Introduction
Spanish command forms are essential for giving instructions, making requests, and offering advice. This guide covers the basics of imperative conjugations for tú, usted, vosotros, ustedes, and nosotros, and explains where to place direct and indirect object pronouns and reflexive pronouns with commands.
- What are Spanish command forms?
- Forming affirmative commands
- Forming negative commands
- Pronoun placement rules: attach or place before?
- Combining pronouns with affirmative commands
- Accent placement rules for attached pronouns
- Special cases and irregulars
- Examples by person with pronouns
- Usage and cultural notes
- Quick reference summary
- Conclusion
What are Spanish command forms?
Commands are verbs used to tell someone to do something or not do something. In Spanish these are called the imperative mood. The imperative has different forms depending on who you are speaking to and whether the command is affirmative or negative. Understanding the patterns will help you communicate clearly in everyday situations.
Overview of pronouns involved
Before we dive into conjugation, know the pronouns that often attach to or appear with commands. Direct object pronouns: me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los, las. Indirect object pronouns: me, te, le, nos, os, les. Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se. You will also see object combinations like me lo, se la, and so on.
Forming affirmative commands
Affirmative commands tell someone to do something. The forms differ by person.
Tú affirmative
For most verbs, the affirmative tú command uses the third person singular of the present indicative. Examples: hablar → habla, comer → come, vivir → vive. Irregular verbs are common: tener → ten, poner → pon, venir → ven, decir → di, salir → sal, hacer → haz, ir → ve, ser → sé.
Examples with pronouns attached:
Háblame ahora.
Tell me now.
Compra la leche.
Buy the milk.
Dímelo en serio.
Tell it to me seriously.
Usted affirmative
The formal singular command uses the third person present subjunctive. For example: hablar → hable, comer → coma, vivir → viva. Add pronouns to the end as with tú affirmative.
Examples:
Hable más despacio, por favor.
Speak more slowly, please.
Dígamelo cuando pueda.
Tell it to me when you can.
Nosotros affirmative
The nosotros command (let’s) uses the present subjunctive: hablar → hablemos, comer → comamos, vivir → vivamos. With pronouns, the pronoun normally attaches to the end, and an accent may be needed to keep the original stress.
Examples:
Sentémonos aquí.
Let’s sit down here.
Compremoslo ahora would need an accent: compremoslo → comprémoslo.
Buy it now together.
Vosotros and ustedes affirmative
Vosotros affirmative is formed by replacing the infinitive ending -r with -d: hablar → hablad, comer → comed, vivir → vivid. For ustedes use the present subjunctive plural: hablar → hablen, comer → coman, vivir → vivan. Pronouns attach to both forms, but vosotros often becomes reflexive: levantad → levantaos when using reflexive pronoun os.
Examples:
Hablad más alto.
Speak louder (informal plural).
Levantaos ya.
Get up already.
Háblenle mañana.
Talk to him/her tomorrow.
Forming negative commands
Negative commands use the present subjunctive for all persons (except tú affirmative). Place pronouns before the verb, not attached.
Tú negative
Use the second person singular present subjunctive: hablar → no hables, comer → no comas, vivir → no vivas. Pronouns come before the verb: no lo hagas, no me digas.
Examples:
No hables ahora.
Don’t speak now.
No me lo des.
Don’t give it to me.
Usted, nosotros, vosotros, ustedes negative
All use present subjunctive forms and pronouns precede the verb. Examples: no hable, no hablemos, no habléis, no hablen. Remember for vosotros negative use the subjunctive: no habléis.
Examples:
No lo toque, por favor.
Do not touch it, please.
No nos vayamos todavía.
Let’s not leave yet.
Pronoun placement rules: attach or place before?
The main rule is simple: attach pronouns to affirmative commands, but place pronouns before negative commands. This applies to direct, indirect, and reflexive pronouns. There are extra details about accent marks and combining pronouns.
Why the difference?
Spanish orthography requires pronouns to be attached to affirmative imperative forms because the command functions like a standalone verb form. In negative commands the verb stays in the subjunctive clause shape and pronouns follow normal object placement rules (before the conjugated verb).
Combining pronouns with affirmative commands
When you attach pronouns to affirmative commands, stress can shift. Spanish often requires an accent to preserve original stress. Follow these steps:
1. Attach the pronoun(s) to the end of the affirmative command.
2. Determine the original stress of the base command.
3. Add an accent if the added pronoun changes the syllable count and shifts stress from its original position.
Examples:
Dame → da + me = dame (no accent).
Explícame → explica + me = explícamE; add accent: explícamE should be written explicame with accent as explícame? Correct form: explícamE → explícame.
Compradlo → comprad + lo = compradlo. If stress shifts, add accent: comprémoslo (comprar → compremos; compremos + lo = compremosl → comprémoslo).
Order when combining indirect and direct object pronouns
When both indirect and direct object pronouns are used, the indirect pronoun comes first: me lo, te la, nos los. Exception: if both pronouns are third person le(s) + lo/la/los/las, change le/les to se to avoid le lo. So you get se lo, se la, se los, se las.
Examples:
Dámelo.
Give it to me. (da + me + lo)
Pásamelo.
Pass it to me. (pasa + me + lo)
Déselo.
Give it to him/her/you form. (dé + se + lo)
Accent placement rules for attached pronouns
When attaching one or two pronouns to an affirmative command, check whether an accent is needed. The accent keeps the original stress. General guidance:
– If the resulting word has more syllables than the original and the stress would shift, add an accent on the original stressed vowel.
– For affirmative tú commands (usually one syllable changes), common examples: dímelo (di + me + lo → dímelo), háblame (habla + me → háblame) often take an accent when stress moves.
Examples:
Dímelo.
Tell it to me.
Háblame más tarde.
Talk to me later.
Traédmelos would become traédmelos to keep stress on traed: traed + me + los → traédmelos.
Special cases and irregulars
Some verbs are irregular in affirmative commands and retain irregular stems when attaching pronouns. Memorize the common irregulars for tú and usted forms: decir → di, hacer → haz, poner → pon, tener → ten, venir → ven, ir → ve, ser → sé, salir → sal. Attach pronouns as usual: di la verdad → dila? Actually attach and add accent when needed: dímelo is from di + me + lo.
Reflexive verbs: With affirmative commands attach the reflexive pronoun at the end: levantarse → levántate, sentarse → siéntate. For negative commands, place the reflexive pronoun before the verb: no te levantes, no te sientes.
Vosotros reflexive affirmative
For vosotros affirmative, add the reflexive pronoun os to the end of the infinitive form after dropping the -r and adding -d becomes irregular with reflexives: sentaos is common but the standard is sentaos from sentar → sentad → sentaos. However many speakers use levantaos from levantar.
Examples:
Levantaos temprano.
Get up early.
No os levantéis tarde.
Don’t get up late.
Examples by person with pronouns
Clear examples help see patterns. Below are common verbs used as commands with pronouns attached or placed before.
Tú affirmative with pronouns:
Tráeme el libro.
Bring me the book.
Búscala ahora.
Look for it now.
Tú negative with pronouns:
No me lo des.
Don’t give it to me.
No la busques todavía.
Don’t look for it yet.
Usted affirmative and negative:
Dígame la verdad.
Tell me the truth.
No me la diga ahora.
Don’t tell me it now.
Nosotros affirmative and negative:
Leámoslo juntos.
Let’s read it together.
No nos vayamos todavía.
Let’s not leave yet.
Vosotros and ustedes:
Traedlos aquí, por favor.
Bring them here, please. (vosotros)
Háblenle mañana.
Speak to him/her tomorrow. (ustedes)
Usage and cultural notes
In Spain, vosotros forms are common in informal plural speech. In Latin America, ustedes is used for both formal and informal plural situations, so you will use the present subjunctive forms for commands with ustedes. Reflexive pronouns like os are largely limited to Spain. Also in friendly speech many commands are softened with por favor or by using conditional/polite structures such as podrías + infinitive for requests rather than direct commands.
When speaking to children, close friends, or family you will use the tú affirmative forms, sometimes very short: ven, ven aquí, espera. In formal settings, use usted commands to show respect. In workplaces and public announcements you will often see usted or ustedes commands or the impersonal se constructions instead.
Quick reference summary
Affirmative commands: attach pronouns. Negative commands: pronouns before the verb. Use present indicative third person for tú affirmative (with many irregulars), present subjunctive for negative and for usted, ustedes, and nosotros. Use -d for vosotros affirmative and add pronouns to the end for affirmative or before for negative. Change le/les to se when paired with lo/la/los/las.
Conclusion
Mastering command forms and pronoun placement is crucial for clear Spanish communication. Remember: attach pronouns to affirmative commands, place them before negative ones, watch for irregular verbs, and add accents when stress shifts. With practice you will use commands naturally in everyday speech, from polite requests to strong instructions in both Spain and Latin America.
