L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dîner

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The English translation of the French verb dîner is “to dine” or “to have dinner.” It is pronounced as “dee-nay.”

Dîner comes from the Old French word “disner,” which is derived from the Latin word “dis-,” meaning “apart,” and “iēiūnium,” meaning “fast.” This refers to the breaking of a fast, as dîner was originally used to describe the first meal of the day. Over time, it came to refer specifically to the evening meal.

In everyday French, dîner is most commonly used in the L’impératif Présent tense, which is the imperative form used to give commands or make requests.

Examples:

  1. Dîne avec nous ce soir. (Dine with us tonight.)
  2. Ne dînons pas trop tard. (Let’s not dine too late.)
  3. Dînez bien et profitez de votre soirée. (Have a good dinner and enjoy your evening.)

In these examples, dîner is used in the L’impératif Présent tense to give a command or make a request to have dinner. It is used in a similar way as the English verb “to have dinner” when giving instructions to someone.

Table of the L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of dîner

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je dine Dine avec moi ce soir. Have dinner with me tonight.
tu dîne Dîne avant de partir. Have dinner before you leave.
il dîne Il dîne toujours à la même heure. He always dines at the same time.
elle dîne Elle dîne souvent au restaurant. She often has dinner at the restaurant.
on dîne On dîne en famille le dimanche. We have dinner with family on Sundays.
nous dînons Dînons ensemble ce soir. Let’s have dinner together tonight.
vous dînez Dînez avant de sortir. Have dinner before going out.
ils dînent Ils dînent à la maison. They have dinner at home.
elles dînent Elles dînent en ville. They have dinner in town.

Other Conjugations for Dîner.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb dîner
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner
   

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner
   

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner
   

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner
   

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner  (this article)

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dîner

   

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Dîner – About the French L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense

L’impératif Présent is a mood in the French language that is used to give commands, make requests, offer advice, or express a desire in the present tense. It’s a relatively simple tense and is used to address someone directly. Let’s dive into its usage, conjugation, and interactions with other tenses:
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Usage

Giving commands

You use l’impératif présent to give direct commands or orders. It is often used in informal and formal situations to tell someone to do or not do something. For example:

   – Mange ta soupe. (Eat your soup.)
   – Ferme la porte. (Close the door.)

Making requests

You can also use the imperative to make polite requests. In this case, it is a gentler way to ask someone to do something. For example:
  
   – Parle plus lentement, s’il te plaît. (Speak more slowly, please.)

Offering advice

It’s common to use l’impératif to give advice or suggestions:
   – Étudie bien pour ton examen. (Study well for your exam.)

Expressing desires

You can express your desires or wishes using the imperative:
   – Amuse-toi bien à la fête. (Have a good time at the party.)

Conjugation Formation

To form l’impératif présent, you need to use the base form of the verb without the subject pronoun (tu, nous, vous, etc.). The conjugation varies depending on the type of verb:
Regular -ER verbs (e.g., parler)
  – Tu: Parle (speak)
  – Nous: Parlons (let’s speak)
  – Vous: Parlez (speak)
Regular -IR verbs (e.g., finir)
  – Tu: Finis (finish)
  – Nous: Finissons (let’s finish)
  – Vous: Finissez (finish)
Regular -RE verbs (e.g., vendre)
  – Tu: Vends (sell)
  – Nous: Vendons (let’s sell)
  – Vous: Vendez (sell)
Irregular verbs (e.g., être, avoir, aller)
  – Tu: Sois (be), aie (have), va (go)
  – Nous: Soyons (let’s be), ayons (let’s have), allons (let’s go)
  – Vous: Soyez (be), ayez (have), allez (go)

Interactions with other tenses

L’impératif is used exclusively in the present tense and does not interact with other tenses in the same way as indicative or subjunctive moods. 
It’s used for direct commands and requests in the here and now. However, in more formal or written contexts, you might find the imperative used with expressions like “quand tu auras fini” (when you have finished) or “dès que tu seras prêt” (as soon as you are ready), which introduce a future action while maintaining the imperative mood for the main verb.
For example:
– Quand tu auras fini ton travail, viens me voir. (When you have finished your work, come see me.)
In this case, the imperative is used in conjunction with future actions, but it’s still employed for the main verb to convey a sense of directness or immediacy.

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