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r=\"3.5\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"id":35,"title":36,"author":37,"body":38,"cefrLevel":690,"date":37,"description":691,"extension":692,"faqs":693,"gcseTier":703,"intro":704,"language":705,"lastUpdated":37,"meta":706,"navigation":707,"path":708,"seo":709,"stem":710,"verbSlugs":37,"__hash__":711},"pages\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fformal-commands.md","Formal Commands: usted and ustedes (pase, pasen, no pase)",null,{"type":39,"value":40,"toc":678},"minimark",[41,46,74,89,94,97,140,155,185,192,196,199,260,282,286,293,345,358,362,365,403,409,437,445,449,474,500,504,563,567,589,606,623,643,646,650],[42,43,45],"h1",{"id":44},"formal-commands-usted-and-ustedes","Formal Commands: usted and ustedes",[47,48,49,50,55,56,60,61,65,66,60,70,73],"p",{},"You spent the last three chapters building the present subjunctive for ",[51,52,54],"a",{"href":53},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fsubjunctive-wishes","wishes",", ",[51,57,59],{"href":58},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fsubjunctive-emotion","emotion"," and ",[51,62,64],{"href":63},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fsubjunctive-doubt","doubt",". Here is the payoff. The formal imperative - the commands you give with ",[67,68,69],"strong",{},"usted",[67,71,72],{},"ustedes"," - is just the third-person subjunctive, pointed at the person in front of you. No new forms, no new endings.",[47,75,76,77,60,80,83,84,88],{},"This page assumes you can already build the subjunctive. If ",[67,78,79],{},"pase, coma, sea",[67,81,82],{},"vaya"," look unfamiliar, start with ",[51,85,87],{"href":86},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpresent-subjunctive-forms","how to form the present subjunctive"," and come back.",[90,91,93],"h2",{"id":92},"the-one-rule-formal-command-subjunctive","The one rule: formal command = subjunctive",[47,95,96],{},"To command formally, take the present subjunctive in the third person and use it directly.",[98,99,100,123],"ul",{},[101,102,103,106,107,110,111,114,115,118,119,122],"li",{},[67,104,105],{},"usted command = third-person singular subjunctive",": ",[67,108,109],{},"pase"," (come in), ",[67,112,113],{},"coma"," (eat), ",[67,116,117],{},"escriba"," (write), ",[67,120,121],{},"siga"," (carry on).",[101,124,125,106,128,110,131,114,134,118,137,122],{},[67,126,127],{},"ustedes command = third-person plural subjunctive",[67,129,130],{},"pasen",[67,132,133],{},"coman",[67,135,136],{},"escriban",[67,138,139],{},"sigan",[47,141,142,143,146,147,150,151,154],{},"That is the whole rule for the affirmative. And here is the bonus that goes beyond the negative tú command: the ",[67,144,145],{},"negative formal command is the same form with a no in front",". Where tú splits (",[67,148,149],{},"habla"," but ",[67,152,153],{},"no hables","), usted does not.",[98,156,157,167,176],{},[101,158,159,162,163,166],{},[67,160,161],{},"Pase."," \u002F ",[67,164,165],{},"No pase."," (Come in. \u002F Don't come in.)",[101,168,169,162,172,175],{},[67,170,171],{},"Coman.",[67,173,174],{},"No coman."," (Eat. \u002F Don't eat.)",[101,177,178,162,181,184],{},[67,179,180],{},"Firme aquí.",[67,182,183],{},"No firme todavía."," (Sign here. \u002F Don't sign yet.)",[47,186,187,188,191],{},"So the formal imperative has just one shape per person, used in both directions. The only thing the negative changes is adding the ",[67,189,190],{},"no"," and, as we'll see, where the pronouns sit.",[90,193,195],{"id":194},"the-irregulars-carry-over","The irregulars carry over",[47,197,198],{},"Because the formal command is the subjunctive, it inherits every subjunctive irregularity for free. The six true irregulars come straight across:",[98,200,201,211,221,231,241,251],{},[101,202,203,206,207,210],{},[67,204,205],{},"ser -> sea \u002F sean"," (be): ",[67,208,209],{},"Sea puntual."," (Be on time.)",[101,212,213,216,217,220],{},[67,214,215],{},"ir -> vaya \u002F vayan"," (go): ",[67,218,219],{},"Vaya con cuidado."," (Go carefully.)",[101,222,223,226,227,230],{},[67,224,225],{},"haber -> haya \u002F hayan"," (there be \u002F have): ",[67,228,229],{},"No haya dudas."," (Let there be no doubts.)",[101,232,233,236,237,240],{},[67,234,235],{},"saber -> sepa \u002F sepan"," (know): ",[67,238,239],{},"Sepan que es gratis."," (Know that it's free.)",[101,242,243,246,247,250],{},[67,244,245],{},"dar -> dé \u002F den"," (give): ",[67,248,249],{},"Déme su pasaporte."," (Give me your passport.)",[101,252,253,206,256,259],{},[67,254,255],{},"estar -> esté \u002F estén",[67,257,258],{},"Esté tranquilo."," (Stay calm.)",[47,261,262,263,55,266,55,269,55,272,55,275,55,278,281],{},"The yo-stem irregulars carry through too, exactly as in the subjunctive: ",[67,264,265],{},"tener -> tenga \u002F tengan",[67,267,268],{},"hacer -> haga \u002F hagan",[67,270,271],{},"decir -> diga \u002F digan",[67,273,274],{},"venir -> venga \u002F vengan",[67,276,277],{},"poner -> ponga \u002F pongan",[67,279,280],{},"salir -> salga \u002F salgan",". If you can form the subjunctive, you already have all of these.",[90,283,285],{"id":284},"spelling-change-verbs","Spelling-change verbs",[47,287,288,289,292],{},"The verbs that change spelling in the subjunctive to keep their sound do exactly the same in the formal command. The ",[67,290,291],{},"-car, -gar, -zar"," verbs are the ones to watch.",[98,294,295,305,315,325,335],{},[101,296,297,300,301,304],{},[67,298,299],{},"sacar -> saque \u002F saquen"," (take out): ",[67,302,303],{},"Saque la lengua."," (Stick out your tongue.)",[101,306,307,310,311,314],{},[67,308,309],{},"llegar -> llegue \u002F lleguen"," (arrive): ",[67,312,313],{},"No lleguen tarde."," (Don't arrive late.)",[101,316,317,320,321,324],{},[67,318,319],{},"empezar -> empiece \u002F empiecen"," (begin): ",[67,322,323],{},"Empiece cuando quiera."," (Begin whenever you like.)",[101,326,327,330,331,334],{},[67,328,329],{},"buscar -> busque"," (look for): ",[67,332,333],{},"Busque la salida."," (Look for the exit.)",[101,336,337,340,341,344],{},[67,338,339],{},"pagar -> pague"," (pay): ",[67,342,343],{},"Pague en caja."," (Pay at the till.)",[47,346,347,348,55,351,60,354,357],{},"The ",[67,349,350],{},"c -> qu",[67,352,353],{},"g -> gu",[67,355,356],{},"z -> c"," swaps are not new rules for commands; they are the subjunctive spellings you already met.",[90,359,361],{"id":360},"pronoun-placement","Pronoun placement",[47,363,364],{},"As with every imperative, object and reflexive pronouns flip position depending on affirmative versus negative.",[98,366,367,385],{},[101,368,369,372,373,376,377,380,381,384],{},[67,370,371],{},"Affirmative: pronouns attach to the end of the verb",", usually forcing a written accent because the word grows longer and the stress has to be held in place. ",[67,374,375],{},"Siéntese."," (Sit down.) ",[67,378,379],{},"Dígame."," (Tell me.) ",[67,382,383],{},"Tráiganmelo."," (Bring it to me - ustedes, two pronouns.)",[101,386,387,390,391,394,395,398,399,402],{},[67,388,389],{},"Negative: pronouns go before the verb",", between the no and the verb. ",[67,392,393],{},"No se siente."," (Don't sit down.) ",[67,396,397],{},"No me lo traiga."," (Don't bring it to me.) ",[67,400,401],{},"No me diga."," (Don't tell me \u002F you don't say.)",[47,404,405,406,408],{},"So adding a ",[67,407,190],{}," drags the pronoun from the back of the verb to the front, and the accent problem disappears with it:",[98,410,411,419,428],{},[101,412,413,415,416,418],{},[67,414,375],{}," -> ",[67,417,393],{}," (Sit down. -> Don't sit down.)",[101,420,421,415,424,427],{},[67,422,423],{},"Dígamelo.",[67,425,426],{},"No me lo diga."," (Tell me it. -> Don't tell me it.)",[101,429,430,415,433,436],{},[67,431,432],{},"Levántese.",[67,434,435],{},"No se levante."," (Get up. -> Don't get up.)",[47,438,439,440,444],{},"This is the same switch covered for tú and vosotros on the ",[51,441,443],{"href":442},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fnegative-commands","negative commands"," page; the mechanics do not change for usted.",[90,446,448],{"id":447},"the-register-why-spanish-reaches-for-usted-commands","The register: why Spanish reaches for usted commands",[47,450,451,452,454,455,458,459,461,462,465,466,469,470,473],{},"Worth a reassuring word. An ",[67,453,69],{}," command can sound softer and more courteous than the bare English imperative, not bossier. Spanish leans on it for service, official instructions and signage, where English would hedge with \"please could you\" or a passive. ",[67,456,457],{},"Pase"," (come through), ",[67,460,121],{}," (carry on \u002F follow), ",[67,463,464],{},"rellene el formulario"," (fill in the form), ",[67,467,468],{},"tome asiento"," (take a seat), ",[67,471,472],{},"disculpe"," (excuse me) are everyday politeness, not barked orders. Treat the formal command as the polite default with anyone you'd address as usted, and it will read as respectful rather than abrupt.",[47,475,476,477,479,480,482,483,486,487,55,490,493,494,496,497,499],{},"One regional note, kept brief because a later chapter covers it in full: in most of Latin America ",[67,478,72],{}," is the only plural \"you\", so the ",[67,481,72],{}," command doubles as the informal plural too - it is what you say to a group of friends as well as to a group of strangers. In Spain, ",[67,484,485],{},"vosotros"," keeps a separate informal plural with its own commands (",[67,488,489],{},"hablad",[67,491,492],{},"no habléis","), and ",[67,495,72],{}," stays strictly formal. Either way the ",[67,498,72],{}," form itself never changes; only its social reach does.",[90,501,503],{"id":502},"worked-examples","Worked examples",[98,505,506,512,518,524,530,536,542,548,554],{},[101,507,508,511],{},[67,509,510],{},"Pase y siéntese, por favor."," (Come in and sit down, please.) - affirmative usted.",[101,513,514,517],{},[67,515,516],{},"No se preocupe, todo está bien."," (Don't worry, everything's fine.) - negative usted.",[101,519,520,523],{},[67,521,522],{},"Rellenen el formulario y firmen abajo."," (Fill in the form and sign at the bottom.) - affirmative ustedes.",[101,525,526,529],{},[67,527,528],{},"No coman antes de la prueba."," (Don't eat before the test.) - negative ustedes.",[101,531,532,535],{},[67,533,534],{},"Déme su pasaporte, por favor."," (Give me your passport, please.) - irregular dar.",[101,537,538,541],{},[67,539,540],{},"Vaya recto y gire a la derecha."," (Go straight on and turn right.) - irregular ir.",[101,543,544,547],{},[67,545,546],{},"Saque la entrada del bolsillo."," (Take the ticket out of your pocket.) - spelling change sacar.",[101,549,550,553],{},[67,551,552],{},"No lleguen tarde a la reunión."," (Don't arrive late to the meeting.) - spelling change llegar.",[101,555,556,162,559,562],{},[67,557,558],{},"Dígamelo ahora.",[67,560,561],{},"No me lo diga todavía."," (Tell me now. \u002F Don't tell me yet.) - pronoun switch.",[90,564,566],{"id":565},"common-mistakes-english-speakers-make","Common mistakes English speakers make",[47,568,569,572,573,576,577,580,581,584,585,588],{},[67,570,571],{},"Reaching for the tú command and adding usted."," Learners say ",[67,574,575],{},"habla usted"," or ",[67,578,579],{},"come usted"," for a formal order, copying the informal command and tacking on the pronoun. The usted command is the subjunctive: ",[67,582,583],{},"hable usted, coma usted",". The ",[67,586,587],{},"-e\u002F-a"," ending, not a pronoun, is what marks the formality.",[47,590,591,594,595,60,597,599,600,60,602,605],{},[67,592,593],{},"Inventing a separate negative form."," Because tú splits into ",[67,596,149],{},[67,598,153],{},", learners assume usted must split too and hunt for a different negative shape. There isn't one: ",[67,601,109],{},[67,603,604],{},"no pase"," are the same form. Just add the no.",[47,607,608,611,612,576,615,618,619,622],{},[67,609,610],{},"Leaving the pronoun on the end of a negative command."," Producing ",[67,613,614],{},"no siéntese",[67,616,617],{},"no dígamelo"," copies the affirmative attachment habit. In the negative the pronoun moves in front: ",[67,620,621],{},"no se siente, no me lo diga",". Add the no and the pronoun jumps to before the verb.",[47,624,625,628,629,576,632,635,636,60,639,642],{},[67,626,627],{},"Forgetting the spelling change."," Writing ",[67,630,631],{},"saqe",[67,633,634],{},"no lleges"," drops the subjunctive spelling. It is ",[67,637,638],{},"saque",[67,640,641],{},"no lleguen"," for exactly the reason it is in the subjunctive - to keep the hard sound. If you'd write it in the subjunctive, write it the same way here.",[47,644,645],{},"Get the one rule, the both-directions point and the pronoun switch straight, and the formal imperative is no extra work at all. It is the subjunctive you already built, addressed to the person in front of you.",[90,647,649],{"id":648},"see-also","See also",[98,651,652,658,664,671],{},[101,653,654,657],{},[51,655,656],{"href":86},"How to form the present subjunctive"," - the endings, the yo-stem rule and the six irregulars that every formal command is built from.",[101,659,660,663],{},[51,661,662],{"href":442},"Spanish negative commands"," - why no hables borrows the subjunctive, and the pronoun-placement switch across all persons.",[101,665,666,670],{},[51,667,669],{"href":668},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fimperative","The Spanish imperative"," - the affirmative tú command and the eight irregulars, the informal counterpart to this page.",[101,672,347,673,677],{},[51,674,676],{"href":675},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar","Spanish grammar cheatsheet"," has the formal-command forms and the pronoun-placement rule on one card.",{"title":679,"searchDepth":680,"depth":680,"links":681},"",2,[682,683,684,685,686,687,688,689],{"id":92,"depth":680,"text":93},{"id":194,"depth":680,"text":195},{"id":284,"depth":680,"text":285},{"id":360,"depth":680,"text":361},{"id":447,"depth":680,"text":448},{"id":502,"depth":680,"text":503},{"id":565,"depth":680,"text":566},{"id":648,"depth":680,"text":649},"B1-B2","Spanish formal commands ARE the present subjunctive - usted takes the third-person singular (pase, coma, no pase), ustedes the third-person plural (pasen, coman, no coman). Affirmative and negative both use the subjunctive form, so the negative just adds no. The six irregulars (sea, vaya, sepa, dé, esté, haya) and spelling-change verbs (saque, llegue, empiece), the pronoun-placement switch, worked examples and the mistakes to drop.","md",[694,697,700],{"q":695,"a":696},"How do you form formal commands in Spanish?","Use the present subjunctive. The usted command is the third-person singular subjunctive (pase, coma, escriba); the ustedes command is the third-person plural subjunctive (pasen, coman, escriban). There is nothing new to learn if you already know the subjunctive - the formal command and the present subjunctive are the same forms. Both the affirmative and the negative use them, so no pase is just pase with a no in front.",{"q":698,"a":699},"Why do affirmative and negative formal commands look the same?","Because both are built from the subjunctive. Unlike the tú command, where the affirmative (habla) is its own form and only the negative (no hables) borrows the subjunctive, the usted and ustedes commands use the subjunctive in both directions. So the affirmative pase and the negative no pase share the same verb form, and the negative simply adds no in front: coman and no coman, siga and no siga. This makes the formal imperative the most economical command in the language.",{"q":701,"a":702},"Where do pronouns go in formal commands?","It depends on whether the command is affirmative or negative. With an affirmative command, object and reflexive pronouns attach to the end of the verb and usually force a written accent: siéntese (sit down), dígame (tell me), tráiganmelo (bring it to me). With a negative command, the pronouns sit before the verb, between the no and the verb: no se siente (don't sit down), no me lo traiga (don't bring it to me). Adding the no flips the pronoun from after the verb to before it.","higher","Having built the present subjunctive across the last three chapters, you have already learned the formal imperative without noticing. The usted and ustedes commands - the polite, the official, the signage-and-service register of Spanish - are simply the third-person subjunctive forms pointed at the person in front of you. Pase, siéntese, rellene el formulario: third-person singular subjunctive for one person, pasen and coman for several. The economy goes further than the negative tú command, because here both directions use the subjunctive: pase and no pase, coman and no coman, with the negative doing nothing more than adding a no. The six subjunctive irregulars carry straight over, the spelling-change verbs behave exactly as they do in the subjunctive, and pronouns make their usual jump from after an affirmative command to before a negative one. This page maps the lot, with worked examples and the mistakes English speakers make. 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