use of an imperative?

The main use of an imperative is to give a direct command or instruction, like Come here!Listen!

Do imperatives have a subject?

No, imperatives do not have a subject. The command is understood to be for ‘you’ (the person listening).

How do I make an imperative polite?

To make an imperative polite, add please at the beginning or end of the sentence, for example: Please sit down.Wait for me, please.

Can I use imperatives for advice?

Yes, you can use imperatives to give advice, such as Study hard for your exam.Get enough sleep.

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关于作者:劳尔·马吉尼亚

劳尔·马吉尼亚是Langcom教育协会的主任,该协会是位于 美国. 凭借在语言教育和国际认证领域十余年的经验,他已帮助来自25个国家的数千名学生、教师和教育机构考取了剑桥英语证书以及IELTS、TOEFL和Michigan英语证书。.

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