Free German Imperative Worksheets
These free German imperative worksheets print the commands your class is working on, from du commands such as Gib es mir! to Sie commands such as Rufen Sie mich an! There are four exercises: writing the command, separable and reflexive verbs (ruf an, setz dich), making it negative and filling in a chart. Every sheet prints on A4 or US Letter or saves as a PDF, with or without an answer key, and you don't need to sign up.
Four German imperative exercises
- Write the command. Students write German imperative sentences from the pieces given, as in (du) geben + mir + es → Gib es mir! A negative works the same way: (du) nicht + weggehen → Geh nicht weg!
- Separable and reflexive verbs. Students put a separable verb's prefix at the end and sich in the right form: (Sie) anrufen + mich → Rufen Sie mich an! The same goes for sich: (ihr) sich setzen → Setzt euch!
- Make it negative. Students add nicht in the right place: Mach das Fenster auf! → Mach das Fenster nicht auf! and Ruf mich an! → Ruf mich nicht an! Only commands that are natural both ways come up.
- Fill-in chart. The chart is a table of up to 12 verbs, with one column for each person you pick (du, ihr, Sie, wir) and the first row filled in as an example. A row reads like this: warten: warte, wartet, warten Sie, warten wir. The negative needs no column of its own, because it's the same form with nicht. A line under the chart says how to say “don't” and, where the chart uses it, what geh(e) means: geh or gehe.
How to make a worksheet
Nothing is selected for you at the start. Choose an exercise, then the persons (any of du, ihr, Sie and wir), affirmative or negative, what comes with the verb and the verbs. Rows an exercise doesn't use are grayed out, but “Create worksheet” never is. If you press it too early, each step still missing is outlined in red, and the bar says what's missing. The bar also shows how many commands match your choices.
The verbs come in the same seven sets as the German imperative quiz:
- Regular: machen → mach, kommen → komm
- e changes to i or ie: geben → gib, lesen → lies
- No umlaut in the command: fahren → fahr, laufen → lauf
- Keeps its -e: warten → warte, öffnen → öffne
- sein, haben, werden, tun: sei, hab, werde, tu
- Separable: anrufen → ruf an, aufstehen → steh auf
- Reflexive, with sich: sich setzen → setz dich
The fill-in chart takes verbs said on their own, such as warten, aufstehen and sich setzen, plus sein, haben, werden and tun when you pick that set.
A sheet can have 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 lines. “Shuffle” makes a new sheet from the same choices, which lets you hand out more than one version of the same worksheet.
Printing, the answer key and saving as PDF
Every worksheet prints on A4 or US Letter, with or without the answer key. The preview starts with neither choice made, and the sheet appears once you've picked both. If you print the worksheets with answers, the answer key starts on a new page. Where the -e is optional, the key prints it in parentheses, as in Geh(e) nicht weg! To save the German imperative exercises as a PDF, choose “Save as PDF” in the print dialog and set the margins to none.
Worksheets on paper, the quiz on screen
The worksheets use the same verbs and rules as the German imperative quiz, which asks for one command at a time and gives the reason after every answer. Students can practice there between lessons, and “Practice my mistakes” runs the commands they missed again. To teach the rules first, the German imperative guide sets out every form, from du, ihr, Sie and wir to where nicht goes. For the other tenses, the German verb conjugation worksheets print fill-in boxes for 600 verbs. If you teach Spanish, Italian or French too, the Spanish commands worksheets, the Italian imperative worksheets and the French imperative worksheets each print four exercises with an answer key on its own page.
Frequently asked questions
Are these German imperative worksheets free?
Yes, they're free to make, print and save as PDF, and you don't need to sign up.
Can I make a worksheet of formal Sie commands?
Pick Sie as the only person, then the exercise and the verbs. Every line then asks for a Sie command, such as Rufen Sie mich an! In the fill-in chart, Sie gets one column, as in warten Sie.
Can I print the worksheet without the answer key?
The preview lets you choose with or without it before the sheet appears. When you include the answer key, it starts on a new page.
Why is there no column for the negative in the chart?
A negative command is the same form with nicht, so it needs no column of its own, and Mach das! becomes Mach das nicht! The line under the chart shows how to say "don't."
What does geh(e) mean in the answer key?
The -e is optional there, so geh and gehe are both right. Some verbs need it, as in warten → warte, and there the key prints the -e without parentheses.
How many lines can a worksheet have?
You can choose 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30, and "Shuffle" makes a new sheet from the same choices.
Do the worksheets match the quiz?
Yes, they use the same verbs and rules as the German imperative quiz, so a class can practice the same commands on paper and on screen.
Licenses and credits
Conjugation tables come from English Wiktionary through kaikki.org (CC BY-SA 4.0). Verbs are ranked by Hermit Dave's FrequencyWords list, built from OpenSubtitles 2018 (CC BY-SA 4.0).