HSKReadyGet the appHSK 2 · Sentence types › Sentence functions › Imperative sentences
HSK 2 Imperative Sentences with 别: Expressing "Don't"
In Chinese, imperative sentences with 别 are the standard conversational way to tell someone not to do something, give a gentle reminder, or comfort someone. Placed directly before the verb or adjective, 别 functions like the English "don't."
快八点了，你别睡觉了。
Includes the explicit subject 你 and uses the 别...了 frame to tell someone to stop an ongoing action.
× 上课的时候，大家说话别。
For this intended command, put 别 before 说话: 上课的时候，大家别说话。
Corrected example: 上课的时候，大家别说话。
Read the full explanation and examples
What Are Imperative Sentences with 别?
In the HSK Level 2 syllabus, imperative sentences formed with 别 (bié) are classified under basic sentence types for expressing prohibition and persuasion. An imperative sentence directs a listener to act or refrain from acting. When you place the negative adverb 别 before an action or state, you are telling the listener "do not" do something.
Despite being called a negative imperative, a sentence with 别 is not always a harsh command. Depending on the speaker's tone of voice and the situation, it serves three everyday communicative purposes:
- Direct prohibition or classroom/workplace management: telling people not to talk, run, or be late.
- Helpful advice or friendly reminders: reminding someone not to forget an item or not to buy something unnecessary.
- Reassurance and comfort: telling a friend not to worry, not to be nervous, or not to be afraid.
Core Sentence Patterns
The word order for a 别 imperative is straightforward. Because you are speaking directly to someone in front of you, the subject—such as 你 (nǐ, you), 你们 (nǐmen, you plural), or 大家 (dàjiā, everyone)—is frequently left out when the target listener is obvious. When the subject is included to get someone's attention or specify who should stop, 别 stands between the subject and the predicate.
When the speaker wants to stop an action that is already happening right now, or cancel an intention that the listener is about to carry out, Chinese very commonly adds the particle 了 (le) to the end of the clause. This creates the frame 别...了 (bié... le), which often translates into English as "stop doing..." or "don't do... anymore."
快八点了，你别睡觉了。
Includes the explicit subject 你 and uses the 别...了 frame to tell someone to stop an ongoing action.
明天有考试，别看电视了。
Omits the understood subject 你 and uses 别...了 to advise the listener to stop an activity.
Reminders, Reassurance, and Adjectives
A basic 别 command usually concerns something the listener can do or try to adjust. Some expressions are wishes or warnings about an unwanted outcome, such as 别感冒了, rather than instructions to control that outcome directly. Choose a predicate that makes sense in the situation.
别忘了带伞 means “don’t forget to bring an umbrella”. The 了 follows 忘 inside the predicate; it does not say that forgetting has already happened, and it is not the sentence-final 了 in 别看电视了. Learn these common expressions with their full context.
外面下雨了，别忘了带伞。
Uses 别 with the verb phrase 忘了带伞 as a helpful everyday reminder.
Common examples with adjectives concern feelings or attitudes: 别紧张, 别生气 and 别客气. The pattern can also concern an adjustable degree, as in 声音别太高, “don’t make your voice too loud”. 别高 alone is not a natural way to tell someone to stop being physically tall.
别紧张，这个问题很容易。
Places 别 directly before an emotional adjective (紧张) to reassure and comfort the listener.
Useful Contrasts: 别 vs. 不要 and 不 / 没
To choose the right negative word at Level 2, you must distinguish between giving a directive and making a descriptive statement, as well as recognizing register differences.
- 别 and 不要 both form prohibitions. 别 is especially common in conversation; 不要 also appears in speech, notices and formal instructions. Either can sound gentle or forceful depending on the words, tone and relationship. 不要 can also mean “not want”, so interpret the whole sentence.
- 别看电视 is a direct “don’t watch TV”. 你不看电视 normally describes what you do not do, whereas 没看电视 normally denies that viewing occurred. Context can give a declarative sentence the force of an instruction, but it is clearer for beginners to use 别 or 不要 for a prohibition.
- Statements vs. Questions: An imperative with 别 directs behavior and ends with a period or exclamation mark. You do not turn a basic 别 command into a yes-no question simply by adding 吗 (ma) at the end; if you want to ask for confirmation or soften a request, you use tag phrases like 好吗 (hǎo ma, okay?).
Word Order Rule and Common Pitfall
In this use, 别 precedes the predicate it negates, not after it as in 说话别. Other material can intervene: 别再说了, “don’t say any more”, or 别明天去，今天去, “don’t go tomorrow; go today”. Put the negative before the action or phrase you intend to reject.
上课的时候，大家别说话。
Places the time phrase and collective subject 大家 before 别, and the verb 说话 immediately after 别.
× 上课的时候，大家说话别。
For this intended command, put 别 before 说话: 上课的时候，大家别说话。
Corrected example: 上课的时候，大家别说话。
Frequently asked questions
Does using 别 sound rude in Chinese?
Not necessarily. While 别 is direct in grammar, its politeness depends on your intonation and purpose. Saying 别客气 (don't be so formal), 别担心 (don't worry), or 别忘了 (don't forget) sounds warm and caring. If you are making a request like telling someone not to talk, you can soften it with a calm tone of voice or by adding 请 (qǐng, please) at the start or 好吗 (hǎo ma, okay?) at the end.
Can I use a third-person subject like 他 (he) in a basic 别 imperative sentence?
A direct command normally addresses 你, 你们 or 大家, often omitted. But this is not a ban on other subjects: 他别去，你去 can assign who should go, and 谁也别动 tells everyone to stay still. 别让他去 is a different pattern: “don’t let him go”, directed at the person controlling permission.
Is 了 always required at the end of a 别 sentence?
No. Both 别 + Verb and 别 + Verb + 了 are natural. Adding 了 specifically emphasizes stopping an action that is already in progress or canceling a plan you were about to carry out, whereas 别 without 了 can state a general rule (such as "don't talk during class") or modify an adjective like 别紧张.
