33.1 Irregulars in the Imperative
You've already learned how most verbs form the imperative. There are just four common verbs with special imperative forms to learn here: être, avoir, savoir, and vouloir.
Vouloir works a little differently in the imperative. Commanding someone to "want" something doesn't make much literal sense—what it really does is ask for their willingness. Veuillez m'excuser means, in effect, "be willing to excuse me," which lands in English as a polite "please excuse me." That's how the imperative forms veuille (the tu form) and veuillez (the vous form) became French's standard way to introduce polite or formal requests:
Veuille m'excuser.
Please excuse me.
Veuillez is especially common in signs, instructions, and formal requests:
Veuillez vous présenter au guichet.
Please report to the desk.
A veuillons form also exists for nous, but it is extremely rare in modern French.
33.2 Using Irregulars in the Imperative
Here are some examples of these irregular imperative forms at work in the real world:
Soyez sages, les enfants !
Be good, children!
N'aie pas peur.
Don't be afraid.
Soyons courageux.
Let's be brave.
Sache que je t'aime beaucoup.
Know that I love you very much.
Veuillez vous présenter au guichet.
Please report to the desk.
Practice Time!
Master these verb conjugations from Lesson 33