Imperative Mood with Pronouns: Affirmative Commands

Pronouns in Affirmative Commands

The imperative mood is used for giving orders, suggestions, or instructions (see imperative polite and collective and imperative informal commands). When an object pronoun is added to an affirmative command, it is placed after the verb and linked to it by a hyphen. The pronouns me and te change to moi and toi in this position.

Affirmative Imperative with Object Pronouns

Rules for Pronoun Placement and Form

In the affirmative imperative, the pronoun follows the verb and is joined by a hyphen. The following specific rules apply:

1. The unstressed pronouns me and te become the stressed forms moi and toi: Donne‑moi le livre ! Lève‑toi !
2. When two pronouns are present (direct object and indirect object), the direct object pronoun (le, la, les) precedes the indirect object pronoun (moi, toi, lui, nous, vous, leur): Donne‑le‑moi ! Explique‑le‑leur !
3. For regular -er verbs (and aller), the final -s of the tu form is dropped: Donne‑le ! (not Donnes‑le).
4. With pronominal verbs, the reflexive pronoun te becomes toi and is placed after the verb: Lève‑toi !

For the general rules of pronoun placement in non‑imperative sentences, see direct object pronouns singular, plural, and indirect object pronouns.

Frequent Expressions

The following constructions are common in spoken and written French:
- Donne‑moi ça ! (Give me that!)
- Explique‑leur la règle ! (Explain the rule to them!)
- Achetons‑le ! (Let’s buy it!)
- Dis‑le‑moi ! (Tell it to me!)