Introduction
Knowing how to give commands in Spanish is essential for everyday conversation, from telling a friend what to do to giving polite directions to a stranger. This article explains how to use commands for tú, usted, and ustedes with clear rules, examples, and usage notes to help beginner and intermediate learners speak confidently and politely.
- What are Spanish commands (imperatives)?
- How to form affirmative commands
- How to form negative commands
- Pronouns with commands: object and reflexive pronouns
- Common irregularities and spelling changes
- Politeness and regional usage
- Practical examples in real sentences
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Cultural notes on giving commands
- Quick reference table (summary)
- Conclusion
What are Spanish commands (imperatives)?
Commands in Spanish are called imperatives and they are used to tell someone to do something, ask someone not to do something, or give instructions. Spanish imperatives change depending on whether you use the informal second person singular tú, the formal second person singular usted, or the second person plural ustedes. The verb forms and endings differ for affirmative and negative commands.
Affirmative vs. Negative commands
Affirmative commands tell someone to do something. Negative commands tell someone not to do something. The forms are different: affirmative commands for tú often use a special conjugation, while negative commands for tú use the present subjunctive. For usted and ustedes, both affirmative and negative forms use the present subjunctive.
How to form affirmative commands
Affirmative commands differ by person:
Affirmative tú commands
For regular verbs, the affirmative command for tú uses the present indicative third-person singular form.
Examples:
hablar → habla
comer → come
vivir → vive
So you say:
Habla más despacio. (Speak more slowly.)
Come la cena. (Eat dinner.)
Vive el momento. (Live in the moment.)
Note: There are several irregular affirmative tú commands you must memorize. Common irregulars include:
decir → di
hacer → haz
ir → ve
poner → pon
salir → sal
ser → sé
tener → ten
venir → ven
Use them like this:
Di la verdad. (Tell the truth.)
Haz la tarea. (Do the homework.)
Ve al médico. (Go to the doctor.)
Affirmative usted and ustedes commands
For formal singular usted and plural ustedes commands, use the present subjunctive form. Start with the first person singular present indicative, drop the -o, and add the opposite vowel endings: -e for -ar verbs and -a for -er/-ir verbs for usted; add -en or -an for ustedes.
Examples using hablar, comer, vivir:
hablar: hable (usted), hablen (ustedes)
comer: coma (usted), coman (ustedes)
vivir: viva (usted), vivan (ustedes)
Use them like this:
Hable más despacio, por favor. (Speak more slowly, please.)
Coman antes de salir. (Eat before leaving.)
Viva con una sonrisa. (Live with a smile.)
Irregularities in the subjunctive will affect these commands as well; verbs that are irregular in the present subjunctive keep their irregular stems.
How to form negative commands
Negative commands are simpler to apply across persons because they all use the present subjunctive forms. The main difference is that you place the word no before the verb.
Negative tú commands
Form the negative tú command with the present subjunctive for tú. Start with the first person singular present indicative, drop the -o, and add the subjunctive ending for tú (-es for -ar verbs; -as for -er/-ir verbs).
Examples:
hablar → no hables
comer → no comas
vivir → no vivas
Use them like this:
No hables tan rápido. (Don’t speak so fast.)
No comas eso. (Don’t eat that.)
No vivas con miedo. (Don’t live in fear.)
Negative usted and ustedes commands
Negative commands for usted and ustedes are formed the same way as affirmative commands for these persons but preceded by no. That is, use the present subjunctive forms and add no before the verb.
Examples:
No hable tan alto. (Don’t speak so loudly, usted.)
No coman en clase. (Don’t eat in class, ustedes.)
Pronouns with commands: object and reflexive pronouns
Placing pronouns with commands follows different rules for affirmative vs negative commands.
Affirmative commands + pronouns
With affirmative commands, attach direct object, indirect object, and reflexive pronouns to the end of the verb. If the attachment creates a long word of two or more syllables, add an accent to preserve the original stress.
Examples:
Buy it → Cómpralo. (comprar + lo) [accent added]
Tell me → Dime. (decir + me) [no accent needed here because original stress is preserved]
Stand up → Levántate. (levantarse + te) [accent added]
Negative commands + pronouns
With negative commands, pronouns go before the verb, after the word no. Do not attach them to the verb.
Examples:
Don’t buy it → No lo compres. (no + lo + compres)
Don’t tell me → No me digas. (no + me + digas)
Don’t stand up → No te levantes. (no + te + levantes)
Common irregularities and spelling changes
Several verbs have irregular affirmative tú commands as shown earlier. Additionally, verbs that undergo stem changes or have spelling changes in the subjunctive will show those changes in usted and ustedes commands.
Stem-changing verbs
In the present subjunctive, many -ar and -er stem-changing verbs change in the same way as in the present indicative, except that -ir verbs often change differently in the nosotros form. For commands, this means:
pensar → piense (usted), piensen (ustedes)
volver → vuelva, vuelvan
pedir → pida, pidan (notice the e → i stem change typical of -ir verbs)
Spelling changes to preserve pronunciation
To preserve pronunciation before certain endings, verbs may change spelling in the command forms, often in the subjunctive. For example:
buscar → busque (usted), busquen (ustedes) [c → qu]
llegar → llegue, lleguen [g → gu]
empezar → empiece, empiecen [z → c]
Politeness and regional usage
Choosing between tú, usted, and ustedes depends on politeness, familiarity, and regional norms.
Tú vs usted
Use tú for friends, family, children, and people you know well in most Spanish-speaking countries. Use usted for formal situations, people older than you, professionals, or to show respect. In some regions, like parts of Colombia or Central America, speakers use usted more frequently, even with family.
Ustedes vs vosotros
In Latin America, ustedes is the standard plural you for both formal and informal contexts. In Spain, vosotros is used for informal plural you, while ustedes is reserved for formal contexts. This affects commands: Spain uses vosotros imperative forms that are different from ustedes forms, but Latin American learners can focus on ustedes.
Practical examples in real sentences
Below are common situations and how to form commands for different persons.
Giving directions to a friend
Tú: Ve derecho, luego gira a la izquierda. (Go straight, then turn left.)
Usted: Vaya derecho, luego gire a la izquierda. (Go straight, then turn left, formal.)
Ustedes: Vayan derecho, luego giren a la izquierda. (Go straight, then turn left, plural.)
Ordering food at a restaurant
Tú (to waiter you know well): Pide el especial. (Order the special.)
Usted (formal to waiter): Pida el especial. (Please order the special.)
Ustedes (to group): Pidan dos platos para compartir. (Order two dishes to share.)
Giving instructions to children
Tú: No corras en la casa. (Don’t run in the house.)
Usted (caretaker speaking formally): No corra en la casa. (Don’t run in the house.)
Ustedes: No corran en la casa. (Plural: don’t run in the house.)
Common mistakes to avoid
Several pitfalls appear often when learners form commands:
1. Using the wrong mood for negative tú commands: remember to use the subjunctive, not the indicative. For example, incorrect: No hablas. Correct: No hables.
2. Attaching pronouns to negative commands: place pronouns before the verb with no, not after. Incorrect: No lo compreslo. Correct: No lo compres.
3. Forgetting irregular affirmative tú forms like di, haz, ve, etc. These do not follow regular patterns.
4. Mixing up ustedes and vosotros forms depending on the regional variety you are learning. Choose one standard and be consistent.
Cultural notes on giving commands
How direct or polite you should be depends on context. Even when using tú, Spanish speakers often soften commands with por favor, conditional phrases, or indirect constructions to be polite. For example:
Por favor, pasa la sal. (Please pass the salt.)
Podrías cerrar la ventana? (Could you close the window?)
Sería posible que me ayudes? (Would it be possible for you to help me?)
These softer options are especially useful in service situations or when speaking to someone you do not know well.
Quick reference table (summary)
Use this concise guide to remember the core patterns:
Affirmative tú: third person singular present indicative (habla, come, vive) + some irregulars (di, haz, ve).
Negative tú: present subjunctive tú (no hables, no comas, no vivas).
Usted affirmative/negative: present subjunctive usted (hable/no hable).
Ustedes affirmative/negative: present subjunctive ustedes (hablen/no hablen).
Conclusion
Mastering commands for tú, usted, and ustedes involves learning a few patterns: affirmative tú often uses the third-person indicative, negative tú and both forms for usted and ustedes use the present subjunctive, and pronoun placement differs between affirmative and negative commands. With practice and attention to irregular verbs and regional usage, you will gain confidence giving instructions, making requests, and speaking politely in Spanish.
