I have some questions about the imperative.
1. Prends les salades!
How can one tell if this is an order to you or myself, as the conjugations for both tu and je are the same for "prendre"?
2. Is "acheter" a regular or irregular verb? I want to know whether to use "achete" or "achetes" for the imperative for tu.
I'll send this to one of our French experts, SraJMcGin.
1. If it were the tu form, you would see the tu = tu prends and the same for je = je prends. Because this is an -re verb, the tu command looks like "prends" so therefore you are looking at the familiar (tu) affirmative command!
2. acheter is an -er verb but with the spelling change è in all forma except the nous and vous forms (which are spelled like the infinitive) and this happens in the Present Indicative, Future and Conditional. the Present Subjunctive. The tu command is like the tu form but without tu = achète (and like regular -er verbs, drops the -s) This happens with infinitives = e + consonant + e.
I'll flag this and come back later to see if you have further questions.
Sra (aka Mme)
Thank you very much!
Just to clarify for the first one, if it were in the je form, would the command still be "Prends des salades"?
The "je" form has no command. The commands are familiar (tu), formal (vous) and the "let's form (nous)
Sra (aka Mme)
1. In the sentence "Prends les salades!" the context and the use of the exclamation mark can help determine whether it is an order addressed to someone else (tu) or to oneself (je).
Context clues: If someone else is being spoken to and the speaker is giving them an instruction or command, it is likely the order is for "tu." For example, if someone is saying "Prends les salades!" in a restaurant and directing it towards another person, it would most likely be an order for "tu" to take the salads.
Exclamation mark: If there is an exclamation mark at the end of the sentence, it often indicates a command or order to someone else. In this case, it suggests that "Prends les salades!" is a command directed at someone else.
So, in summary, based on context and the use of the exclamation mark, you can determine whether the imperative "Prends les salades!" is an order addressed to "tu" or to oneself "je".
2. The verb "acheter" is a regular -er verb. Regular -er verbs in French follow a specific pattern when conjugated in the imperative mood.
To form the imperative for "tu" with regular -er verbs:
- Remove the -er ending from the infinitive verb (acheter), leaving the stem "achet-".
- Add the appropriate ending for the "tu" form, which is -e.
- The correct imperative form for "tu acheter" is "achète".
So, in the case of "acheter", the imperative for "tu" is "achète" and not "achetes".