Commands (Imperative)

What is a command? (English)

A command (imperative) tells someone to do — or not do — something. English forms it by using the base verb, with no subject stated.

Structure: [base verb] (+ object)

Sentence	Type
Close the door.	affirmative command
Don’t close the door.	negative command

English command examples

Sentence	Type
Sit down.	affirmative
Don’t sit there.	negative
Open the window.	affirmative
Don’t open that box.	negative
Call me later.	affirmative
Don’t call after 9pm.	negative
Wait here.	affirmative
Don’t wait for me.	negative
Listen carefully.	affirmative
Don’t worry.	negative

Why it works this way

• English doesn’t conjugate the imperative — it’s always the bare base form, regardless of who’s being addressed
• Negative commands just add don’t in front
• The subject (“you”) is implied, never stated

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How Spanish handles commands differently

• Spanish does conjugate commands — the form changes depending on who you’re addressing (tú, usted, vosotros, ustedes) and whether the command is affirmative or negative
• Affirmative and negative commands often use different forms entirely for the same person — not just “add a negator”
• Object and reflexive pronouns attach to the end of affirmative commands, but go before negative commands

Key differences

English	Spanish
One form for everyone	Different form per person (tú/usted/vosotros/ustedes)
Negative = “don’t” + base verb	Negative often uses a different conjugation than affirmative
Pronouns always before verb	Pronouns attach after affirmative commands, go before negative ones

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Informal singular (tú) commands

Affirmative: usually the same as the él/ella present-tense form.
Negative: use the present subjunctive tú form (in practice: opposite-vowel ending — -ar verbs take -es, -er/-ir verbs take -as).

Infinitive	Affirmative (tú)	Negative (tú)
hablar	habla	no hables
comer	come	no comas
escribir	escribe	no escribas
cerrar	cierra	no cierres
abrir	abre	no abras

Spanish	English
Habla más despacio.	Speak more slowly.
No hables tan rápido.	Don’t speak so fast.
Come las verduras.	Eat the vegetables.
No comas eso.	Don’t eat that.
Escribe tu nombre aquí.	Write your name here.
No escribas en el libro.	Don’t write in the book.
Cierra la puerta.	Close the door.
No cierres la ventana.	Don’t close the window.
Abre los ojos.	Open your eyes.
No abras esa caja.	Don’t open that box.

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Formal singular (usted) commands

Same form is used for both affirmative and negative — only the presence of no changes.

Infinitive	Affirmative (usted)	Negative (usted)
hablar	hable	no hable
comer	coma	no coma
escribir	escriba	no escriba

Spanish	English
Hable más alto, por favor.	Speak louder, please.
No hable durante la película.	Don’t talk during the movie.
Coma despacio.	Eat slowly.
No coma tan rápido.	Don’t eat so fast.
Escriba su nombre aquí.	Write your name here.
Firme aquí, por favor.	Sign here, please.
Pase, por favor.	Come in, please.
No se preocupe.	Don’t worry.
Tenga un buen día.	Have a good day.
Espere un momento.	Wait a moment.

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Informal plural (vosotros) commands — Castellano-specific

Affirmative: infinitive, drop the -r, add -d.
Negative: uses the present subjunctive vosotros form.

Infinitive	Affirmative (vosotros)	Negative (vosotros)
hablar	hablad	no habléis
comer	comed	no comáis
escribir	escribid	no escribáis

Spanish	English
Hablad con respeto.	Speak with respect.
No habléis todos a la vez.	Don’t all talk at once.
Comed algo antes de salir.	Eat something before leaving.
No comáis en clase.	Don’t eat in class.
Escribid vuestros nombres.	Write your names.
No escribáis en la pizarra.	Don’t write on the board.
Venid aquí.	Come here.
Sentaos, por favor.	Sit down, please.
No os preocupéis.	Don’t worry.
Callaos, por favor.	Be quiet, please.

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Formal plural (ustedes) commands

Same pattern as usted, just plural — one form covers affirmative and negative.

Infinitive	Affirmative (ustedes)	Negative (ustedes)
hablar	hablen	no hablen
comer	coman	no coman
escribir	escriban	no escriban

Spanish	English
Hablen más despacio, por favor.	Speak more slowly, please.
No hablen todos juntos.	Don’t all talk together.
Coman cuando quieran.	Eat whenever you want.
Pasen, por favor.	Come in, please.
Tomen asiento.	Take a seat.
No se preocupen.	Don’t worry.
Firmen aquí.	Sign here.
Esperen un momento.	Wait a moment.
No lleguen tarde.	Don’t arrive late.
Disfruten la comida.	Enjoy the meal.

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Pronoun placement with commands

Rule	Example	English
Affirmative → pronoun attaches to the end	Cómpralo.	Buy it.
Negative → pronoun goes before	No lo compres.	Don’t buy it.
Reflexive, affirmative	Siéntate.	Sit down.
Reflexive, negative	No te sientes ahí.	Don’t sit there.

Adding a pronoun to an affirmative command can shift the stress — write an accent to keep the original stressed syllable: habla → háblame.

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Common mistakes

• ❌ Using the affirmative tú form for negative: No habla → ✅ no hables — negative uses a different ending
• ❌ Placing the pronoun before an affirmative command → ✅ attach it: dime, not me di
• ❌ Attaching the pronoun to a negative command → ✅ no me digas, not no digasme
• ❌ Using tú command endings with usted → ✅ usted commands use the subjunctive-style ending (hable, not habla)

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Summary

• Spanish commands conjugate by person (tú/usted/vosotros/ustedes) and by affirmative vs negative — English does neither
• Tú and vosotros have different affirmative vs negative forms; usted/ustedes share one form for both
• Pronouns attach after affirmative commands, go before negative commands
• Vosotros affirmative: drop -r from infinitive, add -d (Castellano-specific — Latin American Spanish uses ustedes instead)

See also: Conjugation — Commands — full tables including irregulars.
See also: Object Pronouns — placement rules these commands follow.