The form “appelle-moi” or “appelles-moi” often generates hesitation, even among experienced writers. The verb appeler, with its variable consonant doubling and its conjugation in the imperative, contains several spelling traps in a single expression. Comparing the two spellings allows for a quick decision and understanding of the underlying grammatical mechanism.
Imperative of the verb appeler: table of correct forms
The point of friction lies in the confusion between the present indicative (“tu appelles”) and the present imperative (“appelle”). In the indicative, the second person singular takes an -s. In the imperative, first group verbs lose this -s. The verb appeler is no exception.
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| Mode | Person | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present indicative | you | appelles | You are calling me tonight. |
| Present imperative | 2nd pers. sing. | appelle | Call me tonight. |
| Present imperative | 1st pers. pl. | appelons | Let’s call a taxi. |
| Present imperative | 2nd pers. pl. | appelez | Call me tomorrow. |
The key line is the second one: appelle without -s is the only correct form in the imperative. The hyphen is also mandatory before the object pronoun “me.”
To remember the trick for correctly writing appelle-moi, simply apply the general rule: a verb ending in -er conjugated in the second person singular imperative ends with -e, never with -es.
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Doubling the “l” in appeler: the spelling rule to know
The hesitation over the -s often masks a second question: why two “l”s when the infinitive has only one? The verb appeler doubles its consonant before a silent syllable. When the ending is pronounced (appeler, appelons, appelez), a single “l” is sufficient. When it is not pronounced (appelle, appellent), the “l” is doubled.
This mechanism is found in other verbs of the same group: renouveler, épeler, chanceler. Reference works like the Bescherelle specifically use “appelle-moi” to illustrate this alternation, as it combines two difficulties in a single word.
Check the final syllable
- If the ending is silent (-e, -ent), the “l” is doubled: “il appelle,” “elles appellent,” “appelle-moi.”
- If the ending is pronounced (-er, -ons, -ez, -ais), the “l” remains simple: “appeler,” “nous appelons,” “vous appelez.”
- The hyphen between the verb and the object pronoun does not change the doubling: “appelle-moi” retains its two “l”s like “il appelle.”
This phonetic logic makes the rule predictable. Pronouncing the word aloud gives a reliable clue about the number of consonants.
Common mistakes with “appelle-moi” and how to avoid them
The incorrect form “appelles-moi” remains widespread in short messages, SMS, and social media posts. However, analyses of written French online show a decline in the incorrect form since the mid-2010s, correlated with the generalization of automatic correctors integrated into platforms.
Tools like Antidote, Le Robert Correcteur, or LanguageTool now signal this error in real-time. Their massive adoption in professional environments (customer support, community management, web writing) has contributed to reducing the frequency of the mistake in published texts.
Three common confusions to untangle
The first confusion comes from the reflex “you = -s.” This is true in the indicative. In the imperative of -er verbs, it is false. The imperative is not an indicative without a subject; it is a mode in its own right with its own endings.
The second error concerns the omission of the hyphen. “Appelle moi” without a hyphen is incorrect. The personal object pronoun is attached to the verb by a hyphen in the affirmative imperative.
The third relates to the negative form. In the negative imperative, the pronoun goes back before the verb and the hyphen disappears: “Ne m’appelle pas.” The structure changes, but the ending remains the same, without -s.
Quick exercise to anchor the conjugation rule
Testing your understanding with a few sentences allows you to verify that the mechanism is acquired. Here are four statements to correct mentally:
- “Appelles-moi avant midi” – wrong, the correct form is “Appelle-moi avant midi.”
- “Tu m’appelle quand tu veux” – wrong, the indicative requires “Tu m’appelles.”
- “Ne m’appelles pas ce week-end” – wrong, even in the negative form the imperative gives “Ne m’appelle pas.”
- “Rappelle-moi ton numéro” – correct, the prefix “re-” does not change the ending of the imperative.
The last example shows that the rule applies to all derivatives of the verb appeler: rappeler, interpeller (which follows a slightly different model but maintains the same logic in the imperative).
Recent professional writing guides include “appelle-moi” in their lists of forms to master, alongside “envoie-moi” or “parle-moi.” The regularity of the rule for -er verbs in the imperative makes these cases predictable once the principle is understood. One reflex is enough: verb in -er, imperative, no -s.