Commands in Spanish: A Guide to the Spanish Imperative

Key takeaways

• The Spanish imperative is the grammatical mood used for giving commands, instructions, and requests. It has distinct forms for tú, usted, nosotros, vosotros, and ustedes.
• The affirmative tú command is formed by dropping the final -s from the present indicative tú form: hablas becomes habla, comes becomes come.
• Negative commands use subjunctive forms for all persons: no hables, no coma, no vayamos.
• Object and reflexive pronouns attach to the end of affirmative commands but precede the verb in negative commands: dímelo (affirmative) vs. no me lo digas (negative).

Spanish commands are everywhere: cooking instructions, travel directions, classroom language, warning signs, and everyday conversation between friends. Habla más despacio (speak more slowly), dame el menú (give me the menu), no te preocupes (don’t worry). Getting the form right matters because the wrong form can change the register completely or sound grammatically incorrect.

This guide covers how to form affirmative and negative commands in Spanish for all persons, the eight irregular command forms that must be memorized, how pronouns attach to commands, and the softer alternatives native speakers use when a direct command would sound too harsh.

The imperative is one of those grammar points where knowing the rule and using the form correctly under conversational pressure are completely different things. The pronoun attachment rule, in particular, breaks down when a learner is also managing vocabulary and real-time communication.

A Spanish tutor who uses role-play and task-based conversation puts the imperative to work in context where those errors surface. italki, which has connected 10M+ learners with teachers across 150+ languages since 2007, has Spanish teachers who work on grammar through speaking. Find one and practice the command forms in actual use.

When to use the Spanish imperative

The imperative is used when directly telling someone to do something (affirmative) or not to do something (negative). It is not used to talk about commands in the past or future, only to issue them directly in the present moment.

Use case	Example
Giving instructions	Sigue recto y gira a la izquierda. (Go straight and turn left.)
Making a request	Espera un momento, por favor. (Wait a moment, please.)
Giving advice	Habla con ella directamente. (Talk to her directly.)
Giving warnings	Ten cuidado. (Be careful.)
Encouraging	Sigue adelante. (Keep going / press on.)
Forbidding	No entres. (Don’t enter.)
Recipe and instruction text	Añade sal y mezcla bien. (Add salt and mix well.)

The appropriate form depends on who you are speaking to: tú (informal singular), usted (formal singular), vosotros (informal plural, Spain only), or ustedes (formal/informal plural, used across Latin America and Spain).

Affirmative tú commands

The affirmative tú command for regular verbs is identical to the third person singular (él/ella) of the present indicative. Drop the final -s from the tú present form.

Infinitive	Tú (present indicative)	Affirmative tú command
hablar (to speak)	hablas	habla
comer (to eat)	comes	come
escribir (to write)	escribes	escribe
beber (to drink)	bebes	bebe
abrir (to open)	abres	abre
cerrar (to close)	cierras	cierra
volver (to return)	vuelves	vuelve
pedir (to ask for)	pides	pide

Example sentences:

• Habla más despacio, por favor. (Speak more slowly, please.)
• Come todo lo que quieras. (Eat as much as you want.)
• Escribe tu nombre aquí. (Write your name here.)

Irregular affirmative tú commands

Eight common verbs have irregular affirmative tú commands that must be memorized. They do not follow the drop-the-s rule.

Infinitive	Irregular tú command	Meaning
ser (to be)	sé	be
ir (to go)	ve	go
tener (to have)	ten	have / hold
hacer (to do/make)	haz	do / make
poner (to put)	pon	put
venir (to come)	ven	come
decir (to say/tell)	di	say / tell
salir (to leave)	sal	leave / go out

Memory device: SéITenHazPonVenDiSal (Sé, Ir→Ve, Ten, Haz, Pon, Ven, Di, Sal). Many learners memorize these eight as a single set.

Example sentences:

• Sé honesto conmigo. (Be honest with me.)
• Haz lo que te dije. (Do what I told you.)
• Pon los libros en la mesa. (Put the books on the table.)
• Ven aquí, por favor. (Come here, please.)
• Di la verdad. (Tell the truth.)
• Sal de aquí. (Get out of here / leave.)

These irregular forms appear constantly in everyday Spanish. A Spanish teacher can run drills using these eight in rapid-fire conversation so they become automatic, which matters because they appear in some of the most common spoken instructions in Spanish.

The same verbs, ser, ir, haber, estar, also have irregular forms in the Spanish subjunctive, and learning them together in negative commands speeds up both.

Affirmative usted and ustedes commands

Formal commands (usted) and plural commands (ustedes) use the present subjunctive forms.

Formation: Take the yo present indicative, drop the -o, add opposite vowel endings (same logic as the present subjunctive).

Infinitive	Usted command	Ustedes command	Meaning
hablar	hable	hablen	speak
comer	coma	coman	eat
escribir	escriba	escriban	write
tener	tenga	tengan	have
hacer	haga	hagan	do/make
ir	vaya	vayan	go
ser	sea	sean	be
estar	esté	estén	be (state)
dar	dé	den	give

Example sentences:

• Hable más despacio, por favor. (Please speak more slowly, formal)
• Siéntense, por favor. (Please sit down, plural formal)
• Traigan los documentos mañana. (Bring the documents tomorrow, plural)

The distinction between tú and usted commands is critical in professional, customer service, medical, or any unfamiliar adult interaction. Using the tú command with someone who expects usted sounds disrespectful. Using usted with close friends sounds stiff.

Affirmative nosotros commands

Nosotros commands express “let’s do something” and also use the present subjunctive.

Infinitive	Nosotros command	Meaning
hablar	hablemos	let’s speak
comer	comamos	let’s eat
ir	vamos (not vayamos in affirmative)	let’s go
salir	salgamos	let’s leave
hacer	hagamos	let’s do
empezar	empecemos	let’s start

Special case: The affirmative nosotros command of ir is vamos, not vayamos. The negative, however, is no vayamos (let’s not go). This is the main irregularity to watch for.

Example sentences:

• Vamos al parque. (Let’s go to the park.)
• Comamos algo antes de salir. (Let’s eat something before leaving.)
• Empecemos la reunión. (Let’s start the meeting.)

Affirmative vosotros commands (spain)

In Spain, the vosotros form is used for informal address to a group. Its affirmative command is formed by replacing the final -r of the infinitive with -d.

Infinitive	Vosotros command	Meaning
hablar	hablad	speak (you all)
comer	comed	eat
escribir	escribid	write
ir	id	go
ser	sed	be

Note: In practice, many Spanish speakers in Spain use the infinitive instead of the vosotros command in informal speech: veníos, callaros instead of venid, callaos. The -d form is grammatically correct; the infinitive is very common in informal spoken registers.

Vosotros commands do not exist in Latin American Spanish. In Latin America, ustedes commands cover both formal and informal plural address.

Negative commands: all persons

Negative commands use the present subjunctive for all persons, including tú.

Person	Negative command	Example
tú	no hables	Don’t speak.
usted	no hable	Don’t speak. (formal)
nosotros	no hablemos	Let’s not speak.
vosotros	no habléis	Don’t speak. (Spain, plural informal)
ustedes	no hablen	Don’t speak. (plural)

Why the tú negative uses subjunctive: The affirmative tú command (habla) is irregular in that it uses the indicative él form. The negative does not follow this pattern: no hables, not no habla. Learners who apply the positive pattern to the negative produce a common error.

More examples across persons:

Affirmative	Negative
Sé amable. (Be kind.)	No seas grosero. (Don’t be rude.)
Ve al banco. (Go to the bank.)	No vayas todavía. (Don’t go yet.)
Haz tu tarea. (Do your homework.)	No hagas eso. (Don’t do that.)
Dile la verdad. (Tell her the truth.)	No le digas nada. (Don’t tell her anything.)

Pronouns with commands

Object and reflexive pronouns follow different rules in affirmative versus negative commands.

Affirmative commands: pronouns attach to the end of the verb

The verb and pronoun become a single word. If the resulting word has three or more syllables, an accent mark is often added to maintain the original stress.

Command + pronoun	Meaning
Dámelo.	Give it to me.
Escúchame.	Listen to me.
Díselo.	Tell it to him/her.
Llámame.	Call me.
Siéntate.	Sit down.
Levántate.	Get up.
Ponte el abrigo.	Put your coat on.

Negative commands: pronouns go before the verb

Negative + pronoun	Meaning
No me llames.	Don’t call me.
No lo hagas.	Don’t do it.
No se lo digas.	Don’t tell him/her.
No te sientes.	Don’t sit down.

The pronoun order with two pronouns follows the standard Spanish rule: indirect object before direct object (IO + DO): dámelo = give + me + it = dá + me + lo.

Pronoun placement with commands is one of the most error-prone areas in intermediate Spanish. The rule is clear, but applying it under conversational pressure, especially with reflexive verbs, requires enough production practice that the rule becomes automatic.

Working through command + pronoun combinations with a Spanish language tutor in role-play scenarios makes the pattern stick faster than memorizing the rule alone.

The conditional tense pairs closely with commands in certain conversational contexts, particularly in si clauses and polite requests, where si pudiera… (if you could…) softens a direct command.

Softening commands: alternatives to the direct imperative

A direct command in Spanish can sound abrupt, especially in formal or unfamiliar contexts. Native speakers often soften requests using alternative structures.

Direct (imperative)	Softened alternative	Register
Dame el informe.	¿Me puedes dar el informe?	Casual softening
Cierra la puerta.	¿Podrías cerrar la puerta?	Polite request
Habla más despacio.	¿Te importaría hablar más despacio?	Formal
Hazlo ahora.	Sería bueno hacerlo ahora.	Indirect suggestion
No toques eso.	Preferiría que no tocaras eso.	Very polite

Por favor (please) at the end or beginning of a command is the simplest softener and appropriate in almost any context: Habla más despacio, por favor.

Putting commands into practice

The command forms in this guide cover every person and context where the imperative appears. What practice builds is the ability to produce them without hesitation: dame, dile, no vayas, siéntese, empecemos. In real conversation, these forms need to come automatically.

A private Spanish tutor can play a waiter, a colleague, a classmate, or a travel guide and prompt you to give instructions, take directions, and respond to commands in real time. That kind of task-based practice, giving and receiving commands across different registers, converts the tables in this guide into spoken fluency.

italki has 30,000+ teachers across 150+ languages, including Spanish teachers who structure sessions around conversational tasks. Try a trial lesson and ask to spend it in a scenario where commands are central from the first minute.

FAQ

How do you form affirmative tú commands in Spanish?

For regular verbs, take the tú form of the present indicative and drop the final -s: hablas becomes habla, comes becomes come. Eight common verbs have irregular affirmative tú commands: sé, ve, ten, haz, pon, ven, di, sal.

Why are negative commands different from affirmative ones?

Affirmative tú commands use the indicative (or an irregular form). Negative commands use the present subjunctive for all persons. This means habla (affirmative tú) but no hables (negative tú). The negative pattern is consistent across all persons.

Where do pronouns go with Spanish commands?

In affirmative commands, pronouns attach to the end of the verb: dámelo (give it to me), siéntate (sit down). In negative commands, pronouns precede the verb: no me lo des (don’t give it to me), no te sientes (don’t sit down).

What is the difference between tú and usted commands?

Tú commands are informal, used with friends, family, children, and peers. Usted commands are formal, used with strangers, older people, professionals, and anyone deserving formal address. The forms are different: habla (tú), hable (usted).

Does vosotros exist in Latin America?

No. Vosotros is used only in Spain. In Latin America, ustedes covers both informal and formal plural address. Latin American Spanish has only four imperative persons in common use: tú, usted, nosotros, and ustedes.