Imperatives are used when we need to say what to do and not to do. the Imperative form is not a tense, it is a mood, a way to express yourself.
According to the website dicionário Cambridge, imperative means something important, urgent. So, let’s see when to use them.
We can tell someone what to do as a suggestion, advice, an order, a request, a command or an instruction.
It is important to know that the voice tone is really important here. depending on how you put your voice you can make a polite request become an order, and vice-versa.
Imperative sentences, usually don’t take a subject. “You” is implicit in the sentence.
Suggestion:
Invitation:
Command:
Advice:
Order:
Request:
Warning:
Instruction:
The verbs in imperative form stay in the infinitive form: get, come, open, sit.
Em frases negativas utilizamos “do not” ou “don’t” antes do verbo.
When we give instructions and commands in sequence, usually we use the words “first”, “then”, “next”, “after that”, and “finally” to organize the actions.
Attention: The use of the imperatives may sound rude depending on how you speak to people. Therefore, it is always advisable to add: “please”, “just”, “if you don’t mind” to make your request more polite.
We use the pronoun “You” before the verb to emphasize to the person that we are talking to her. Usually, we use the pronoun brings a negative connotation to the situation. Check these sentences:
Now, compare these three sentences:
We use the auxiliar “Do” before the verb to emphasize the request:
Time to practice!