German Imperative and Health Vocabulary

The imperative is used for instructions, advice and commands. Combined with health vocabulary, it lets you handle a visit to the doctor or the pharmacy, which is one of the most useful real-life situations for a beginner.

Forming the imperative

There are three forms, depending on who you are talking to. For du, use the stem without -st. For ihr, use the ihr form. For Sie, use the Sie form followed by Sie.

Infinitive	du	ihr	Sie
kommen	Komm!	Kommt!	Kommen Sie!
machen	Mach!	Macht!	Machen Sie!
lernen	Lern!	Lernt!	Lernen Sie!
aufstehen	Steh auf!	Steht auf!	Stehen Sie auf!
sein	Sei!	Seid!	Seien Sie!

Verbs with a vowel change

Verbs that change e to i or ie keep the change in the du form: sprechen becomes Sprich!, lesen becomes Lies!, essen becomes Iss! and nehmen becomes Nimm! Verbs with an umlaut change do not keep it: fahren becomes Fahr!

Parts of the body

der Kopf (head), das Auge (eye), das Ohr (ear), die Nase (nose), der Mund (mouth), der Zahn (tooth), der Hals (throat, neck), der Arm (arm), die Hand (hand), der Bauch (stomach), der Rücken (back), das Bein (leg) and der Fuß (foot).

Describing symptoms and visiting the doctor

Ich habe Kopfschmerzen, Bauchschmerzen, Husten, Fieber or Schnupfen. You can also say Mir tut der Kopf weh. At the doctor, you might say Ich habe einen Termin and hear Nehmen Sie diese Tabletten zweimal am Tag or Trinken Sie viel Wasser.

This guide teaches language only. It is not medical advice. If you feel seriously unwell, contact a doctor or the local emergency number.

Common mistakes

Using the du imperative with strangers. Use the Sie form: Kommen Sie bitte.
Adding du to the imperative. Say Komm, not Komm du, unless you want to stress it.
Forgetting the separable prefix: Steh auf, not Auf stehen.

Practice

Write five instructions for a friend (du) and five for a stranger (Sie), then describe three symptoms and what a doctor might tell you.

Start the interactive Chapter 14 lessons