Introduction
The imperative mood is used to give direct commands, instructions, or requests. Spanish has different command forms depending on who you're speaking to and whether the command is affirmative or negative.
Important: The tú affirmative command has its own special form, but almost every other command form borrows from the subjunctive.
Affirmative Tú Commands
For most verbs, the affirmative tú command is the same as the él/ella present indicative form:
| Infinitive | Tú Command | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hablar | habla | ¡Habla más alto! (Speak louder!) |
| comer | come | ¡Come tu sopa! (Eat your soup!) |
| escribir | escribe | ¡Escribe tu nombre! (Write your name!) |
Irregular Tú Commands (memorize these)
| Infinitive | Command |
|---|---|
| tener | ten |
| venir | ven |
| poner | pon |
| salir | sal |
| hacer | haz |
| decir | di |
| ser | sé |
| ir | ve |
Negative Tú Commands
To make a tú command negative, use no + the tú subjunctive form:
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| ¡Habla! (Speak!) | ¡No hables! (Don't speak!) |
| ¡Come! (Eat!) | ¡No comas! (Don't eat!) |
| ¡Ven! (Come!) | ¡No vengas! (Don't come!) |
Usted / Ustedes Commands
Both affirmative and negative usted/ustedes commands use the subjunctive:
| Usted | Ustedes | |
|---|---|---|
| hablar | hable / no hable | hablen / no hablen |
| comer | coma / no coma | coman / no coman |
| venir | venga / no venga | vengan / no vengan |
- Señor, por favor cierre la puerta. (Sir, please close the door.)
- No toquen las obras de arte. (Don't touch the artwork.)
Pronoun Placement with Commands
-
Affirmative: Pronouns attach to the end of the verb.
- ¡Dime la verdad! (Tell me the truth!)
- ¡Levántate! (Get up!)
-
Negative: Pronouns go before the verb.
- ¡No me digas! (Don't tell me! / You don't say!)
- ¡No te levantes! (Don't get up!)
Nosotros Commands ("Let's…")
Use the nosotros subjunctive to say "let's":
- ¡Comamos! (Let's eat!)
- ¡Bailemos! (Let's dance!)
- ¡No hablemos de eso! (Let's not talk about that.)
Practice
What is the affirmative tú command of 'hacer'?
How do you say 'Don't eat that!' (tú)?
'Señora, por favor ___ (sentarse) aquí.' (Usted, affirmative)
Where does the pronoun go in '¡No ___ levantes!'?