# imperative



## Magg

Hi all!!!

My German teacher told us the imperative forms ending *-t, -d, -ig, -er * and 
*-n, -m precede by consonant * add a supporting *-e.*

However, the answers in my workbook don´t add the mentioned supporting -e in the following sentence:

*Steig am Bahnhof aus.*

What do I have to do when I come across this matter?

Thanks,
Magg


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## sohc4

Magg said:
			
		

> Hi all!!!
> 
> My German teacher told us the imperative forms ending *-t, -d, -ig, -er * and
> *-n, -m precede by consonant * add a supporting *-e.*
> 
> However, the answers in my workbook don´t add the mentioned supporting -e in the following sentence:
> 
> *Steig am Bahnhof aus.*
> 
> What do I have to do when I come across this matter?
> 
> Thanks,
> Magg



It's spoken language.  The correct version would be "*Steige am Bahnhof aus*", but when spoken, endings are sometimes omitted. If you want to write it that way, you would add an apostrophe to indicate something has been omitted:

*Steig' am Bahnhof aus* 

Axl


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## Magg

Thanks a lot Axl!


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## Whodunit

sohc4 said:
			
		

> It's spoken language.  The correct version would be "*Steige am Bahnhof aus*", but when spoken, endings are sometimes omitted. If you want to write it that way, you would add an apostrophe to indicate something has been omitted:
> 
> *Steig' am Bahnhof aus*
> 
> Axl



Both ways are correct (with AND without apostrophe):

Steig am Bahnhof aus.
Steig' am Bahnhof aus.
Steige am Bahnhof aus.

Look it up in the Duden!
Such es im Duden!
Such' es im Duden!
Suche es im Duden!
Such's im Duden! (colloquial)


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## Magg

Cheers,

Magg


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## gaer

whodunit said:
			
		

> Both ways are correct (with AND without apostrophe):
> 
> Steig am Bahnhof aus.
> Steig' am Bahnhof aus.
> Steige am Bahnhof aus.
> 
> Look it up in the Duden!
> Such es im Duden!
> Such' es im Duden!
> Suche es im Duden!
> Such's im Duden! (colloquial)


Sounds good to me. But you might want to say a couple things about the informal plural imperative. 

Gaer


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## Whodunit

gaer said:
			
		

> Sounds good to me. But you might want to say a couple things about the informal plural imperative.
> 
> Gaer



Suchen Sie es im Duden! (formal)
Suchen Sie's im Duden! (formal, but colloquial)
Such'n Sie's im Duden! (formal, but a bit slangy)

Suchen wir es im Duden! (informal, but standard)
Suchen wir's im Duden! (informal, but colloquial)
Such'n wir's im Duden! (informal, but a bit slangy)


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## gaer

whodunit said:
			
		

> Suchen Sie es im Duden! (formal)
> Suchen Sie's im Duden! (formal, but colloquial)
> Such'n Sie's im Duden! (formal, but a bit slangy)
> 
> Suchen wir es im Duden! (informal, but standard)
> Suchen wir's im Duden! (informal, but colloquial)
> Such'n wir's im Duden! (informal, but a bit slangy)


Actually, I was thinking of forms like "kommt…", commands to give informally for more than one person. 

I never give commands in German, rarely in English!

Gaer


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## Whodunit

gaer said:
			
		

> Actually, I was thinking of forms like "kommt…", commands to give informally for more than one person.
> 
> I never give commands in German, rarely in English!
> 
> Gaer



Okay, same thing with "nach Hause kommen":

Kommen Sie nach Hause! (formal)
Komm' Sie nach Hause! (formal, but a bit slangy)
Komm' S'e nach Hause! (formal, but a bit slangy)
Komm'S nach Hause! (formal, but slangy)
Komm'S heem (from heim)! (slang)

Komm nach Hause! (informal, but standard)
Komm heim! (informal, but colloquial)
Komm heem! (slang)


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## yuriandre

Hello guys. I am just a bit curious about the Duden? What is it? Sorry for sounding a bit stupid but I am a beginner in German.  Thanks.


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## Whodunit

yuriandre said:
			
		

> Hello guys. I am just a bit curious about the Duden? What is it? Sorry for sounding a bit stupid but I am a beginner in German.  Thanks.



No you aren't stupid. It's asked by many people. It's the dictionary for German only. It's like the "Oxford dictionary" or the French "Robert". It is a reference book like the "English monolingual" one on the top of our WR site.


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## gaer

Whodunit said:
			
		

> Okay, same thing with "nach Hause kommen":
> 
> Kommen Sie nach Hause! (formal)
> Komm' Sie nach Hause! (formal, but a bit slangy)
> Komm' S'e nach Hause! (formal, but a bit slangy)
> Komm'S nach Hause! (formal, but slangy)
> Komm'S heem (from heim)! (slang)
> 
> Komm nach Hause! (informal, but standard)
> Komm heim! (informal, but colloquial)
> Komm heem! (slang)


Let me try again:

There should be three command forms:

Komm! Kommt! Kommen Sie!

Think of how a mother would tell two children to come home. Or am I totally confused?  

Gaer


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## Whodunit

gaer said:
			
		

> Let me try again:
> 
> There should be three command forms:
> 
> Komm! Kommt! Kommen Sie!
> 
> Think of how a mother would tell two children to come home. Or am I totally confused?
> 
> Gaer



Okay, let me add:



> Okay, same thing with "nach Hause kommen":
> 
> Kommen Sie nach Hause! (formal)
> Komm' Sie nach Hause! (formal, but a bit slangy)
> Komm' S'e nach Hause! (formal, but a bit slangy)
> Komm'S nach Hause! (formal, but slangy)
> Komm'S heem (from heim)! (slang)
> 
> Komm nach Hause! (informal, but standard)
> Komm heim! (informal, but colloquial)
> Komm heem! (slang)
> 
> Kommt nach Hause!
> Kommt heim!
> Kommt heem!



Are these the three forms you wanted to have?


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## gaer

Whodunit said:
			
		

> Okay, let me add:
> 
> 
> 
> Are these the three forms you wanted to have?


Yes, Who. That's the "hot ticket" (just the right thing, perfect).  

Gaer


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## Whodunit

gaer said:
			
		

> Yes, Who. That's the "hot ticket" (just the right thing, perfect).
> 
> Gaer



I only know the saying "That's the ticket", but not with "hot" included.


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## gaer

Whodunit said:
			
		

> I only know the saying "That's the ticket", but not with "hot" included.


 
There is also: "He's/she's a 'hot ticket'", meaning a livewire, a character, full of energy, etc. 

G


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## Whodunit

gaer said:
			
		

> There is also: "He's/she's a 'hot ticket'", meaning a livewire, a character, full of energy, etc.
> 
> G



Isn't it "live wire" as two words?


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## gaer

Whodunit said:
			
		

> Isn't it "live wire" as two words?


It can be, but it can also be written as one. 

Google it!

Gaer


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## Whodunit

gaer said:
			
		

> It can be, but it can also be written as one.
> 
> Google it!
> 
> Gaer



live wire: 398,000 results

livewire: 892,000 results


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## gaer

Whodunit said:
			
		

> live wire: 398,000 results
> 
> livewire: 892,000 results


I suspected it must be fine because my spellchecker accepted it. When I typed it, I was also not sure if it would be accepted. 

Gaer


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## Whodunit

gaer said:
			
		

> I suspected it must be fine because my spellchecker accepted it. When I typed it, I was also not sure if it would be accepted.
> 
> Gaer



Okay, everything's clear until this question:

Wouldn't it be better to say "I wasn't sure ... either"??? "not also" looks very German.


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## gaer

Whodunit said:
			
		

> Okay, everything's clear until this question:
> 
> Wouldn't it be better to say "I wasn't sure ... either"??? "not also" looks very German.


 
1) I was also not sure if it would be accepted.
2) I wasn't sure if it would be accepted either.

I believe both of these are equally correct. There is certainly nothing German about the first one. But you can always use the second way.

BUT:

1) I was also sure it would be accepted.
2) I was sure it would be accepted too.

I know it's confusing!

Gaer


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## Whodunit

gaer said:
			
		

> 1) I was also not sure if it would be accepted.
> 2) I wasn't sure if it would be accepted either.
> 
> I believe both of these are equally correct. There is certainly nothing German about the first one. But you can always use the second way.
> 
> BUT:
> 
> 1) I was also sure it would be accepted.
> 2) I was sure it would be accepted too.
> 
> I know it's confusing!
> 
> Gaer



Yes, that is confusing. Because every time I used "not also" in such a case I was corrected to "not ... either" or "_verb_ + neither", but never the other way round.


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