The imperative and its pronouns
CEFR A2 · part 1
edumaterial's parts within the level. The European framework does not subdivide them.
le, la, les or lui, leurDeciding whether the verb takes a direct or an indirect object, and placing the pronoun…The pronouns en and yReplacing de + something with en, and à + place or thing with y.Imparfait or passé composéChoosing the tense by what it does: setting the scene, or moving the story forward.French false friendsSpotting words that look like yours but mean something else, and using the right one…The verbs that are not -er verbsConjugating in the present the -ir verbs with -iss- and the frequent irregulars…Savoir or connaîtreChoosing between savoir and connaître: a fact, a clause or a skill need savoir; a…The rule, in three lines
The imperative drops the subject pronoun: tu parles → parle ! The -er verbs lose the -s in the tu form. And the pronoun follows, with a hyphen, in the affirmative —prends-le— and goes in front in the negative: ne le prends pas.
The usual slip. Leaving the pronoun always in the same place. In the negative it goes back in front of the verb: ne le prends pas, not «ne prends-le pas».
Why it catches you out. English keeps the pronoun after the verb in both —take it / don't take it— so the French switch has no equivalent at all. And the -s of vas-y has nothing to hold on to either.