Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 22

CEFR B1-B2

3 min read

Test yourself (21 questions)

Spanish Formal Commands: Usted and Ustedes Imperative

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

The commands you give someone you call , or a group as , are the present subjunctive in the third person. Yes and no share one form:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one wrong word. Tap it.

the swapped vowela stem that changes (yo form, irregular or spelling)What do the colours mean?
  • , . - Come in, please.
  • . - Don't come in yet.

If , and are new, start with how to form the present subjunctive.

Formal commands at a glance

Take the yo form, drop the -o, and swap the vowel: -ar verbs take e, -er and - verbs take a. Add -n for :

Verbustedustedes
  • , . - Speak more slowly, please.
  • . - Write your names here. (to a group)

The same form for yes and no

splits in two (, no ). and do not: the negative is the affirmative with no in front.

Do itDon't do itEnglish
. .Come in. / Don't come in.
. .Eat here. / Don't eat here.
. .Sign here. / Don't sign yet.
Four panels: a male teacher with glasses, a moustache and a tie holds his palm out beside a chair with an arrow pointing down (sit down); a closed book, an arrow, then the same book lying open with a hand on its page (open the book); a round no-running sign with a red slash (do not run); a woman with long hair and a bow holds a finger to her lips (be quiet).
  1. .
  2. .
  3. .
  4. .

Siéntese: sit down. Abra el libro: open the book. No corra: don't run. No hable: don't talk. All four to one person you call usted.

Irregulars and spelling changes

the swapped vowela stem that changes (yo form, irregular or spelling)What do the colours mean?

Whatever the subjunctive does, the formal command does. Verbs with an irregular yo form build from it, and five verbs are irregular outright ( and differ from the regular pattern only by a written accent):

VerbFrom the yo formusted
irregular
irregular
accent only
irregular
accent only
  • . - Be on time.
  • . - Go carefully.
  • . - Don't worry. (literally, be calm)

Verbs in -car, -gar and - change a letter before the e, to keep the sound:

ChangeVerbusted
c to qu
g to gu
z to c
  • , . - Pay at the till, please.
  • . - Begin whenever you like. (to a group)

Pronouns: siéntese, no se siente

the pronounthe swapped vowela stem that changes (yo form, irregular or spelling)What do the colours mean?

With a command to do something, the pronouns go on the end, written as one word. After no, they go in front of the verb:

no
Pronouns
Verb
Pronouns
empty
empty
Siénte
empty
empty
empty
Díga
empty
Do itDon't do itEnglish
. .Sit down. / Don't.
. .Tell me. / Don't tell me.
. .Get up. / Don't. (a group)
. .Bring me the menu. / Don't bring me anything.

The written accent on and keeps the stress where it was: the pronoun adds a syllable after it. With , one pronoun leaves a two-syllable word that needs no accent: Deme . - Give me your name.

Usted, ustedes and politeness

the pronounthe swapped vowelWhat do the colours mean?

The command changes with who you are talking to:

On a lawn, a woman with long hair and a bow, a speech bubble above her, gestures towards three others: a young man of her age waving (a friend); an elderly woman with a white bun, glasses and a walking stick (an older stranger); and a group of three: a man with a moustache, a woman and a little girl.
  1. .
  2. .
  3. .

Siéntate: sit down (to a friend, tú). Siéntese: sit down (to an older stranger, usted). Siéntense: sit down (to a group, ustedes).

An command is not bossy. In a shop, an office or a doctor's surgery it is the normal way to give an instruction, and favor makes it fully courteous. A question softens it further:

Asking someone to sit
DirectVery polite
  1. Siéntese.an instruction
  2. Siéntese, por favor.polite
  3. ¿Puede sentarse?can you
  4. ¿Podría sentarse, por favor?could you

In Latin America, is the only plural "you", so . goes to friends as well as strangers. In Spain, friends get the command, Sentaos., and stays formal.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
takes the subjunctive
No after no, the pronoun goes first
, , a group takes
Pagen g becomes gu before e
() built from the yo form,

What to do next

  1. Give five instructions to an imaginary customer: , , , , .
  2. Do the word-build and sort drills below.
  3. Then nosotros commands, the "let's" form.

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/4

Build the usted command from its pieces. Watch the spelling.

  1. sacar: take out

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. llegar: arrive

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. empezar: begin

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  4. tener: have

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Sort into groups

0/8

Who is each command for?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Each sentence has one wrong word. Tap it.

Pick the right one

0/5

Choose the command for the person in brackets.

  1. (usted) con cuidado.

  2. (usted) tranquilo, todo está bien.

  3. (usted) su nombre aquí.

  4. (ustedes) No tarde, por favor.

  5. (usted) la verdad.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you form formal commands in Spanish?
Use the present subjunctive. The command is the third-person singular (, , ) and the command the third-person plural (, , ). If you can form the subjunctive, you already have the formal imperative.
Why are affirmative and negative commands the same?
Because both are the subjunctive. has an affirmative of its own () and borrows the subjunctive only for . borrows it both ways, so the negative is the affirmative with no in front: , ; , .
What are the irregular commands?
The irregular present subjunctives: sea (), (), (), (), (), with plurals , , , , . Verbs with an irregular yo form build from it: gives , , , , , .
Where do pronouns go in commands?
On the end of an affirmative, usually with a written accent: (sit down), (tell me). Before the verb after no: (don't sit down), (don't tell me). Adding the no moves them to the front.
Are commands rude?
No. In shops, offices and at the doctor's, the command is the normal polite way to give an instruction: (come in), (take a seat), (fill in the form). Add and it is perfectly courteous.