Commands and Imperatives

Commands (imperatives) are closely related to the subjunctive. In fact, most command forms in Spanish are subjunctive forms. In this lesson, we will cover all types of commands: formal (usted/ustedes), negative informal (tú/vosotros), and affirmative informal (tú/vosotros), including the famously irregular ones.

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How Commands Connect to the Subjunctive

When you give a command, you are telling someone what to do. You are not stating a fact — you are expressing a desire for action. This is why Spanish uses subjunctive forms for commands in most situations:

Command type	Uses subjunctive forms?
Formal (usted/ustedes)	Yes — all forms
Negative tú	Yes
Negative vosotros	Yes
Affirmative tú	No — has its own forms
Affirmative vosotros	No — has its own forms
Nosotros ("let's")	Yes

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Formal Commands: Usted and Ustedes

Formal commands use the present subjunctive forms directly. If you know the present subjunctive, you already know the formal commands:

Formation

Step	Process
1	Take the yo present indicative form
2	Drop the -o
3	Add opposite endings: -e/-en for -AR verbs, -a/-an for -ER/-IR verbs

Regular Examples

Infinitive	Usted command	Ustedes command	Meaning
hablar	hable	hablen	speak
comer	coma	coman	eat
escribir	escriba	escriban	write
cerrar	cierre	cierren	close
volver	vuelva	vuelvan	return
pedir	pida	pidan	ask for

Irregular Examples (from irregular yo forms)

Infinitive	Yo indicative	Usted command	Ustedes command
tener	tengo	tenga	tengan
hacer	hago	haga	hagan
poner	pongo	ponga	pongan
decir	digo	diga	digan
venir	vengo	venga	vengan
salir	salgo	salga	salgan
ir	—	vaya	vayan
ser	—	sea	sean
saber	—	sepa	sepan
dar	—	dé	den
estar	—	esté	estén

In Context

• Por favor, hable más despacio. — Please speak more slowly. (usted)
• Cierre la puerta, por favor. — Close the door, please. (usted)
• Vengan mañana a las nueve. — Come tomorrow at nine. (ustedes)
• No fume aquí. — Don't smoke here. (usted)
• Tenga cuidado. — Be careful. (usted)

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Negative Tú Commands

Negative tú commands also use the present subjunctive form (the tú form):

Formation

Take the tú subjunctive form and put no before it:

Infinitive	Subjunctive (tú)	Negative tú command
hablar	hables	No hables
comer	comas	No comas
escribir	escribas	No escribas
ir	vayas	No vayas
ser	seas	No seas
tener	tengas	No tengas
hacer	hagas	No hagas
decir	digas	No digas
salir	salgas	No salgas
poner	pongas	No pongas
venir	vengas	No vengas

Examples

• No hables con la boca llena. — Don't speak with your mouth full.
• No comas tanta azúcar. — Don't eat so much sugar.
• No vayas solo. — Don't go alone.
• No seas tonto. — Don't be silly.
• No digas mentiras. — Don't tell lies.
• No hagas eso. — Don't do that.
• No te preocupes. — Don't worry.

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Affirmative Tú Commands

This is where commands diverge from the subjunctive. Affirmative tú commands have their own special forms.

Regular Formation

For regular verbs, the affirmative tú command is the same as the él/ella present indicative form:

Infinitive	Él/ella present	Affirmative tú command
hablar	habla	habla
comer	come	come
escribir	escribe	escribe
estudiar	estudia	estudia
leer	lee	lee
abrir	abre	abre
cerrar	cierra	cierra
volver	vuelve	vuelve

Examples