Imperative mood
The imperative mood is the verb form used to give a command, instruction or direct request, typically starting a sentence with a bare verb such as "Click here" or "Start your trial."
What is imperative mood?
The imperative mood is the verb form you use when you tell a reader to do something: "Start your trial," "Open the dashboard," "Reset your password." The subject, almost always "you," is implied rather than stated, which makes imperatives feel direct and a little urgent. The imperative contrasts with the indicative, which states facts ("You start your trial"), and the subjunctive, which handles hypotheticals.
Imperative: Start your free trial.
Indicative: You start your free trial.
Softened imperative: Please start your free trial.
Why does imperative mood matter?
The imperative is the default mood of every good call to action, button label and onboarding step, because it tells the reader exactly what to do next with no ambiguity. Switch to the indicative and a button starts reading like a description ("Starts your trial") rather than an instruction. In microcopy, where every word has to earn its place, the imperative is usually the shortest path from instruction to action.
How do you use imperative mood?
Lead with a verb for every CTA and instruction, since "Start your trial" lands harder than "You can start your trial."
Soften the imperative with "please" only when the ask is genuinely optional or the tone calls for a gentler voice.
Keep imperatives out of product descriptions and marketing prose where the voice is more observational, since constant commands read as pushy.
