Impératif passé (Past Imperative)

The impératif passé is a compound form of the imperative mood used to give orders or instructions that must be completed before a certain time or before another action.
It is rare in modern spoken French and appears mostly in formal instructions, contracts, literature, or rhetoric.

Mood:

The imperative mood expresses commands, instructions, or encouragements, but here it refers to actions already completed before a set point.

• Mood: Imperative (order/request referring to a completed action)

Usage:

• To give instructions that the listener must complete before a specific time:
  Ayez terminé votre travail avant midi !
  (Have finished your work before noon!)
• To set a prior condition for another action:
  Soyez partis avant que j’arrive !
  (Be gone before I arrive!)
• In rhetorical or literary speech to emphasize urgency or sequence.

Formation:

The impératif passé is formed with:

1. The present imperative of avoir or être
2. The past participle of the main verb

• Être is used for reflexive verbs and most verbs of motion (Dr & Mrs Vandertramp verbs).
• The past participle agrees in gender and number when using être.

Conjugation Examples:

Parler (to speak) – with avoir:

Person	Form	Translation
Tu	Aie parlé	Have spoken (you, singular)
Nous	Ayons parlé	Let’s have spoken
Vous	Ayez parlé	Have spoken (you, plural)

Aller (to go) – with être:

Person	Form	Translation
Tu	Sois allé(e)	Have gone (you, singular)
Nous	Soyons allé(e)s	Let’s have gone
Vous	Soyez allé(e)(s)	Have gone (you, plural)

Irregular Past Participles:

• être – été (been)
• avoir – eu (had)
• faire – fait (done/made)
• prendre – pris (taken)
• voir – vu (seen)
• venir – venu (come)

Negative Form:

Place ne before the auxiliary and pas after it:

• N’ayez pas oublié vos affaires ! (Don’t have forgotten your things!)
• Ne soyez pas revenus trop tard ! (Don’t have come back too late!)

Examples:

• Ayez lu ce chapitre avant demain !
  (Have read this chapter before tomorrow!)
• Soyez rentrés avant minuit !
  (Have returned before midnight!)
• N’ayez pas perdu le document !
  (Don’t have lost the document!)

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Modern Usage Note:

In everyday conversation, the impératif passé is almost never used.
Speakers typically use the present imperative with a time expression:

• Finis ton travail avant midi ! instead of Aie fini ton travail avant midi !
  It remains relevant for understanding formal written French and classic literature.