The Dutch imperative: how to give instructions and make requests

Kom binnen! Wacht even. Niet roken. You'll hear and see the imperative everywhere in the Netherlands: from teachers, doctors, recipes, train platforms and the sign on every shop door. The good news is that it's one of the easiest forms in Dutch grammar. The more interesting part is making it sound friendly rather than bossy, and for that Dutch has some handy little words.

How to form it: just the stem

The imperative is the stem of the verb: the infinitive minus -en, with the normal spelling adjustments. It's the same as the ik-form of the present tense.

The imperative has no subject and the verb comes first. It's the same whether you're talking to one person or a group: Kom binnen, jongens! — Come in, guys! In older texts and songs you may see a plural form with -t (Komt allen!), but that's no longer used in everyday Dutch.

Watch the spelling: snijden gives snijd and rijden gives rijd (Rijd voorzichtig! — Drive carefully!), with a d you can't hear. With houden both houd and hou are correct: Hou vol! — Hang in there! See Dutch spelling rules for how stems are spelled.

Making it polite

A bare imperative isn't rude in Dutch, especially with friends, family or colleagues. But there are several ways to soften it.

Add even, maar or eens

These small words do a lot of work:

• even makes a request sound small and quick: Wacht even. — Hang on a second. Kijk hier even. — Have a quick look here.
• maar makes it sound like permission or encouragement: Kom maar binnen. — Come on in. Ga maar zitten. — Go ahead and sit down.
• eens makes it sound like an invitation to try something: Proef eens. — Have a taste. Kijk eens! — Look!

Combinations are very common: Kom maar even binnen. Read more in our post on modal particles.

Use alsjeblieft or alstublieft

Adding "please" works as in English: Doe de deur dicht, alsjeblieft. — Close the door, please. Use alstublieft with people you call u.

The u-form

In formal situations — shops, doctors, offices, announcements — Dutch uses a special polite imperative: the u-form of the verb (stem + t) followed by u.

• Komt u binnen. — Please come in.
• Gaat u zitten. — Please take a seat.
• Neemt u maar een folder mee. — Feel free to take a leaflet.

This sounds courteous and a little old-fashioned. Even more common is turning the instruction into a question with a modal verb:

• Wilt u even wachten? — Would you mind waiting a moment?
• Kunt u hier tekenen? — Could you sign here?
• Zou u de deur dicht willen doen? — Would you mind closing the door?

The same works informally: Wil je even helpen? — Could you help for a sec? See formal and informal you for when to use u.

Saying "don't": the negative imperative

Put niet or geen in the sentence just as you would in a normal statement. Usually niet comes near the end.

• Doe dat niet! — Don't do that!
• Vergeet je sleutels niet. — Don't forget your keys.
• Kom niet te laat. — Don't be late.
• Maak je geen zorgen. — Don't worry.

For quick commands, Dutch often puts niet first and uses the infinitive: Niet doen! — Don't! Niet aankomen! — Don't touch!

The infinitive as an instruction

On signs, in announcements and in short orders, Dutch often uses the infinitive instead of the imperative. It's impersonal: it's aimed at everyone, not at you.

• Niet roken. — No smoking.
• Duwen / Trekken — Push / Pull (on doors)
• Niet storen. — Do not disturb.
• Instappen! — All aboard!
• Opletten! — Pay attention!

Spoken to a person, an infinitive sounds very direct, like a parent to a child: Opschieten! — Hurry up! Afblijven! — Hands off! Recipes mostly use the normal imperative (Snijd de uien.), though you will also come across the infinitive (De uien snijden.).

Separable verbs

With separable verbs, the verb goes first and the prefix goes to the end, just as in a normal main clause.

• dichtdoen → Doe de deur dicht. — Close the door.
• opbellen → Bel me morgen op. — Call me tomorrow.
• opruimen → Ruim je kamer op! — Tidy your room!
• uitkijken → Kijk uit! — Watch out!
• opstaan → Sta op. — Stand up.

In the infinitive form the verb stays in one piece: Niet oversteken. — Do not cross. Uitstappen aan de rechterkant. — Exit on the right-hand side.

Inseparable verbs simply stay together: Vergeet het niet. — Don't forget it. Begin maar. — Go ahead and start.

Irregular forms: wees and heb

Two important verbs have special forms.

Zijn (to be) becomes wees:

• Wees stil! — Be quiet!
• Wees voorzichtig. — Be careful.
• Wees niet bang. — Don't be afraid.

The polite form is Weest u…: Weest u gerust. — Rest assured.

Hebben (to have) becomes heb:

• Heb geduld. — Be patient.
• Heb vertrouwen. — Have faith.

The polite form is Heeft u or Hebt u, both correct: Heeft u even geduld? — Please bear with us.

Tip: Avoid Heb een fijne dag! — it's a translation of English and sounds odd to many Dutch speakers. Just say Fijne dag!

Two extras: adding jij and laten we

You can add jij or je after the imperative for emphasis, often with maar: Ga jij maar eerst. — You go first. Doe jij dat maar. — You do that, then.

For "let's", use laten we + infinitive:

• Laten we gaan. — Let's go.
• Laten we morgen bellen. — Let's call tomorrow.

And a useful phrase: Laat maar. — Never mind.

Quick summary

• Imperative = stem, verb first, no subject: Kom! Wacht even!
• Same form for one person or many.
• Soften with even, maar, eens or alsjeblieft.
• Formal: stem + t + u (Komt u binnen) or a question (Wilt u even wachten?).
• Negative: add niet/geen: Doe dat niet!, Maak je geen zorgen.
• Signs and short orders use the infinitive: Niet roken, Duwen.
• Separable verbs: prefix at the end: Doe de deur dicht.
• zijn → Wees stil!, hebben → Heb geduld.

Practise it

Follow classroom instructions in In the classroom, read recipe steps in Cooking, and understand what the doctor tells you in At the doctor's.