The main aim of this study is to identify the phonetic features of European Portuguese imperative intonation. Recognition and categorization of intonation contours associated to imperative sentences and to illocutionary directive speech acts (order and request) were studied through two perception experiments. Acoustic and phonetic analyses of perception results revealed the F0 contour features of the European Portuguese imperative prototype. Imperative Order and request specific intonation characteristics were also described and analyzed. Intonation global parameters were enhanced on these analyses: pitch span and pitch register play an important role on grammatical and pragmatic distinctions.