Command Forms of Sein and Werden

[schaffel1949]

Seien Sie. Sei. Seid. Seien wir.

Werden Sie. Werde. Werdet. Werden wir.



I can recognize the formal usage, but I'm having a heck of a time figuring out what person these are and how it relates to using them in a sentence.

Help!

[Salivia_Baker]

Seien Sie still => be quite; you formal
Sei still => be quite; you informal
Seid still => be quite; you plural

Seien wir still => let's be quite, first person plural
though you can't really command something when it includes you. That's why it's "let's" - a suggestion.

Werden Sie nicht frech => Don't get cheeky; you formal
Werd nicht frech => Don't get cheeky; you informal
Werdet nicht frech => Don't get cheeky; you plural

[schaffel1949]

Fantastich. Danke.

[schaffel1949]

Seien Sie still => be quite; you formal
Sei still => be quite; you informal
Seid still => be quite; you plural

Seien wir still => let's be quite, first person plural
though you can't really command something when it includes you. That's why it's "let's" - a suggestion.

Werden Sie nicht frech => Don't get cheeky; you formal
Werd nicht frech => Don't get cheeky; you informal
Werdet nicht frech => Don't get cheeky; you plural

So let me ask you this:

Based upon this direction:

Sage den Eltern, dass sie geduldig sein sollen.

Would the command sentence be:

Seinen Sie geguldig

oder

Seid geduldig.

[Salivia_Baker]

Sag den Eltern, dass sie geduldig sein sollen. is actually a command sentence XD

If you mean you want to tell your parents directly that they should be patient. Then you use "Seid geduldig" because you speak to two persons => you need the second person plural (ihr).

Seien Sie geduldig is for one person you speak formally to (a stranger, your boss, someone older then you etc.). Though it is not really polite to command someone whom you speak formally to, so you may want to add a bitte to lessen the impact.
"Seien Sie bitte geduldig" or "Bitte seien Sie geduldig"

[schaffel1949]

So the plural factor supersedes the the formality of speaking to my older parents (Sie)?

Should I always assume this - plural over formal?

[Salivia_Baker]

So the plural factor supersedes the the formality of speaking to my older parents (Sie)?

Should I always assume this - plural over formal?

they are YOUR parents so you don't use Sie. you always speak informal to them. In fact with any member of your own family you speak informal. The closeness is more important then the age. I.e. if you have a classmate that is a year or two years older then you then you would still use du because you are close (together in one class).
Sie is to show respect but also distance. The distance / closeness is more important (since you can show respect on informal bases too).

But for example if you visit a friend you would use Sie in order to talk to you friend's parents (if they haven't offered you to use du).

As for formal speech in plural.. you hear both. I remember Judith saying that you use "ihr" when speaking to a group regardless if you speak formal or informal. Actually you should use Sie but can get away with ihr as well.
If it were me I'd say "Seien Sie (bitte) geduldig"

[schaffel1949]

So the plural factor supersedes the the formality of speaking to my older parents (Sie)?

Should I always assume this - plural over formal?

they are YOUR parents so you don't use Sie. you always speak informal to them. In fact with any member of your own family you speak informal. The closeness is more important then the age. I.e. if you have a classmate that is a year or two years older then you then you would still use du because you are close (together in one class).
Sie is to show respect but also distance. The distance / closeness is more important (since you can show respect on informal bases too).

But for example if you visit a friend you would use Sie in order to talk to you friend's parents (if they haven't offered you to use du).

As for formal speech in plural.. you hear both. I remember Judith saying that you use "ihr" when speaking to a group regardless if you speak formal or informal. Actually you should use Sie but can get away with ihr as well.
If it were me I'd say "Seien Sie (bitte) geduldig"

Vielen dank für deine hilfe!

[schaffel1949]

Here's a couple of command sentences I had difficulty with. I needed to make commands from the following directions:

Sagen Sie Max und Hans, dass sie vorsichtig sein sollen.

I answered:

Seid sicht vor.

but the answer was:

Seid vorsichtig.

Why?

and this one:

Sagen Sie dem Nachbarn, dass er den Hund einschließen soll.

I answered:

Schließ den Hund ein.

but the answer was;

Schließen den Hund ein.

Why?

My reasoning was that since the neighbor is referred to as 'er' in the next clause, I used the second person singular form of the verb.

Lastly, why is the following sentence structured the way it is:

Sagen sie Luise und Hannah, dass die draußen spielen sollen.

Why is 'sollen' not conjugated in the second person plural form 'sollt' following the infinitive?

[Salivia_Baker]

Here's a couple of command sentences I had difficulty with. I needed to make commands from the following directions:

Sagen Sie Max und Hans, dass sie vorsichtig sein sollen.

I answered:

Seid sicht vor.

but the answer was:

Seid vorsichtig.

Why?

You correctly used Seid but you shouldn't have split off the vor. vorsichtig stays always vorsichtig. The vor doesn't split off.
Did you listen to the Prefix series yet? They explain the splitting off things there.

Sagen Sie dem Nachbarn, dass er den Hund einschließen soll.

I answered:

Schließ den Hund ein.

but the answer was;

Schließen den Hund ein.

Why?

My reasoning was that since the neighbor is referred to as 'er' in the next clause, I used the second person singular form of the verb.

Actually the correct answer is Schließen Sie den Hund ein. If they left off the Sie it's a mistake.
Schließ den Hund ein. is the informal way. (Second person singular; du). Er is third person singular.
But you talk to the neighbour directly, that means it's either formal or informal you (Sie or du). In this case it's Sie because it's your neighbour. Unless you are really close (which is not very likely) you use formal you (Sie).

Lastly, why is the following sentence structured the way it is:

Sagen sie Luise und Hannah, dass die draußen spielen sollen.

Why is 'sollen' not conjugated in the second person plural form 'sollt' following the infinitive?

It has to be:
Sagen Sie Luise und Hannah, dass sie draußen spielen sollen.

Second person plural would be "ihr". Sie (plural) is the third person.
Singular
1. Person: Ich
2. Person: Du
3. Person: Er/sie/es

Plural
1. Person: Wir
2. Person: Ihr
3. Person: Sie

2. Person is always when you talk directly to someone. But in the sentence they use sie because they talk about other people, not to them. Therefore: sie sollen.