Commands in Spanish (Imperatives)

Learn how to give commands, instructions, and make requests in Spanish - essential for everyday communication!

What Are Commands?

Commands (imperatives) tell someone to do (or not do) something:

English: Speak Spanish! Spanish: ¡Habla español!

English: Don't run! Spanish: ¡No corras!

Uses:

• Giving instructions
• Making requests
• Giving advice
• Telling someone what (not) to do

Two Types of Commands

1. TÚ Commands (Informal)

Use with friends, family, children, pets:

• ¡Habla más despacio! (Speak more slowly!)
• ¡Come tu comida! (Eat your food!)

2. USTED Commands (Formal)

Use with strangers, bosses, older people:

• ¡Hable más despacio! (Speak more slowly!)
• ¡Coma su comida! (Eat your food!)

Affirmative TÚ Commands (Regular)

Pattern: Use the ÉL/ELLA Form

For regular verbs, use the 3rd person singular (él/ella) form:

-AR verbs: -a ending

• hablar → habla (speak!)
• caminar → camina (walk!)
• estudiar → estudia (study!)

-ER verbs: -e ending

• comer → come (eat!)
• beber → bebe (drink!)
• leer → lee (read!)

-IR verbs: -e ending

• escribir → escribe (write!)
• abrir → abre (open!)
• vivir → vive (live!)

Examples:

• ¡Habla español! (Speak Spanish!)
• ¡Come más! (Eat more!)
• ¡Escribe tu nombre! (Write your name!)

Irregular Affirmative TÚ Commands

8 Common Irregular Commands

These don't follow the pattern - memorize them!

Examples:

• ¡Di la verdad! (Tell the truth!)
• ¡Haz tu tarea! (Do your homework!)
• ¡Ve a casa! (Go home!)
• ¡Pon el libro aquí! (Put the book here!)
• ¡Sal de aquí! (Get out of here!)
• ¡Sé bueno! (Be good!)
• ¡Ten cuidado! (Be careful!)
• ¡Ven aquí! (Come here!)

Negative TÚ Commands

Pattern: Different from Affirmative!

Formation: No + subjunctive form (for now, just learn the pattern)

-AR verbs: change to -es

• hablar → no hables (don't speak!)
• caminar → no camines (don't walk!)
• estudiar → no estudies (don't study!)

-ER verbs: change to -as

• comer → no comas (don't eat!)
• beber → no bebas (don't drink!)
• correr → no corras (don't run!)

-IR verbs: change to -as

• escribir → no escribas (don't write!)
• abrir → no abras (don't open!)
• salir → no salgas (don't leave!)

Pattern for beginners:

• -AR verbs: -es (opposite of -as in present)
• -ER/-IR verbs: -as (opposite of -es/-es in present)

Examples:

• ¡No hables! (Don't speak!)
• ¡No comas eso! (Don't eat that!)
• ¡No escribas aquí! (Don't write here!)

USTED Commands (Formal)

Pattern: Opposite Endings

Formation: Use subjunctive (for now, remember the pattern)

-AR verbs: change to -e

• hablar → hable (speak!)
• caminar → camine (walk!)
• estudiar → estudie (study!)

-ER/-IR verbs: change to -a

• comer → coma (eat!)
• beber → beba (drink!)
• escribir → escriba (write!)

Affirmative:

• ¡Hable más despacio! (Speak more slowly!)
• ¡Coma aquí! (Eat here!)
• ¡Escriba su nombre! (Write your name!)

Negative: Just add "no"

• ¡No hable! (Don't speak!)
• ¡No coma eso! (Don't eat that!)
• ¡No escriba aquí! (Don't write here!)

Note: Usted commands use the same form for affirmative and negative (just add "no")!

Commands with Pronouns

Affirmative Commands: Attach Pronouns to End

Object pronouns attach to the end of affirmative commands:

With direct object pronouns:

• Cómpralo (Buy it!)
• Háblame (Talk to me!)
• Dímelo (Tell me!)

With reflexive pronouns:

• ¡Levántate! (Get up!)
• ¡Siéntate! (Sit down!)
• ¡Vístete! (Get dressed!)

Note: Add an accent to maintain stress!

Negative Commands: Pronouns Go Before

With negative commands, pronouns go BEFORE the verb:

Examples:

• ¡No lo compres! (Don't buy it!)
• ¡No me hables! (Don't talk to me!)
• ¡No te levantes! (Don't get up!)
• ¡No te preocupes! (Don't worry!)

Common Command Phrases

Daily Instructions

Polite Requests

Giving Directions

In the Classroom

Softening Commands (Polite Requests)

Making Commands More Polite

Commands can sound harsh. Soften them with:

1. Add "por favor":

• ¡Habla más despacio, por favor! (Speak more slowly, please!)
• Por favor, ayúdame (Please help me)

2. Use question form:

• ¿Puedes ayudarme? (Can you help me?)
• ¿Podrías hablar más despacio? (Could you speak more slowly?)

3. Use conditional:

• Me gustaría que hables más despacio (I would like you to speak more slowly)

4. Use "Quieres" (Do you want to):

• ¿Quieres sentarte? (Do you want to sit down?)

Let's Commands (NOSOTROS)

Suggesting Together

Pattern: Let's + verb

Affirmative:

• ¡Hablemos español! (Let's speak Spanish!)
• ¡Comamos! (Let's eat!)
• ¡Vamos! (Let's go!)

Negative:

• ¡No hablemos inglés! (Let's not speak English!)
• ¡No comamos aquí! (Let's not eat here!)

Simple alternative: Vamos a + infinitive

• ¡Vamos a comer! (Let's eat!)
• ¡Vamos a bailar! (Let's dance!)

Practice Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Parent and Child

Madre: ¡Levántate! Es hora de ir a la escuela. Hijo: Cinco minutos más, mamá. Madre: No. Levántate ahora. Y no te olvides de cepillarte los dientes. Hijo: Está bien, mamá. Madre: Vístete rápido. Y baja a desayunar. Hijo: Sí, mamá. Ya voy.

Translation: Mother: Get up! It's time to go to school. Son: Five more minutes, mom. Mother: No. Get up now. And don't forget to brush your teeth. Son: Okay, mom. Mother: Get dressed quickly. And come down for breakfast. Son: Yes, mom. I'm coming.

Dialogue 2: Giving Directions

Turista: Disculpe, ¿cómo llego al museo? Local: Mire, es fácil. Siga todo recto por esta calle. Turista: ¿Cuántas cuadras? Local: Camine dos cuadras. Luego doble a la derecha. Turista: ¿A la derecha? Local: Sí, gire a la derecha. El museo está al final de esa calle. No se pierda. Turista: Muchas gracias.

Translation: Tourist: Excuse me, how do I get to the museum? Local: Look, it's easy. Continue straight ahead on this street. Tourist: How many blocks? Local: Walk two blocks. Then turn right. Tourist: To the right? Local: Yes, turn right. The museum is at the end of that street. Don't get lost. Tourist: Thank you very much.

Dialogue 3: At the Doctor

Doctor: Abra la boca, por favor. Paciente: Así? Doctor: Sí, perfecto. Ahora respire profundo. Paciente: [respira] Doctor: Bien. Tosa, por favor. Paciente: [tose] Doctor: Muy bien. Vístase y espere afuera. La enfermera le dará la receta. Paciente: Gracias, doctor.

Translation: Doctor: Open your mouth, please. Patient: Like this? Doctor: Yes, perfect. Now breathe deeply. Patient: [breathes] Doctor: Good. Cough, please. Patient: [coughs] Doctor: Very good. Get dressed and wait outside. The nurse will give you the prescription. Patient: Thank you, doctor.

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Make Affirmative TÚ Commands

1. hablar (español) → ___ español
2. comer (más) → ___ más
3. escribir (tu nombre) → ___ tu nombre
4. hacer (la tarea) → ___ la tarea
5. venir (aquí) → ___ aquí

Answers:

1. Habla español
2. Come más
3. Escribe tu nombre
4. Haz la tarea
5. Ven aquí

Exercise 2: Make Negative TÚ Commands

1. hablar → No ___
2. comer → No ___
3. correr → No ___
4. salir → No ___
5. abrir → No ___

Answers:

1. No hables
2. No comas
3. No corras
4. No salgas
5. No abras

Exercise 3: Usted Commands

Make formal commands:

1. hablar (más despacio)
2. escribir (aquí)
3. sentarse
4. no fumar

Answers:

1. Hable más despacio
2. Escriba aquí
3. Siéntese
4. No fume

Exercise 4: Translate to Spanish

1. Speak Spanish! (informal)
2. Don't run! (informal)
3. Come here! (informal)
4. Write your name! (formal)
5. Don't worry! (informal)

Answers:

1. ¡Habla español!
2. ¡No corras!
3. ¡Ven aquí!
4. ¡Escriba su nombre!
5. ¡No te preocupes!

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake 1: Using Infinitive

Wrong: ❌ ¡Hablar español! Right: ✅ ¡Habla español! (Speak Spanish!)

Commands are conjugated, not infinitives!

❌ Mistake 2: Wrong Form for Negative

Wrong: ❌ ¡No habla! Right: ✅ ¡No hables! (Don't speak!)

Negative commands use different endings!

❌ Mistake 3: Pronoun in Wrong Position

Wrong: ❌ ¡Levanta te! Right: ✅ ¡Levántate! (Get up! - attached and accented)

Wrong: ❌ ¡Te no levantes! Right: ✅ ¡No te levantes! (Don't get up!)

❌ Mistake 4: Forgetting Accent

Wrong: ❌ ¡Dimelo! Right: ✅ ¡Dímelo! (Tell me!)

Add accent to maintain stress when attaching pronouns!

Quick Reference Chart

Regular TÚ Commands

Irregular TÚ Commands (Affirmative Only)

USTED Commands

Your Action Plan

Week 1: Affirmative TÚ Commands

• Learn regular pattern (él/ella form)
• Memorize 8 irregular commands
• Practice common commands

Week 2: Negative TÚ Commands

• Learn negative pattern (opposite endings)
• Practice with no + command
• Compare affirmative vs. negative

Week 3: USTED Commands

• Learn formal command pattern
• Practice polite commands
• Use in appropriate situations

Week 4: Pronouns with Commands

• Attach pronouns to affirmative
• Place before negative
• Practice with reflexive verbs

Pro Tip: Commands are everywhere! Pay attention to signs, recipes, instructions - they all use command forms. Practice reading them out loud!

Practice: Give yourself commands throughout the day in Spanish: "¡Levántate!" "¡Estudia!" "¡Come!" This builds automatic usage!

Memory Trick:

• Affirmative tú = use él/ella form (easy!)
• Negative tú = opposite endings (flip the vowel!)
• Irregular 8 = make flashcards and drill them!

Remember: Commands are essential for giving instructions, making requests, and everyday communication. Start with the most common ones and build from there!