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The Imperative: sois, soyez and Let's Forms

HigherHigher tier onlyAQA

Practise The Imperative: sois, soyez and Let's Forms for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Higher tier exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). At Higher tier the imperative of être and the first person plural Let's form are also required.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

This is a Higher tier only topic, so there's no Foundation paper — only the Higher worksheet and mark scheme below.

Higher

WorksheetHigher · PDFMark SchemeHigher · PDF

Topic overview

Être and avoir have irregular imperative forms, and the nous imperative is the standard way to say let's. This is a Higher-only topic.

Être gives sois for tu, soyons for nous, and soyez for vous. Sois sage means be good; soyez prudent means be careful. Avoir gives aie, ayons and ayez, though these are far less common.

The nous form translates as let's and appears constantly in suggestions: allons-y means let's go, mangeons means let's eat, faisons means let's do. Savoir also has irregular forms — sache, sachons, sachez — used in the sense of be aware.

Revision notes

Être and avoir

Être: sois, soyons, soyez. Sois sage — be good. Soyez prudent — be careful.

Avoir: aie, ayons, ayez. These are much less common but appear in fixed expressions such as n'aie pas peur — don't be afraid.

The nous form for let's

Allons-y — let's go. Mangeons — let's eat. Partons — let's leave.

This is the standard way to make a suggestion in French, and it appears frequently in speaking tasks where a proposal is required.

Savoir

Sache, sachons, sachez.

Used in the sense of be aware rather than know: sachez que le musée est fermé means be aware that the museum is closed. It appears in formal written French.

Key points

  • Être gives sois, soyons and soyez.
  • Sois sage means be good.
  • Avoir gives aie, ayons and ayez.
  • The nous form means let's.
  • Allons-y means let's go.
  • Savoir gives sache, sachons and sachez.

Worked examples

Example 1

Give the vous imperative of être. [2 marks]

Working

soyezuse the irregular vous form
Être has irregular imperative forms that must be memorisedexplain the irregularity

Example 2

Translate: let's go. [2 marks]

Working

Allons-yuse the nous imperative of aller with y
The nous form of the imperative translates as let'sexplain the form

Example 3

Translate: be careful, addressing a group politely. [2 marks]

Working

Soyez prudentuse the vous imperative of être
Soyez is used for a group or for politenessexplain the choice

Common mistakes

  • Using the present tense forms.

    Être and avoir have separate irregular imperatives.

  • Writing soit instead of sois.

    Soit is the subjunctive; sois is the imperative.

  • Forgetting the nous form means let's.

    It is the standard way to make a suggestion.

  • Using es for the tu imperative of être.

    It is sois.

Exam tips

  • Memorise sois, soyons and soyez.
  • Use the nous form for suggestions.
  • Learn allons-y as a set phrase.
  • Remember this is a Higher-only topic.

Key terms

Sois
The tu imperative of être.
Soyez
The vous imperative of être.
Allons-y
A set phrase meaning let's go.
Let's form
The nous imperative, used for suggestions.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.