A2 · Verbs
El imperativo
Commands look like a mess of forms until you notice the split running through them: affirmative tú has its own shape, and everything else — negatives, usted, ustedes, nosotros — is simply the subjunctive doing another job. That single observation turns four tables into one table and one exception.
The forms
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| tú | habla, come, vive | no hables, no comas, no vivas |
| usted | hable, coma, viva | no hable, no coma, no viva |
| nosotros | hablemos | no hablemos |
| ustedes | hablen | no hablen |
Eight irregular tú commands
| Infinitive | tú |
|---|---|
| tener | ten |
| venir | ven |
| poner | pon |
| salir | sal |
| hacer | haz |
| decir | di |
| ir | ve |
| ser | sé |
Where the pronouns go
Attached to the end of an affirmative command, before a negative one.
- Dímelo.Tell me.
- No me lo digas.Do not tell me.
- Siéntate.Sit down.
- No te sientes ahí.Do not sit there.
Why only affirmative tú is different
Every command in Spanish is the subjunctive except one: affirmative tú, which is simply the third person of the present. Habla is what él does. Once you see that, the table stops looking arbitrary.
- Él habla → ¡Habla!He speaks → Speak!
- No hables.Do not speak. · subjunctive
Vosotros and the Latin American reality
Spain uses vosotros with its own command form, made by replacing the final -r of the infinitive with -d: hablad, comed. Latin America uses ustedes for every plural, formal or not, so ustedes hablen covers it. Learners in Latin America can skip vosotros entirely.
- Hablad más despacio.Speak more slowly. · Spain
- Hablen más despacio.Speak more slowly. · Latin America
Softer ways to give an order
The bare imperative can sound blunt. Spanish softens with a question, a conditional, or por favor, exactly as English does.
- ¿Me pasas la sal?Can you pass the salt?
- ¿Podrías ayudarme?Could you help me?
- Pásame la sal, por favor.Pass me the salt, please.
Mistakes to avoid
No habla tan rápido.
No hables tan rápido.
Negative tú commands use the subjunctive.
Me dime la verdad.
Dime la verdad.
Pronouns attach to the end of an affirmative command.
Ven aquí, por favor. (a usted)
Venga aquí, por favor.
Usted takes the subjunctive form.
Try it
___ la verdad. (tú, decir)
No ___ tan rápido. (tú, hablar)
___ aquí, por favor. (usted, sentarse)
___ aquí un momento. (tú, venir)
No ___ eso. (tú, hacer)