Impératif
This entry covers how Chinese expresses the French 'impératif' — the command or request form. Chinese has no special imperative conjugation: you drop the subject (or keep it for clarity) and the bare verb does the work. '坐下!' (Sit down!) '别说话.' (Don't talk.) Add 请 to soften into a polite request, 吧 to soften into a suggestion, or 不要/别 to negate. This is the everyday way to tell, ask, or invite someone to do something.
Structure
(请) [VERB] (+ OBJECT) (+ 吧) — affirmative; 别/不要 [VERB] — negative
qǐng [VERB]; bié / búyào [VERB]; [VERB] ba
How to Think About It
Chinese verbs don't change form — the imperative is just the bare verb with no subject. Politeness comes from added words: 请 at the front makes it polite, 吧 at the end softens it into a suggestion ('let's' or 'why don't you'). Negative commands MUST use 别 or 不要; you can't negate a command with 不 alone. The mental check: am I telling, asking, or suggesting? Plain verb tells, 请 + verb asks, verb + 吧 suggests.
Examples
请坐。
Qǐng zuò.
Please sit.
别担心, 一切都会好的。
Bié dānxīn, yíqiè dōu huì hǎo de.
Don't worry, everything will be fine.
我们走吧!
Wǒmen zǒu ba!
Let's go!
Common Mistake
Learners use 不 to negate a command, the way 不 negates a regular statement. For prohibitions, Chinese requires 别 (informal) or 不要 (slightly firmer) — 不 alone won't form a real 'don't.'
不说话!
别说话!
Don't Confuse With
请 + Verb (polite request)
Same imperative core, prefixed with 请 to add politeness. Use in service interactions, written instructions, and formal speech — 请坐 (please sit), 请稍等 (please wait a moment).
Verb + 吧 (suggestion)
吧 softens a command into a suggestion or 'let's' — '走吧' (let's go / why don't you go). Use when you're proposing rather than ordering.
让 + Person + Verb (causative)
让 has someone else do something via a third party — '让他来' (have him come). The imperative directly addresses the listener; 让 routes the command through them to a third party.
Practice
___ 喝水。
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请
上课的时候 ___ 玩手机。
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别
Put in order: [吧 / 我们 / 一起 / 走]
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我们一起走吧。
Translate to Chinese: 'Don't be late.'
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别迟到。
Write a polite request and a prohibition.
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Example answer: 请关门, 别开窗。 (Please close the door, don't open the window.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear Impératif in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
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