Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 12

CEFR B1

4 min read

Test yourself (24 questions)

Spanish Commands: the Imperative for Tú, Usted, Nosotros

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

The imperative gives orders, instructions, advice and invitations. The form depends on who you are talking to and whether you are telling them to do something or not to:

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.

a command form of its ownborrowed from the present subjunctivea pronoun on the endWhat do the colours mean?
  • . - Speak more slowly. (to a friend)
  • . - Don't speak so loudly.

Every Spanish command on one chart

Here is the whole system with (to speak):

WhoDo itDon't do it
(informal)
()
(plural)
(let's)
(Spain)

Read it by column. Every "don't" is no + the present subjunctive. , and are the subjunctive both ways, so their negative is the affirmative with no in front. Only and change shape between yes and no:

  • . - Eat. / . - Don't eat.

The borrowed forms have their own pages: formal commands (, ), nosotros commands and negative commands. If the subjunctive itself is shaky, start with how to form the present subjunctive.

Affirmative tú: drop the -s

Take the present-tense form and drop the final -s:

tú hablas, minus its -s: habla, speak
VerbPresent túCommand

Stem-changing verbs keep their change, as the last three rows show:

  • . - Write your name here.
  • . - Get a bit of sleep.
  • . - Think before you speak.

The result looks exactly like the or present. Context and tone settle which one you heard: . is "Speak up", and . is "He speaks loudly".

The eight irregular tú commands

a command form of its ownborrowed from the present subjunctivea pronoun on the endWhat do the colours mean?

Eight common verbs have short commands that have to be learned by heart:

VerbCommandEnglish
be
go
have
come
do, make
say, tell
put
leave
  • . - Come here.
  • . - Be careful.
  • . - Be good.
  • . - Get out of here.

carries an accent to tell it apart from the pronoun . (go) is spelt like (he sees); context sorts it out. Most verbs built on these copy them: , keep, from .

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. .

Classroom commands to one person: sit down, open the book, don't run, be quiet. Only the negative borrows the subjunctive.

Pronouns on the end

a pronoun on the endWhat do the colours mean?

With a command to do something, object and reflexive pronouns go on the end, written as one word. With a command not to, they go in front of the verb:

no
Pronouns
Verb
Pronouns
empty
empty
Dí
melo
empty
empty
empty
Levánta
empty
Do itDon't do itEnglish
. .Tell me. / Don't tell me.
. .Get up. / Don't get up.
. .Give me the book. / Don't.

The extra syllable can move the stress to the third syllable from the end. Spanish then writes an accent on the vowel that was stressed:

Command + pronounSyllablesAccent?
.no: stress on the first of two
.dá-me-yes: third from the end
.há-bla-meyes: third from the end
.-no

The full rules for two pronouns together are on the object pronouns page.

Affirmative vosotros: -r becomes -d

In Spain, (you, plural, informal) has the one other command of its own: replace the -r of the infinitive with -d. There are no irregulars at all:

InfinitiveCommandNegative
sentaos

Before the reflexive the -d drops: Sentaos, . - Sit down, kids. keeps it: idos, go away (the RAE also accepts , which is what most people say). Latin America has ; the command does the job: .

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
. .the infinitive is not a command
..three syllables: accent needed
No . .a no takes the subjunctive, pronoun first
. . takes the subjunctive
. .ten is one of the eight
. . is one of the eight

Signs do use the infinitive, impersonally: . - No smoking. And in Spain you will hear "sentaros" for the command; the standard form is sentaos.

What to do next

  1. Drop the -s from five forms aloud: , come, , , .
  2. Learn the eight as a chant: , , ten, , , , , .
  3. Then negative commands, for every "don't".

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/3

Build the affirmative tú command from its pieces.

  1. dime + lo: tell me it

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. levanta + te: get up

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. pon + lo: put it

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Sort into groups

0/7

Is the tú command regular (the present minus -s) or one of the eight irregulars?

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 correct affirmative tú command.

  1. más alto. (hablar) (the present tú form minus its -s)

  2. aquí. (venir) (one of the eight)

  3. la puerta. (abrir) (the present tú form minus its -s)

  4. puntual. (ser) (one of the eight, with an accent)

  5. de aquí. (salir) (one of the eight)

Fill in the blank

0/5

Form the affirmative tú command from the verb in brackets.

  1. la verdura. (comer) (comer, regular)

  2. la verdad. (decir) (decir, irregular)

  3. cuidado. (tener) (tener, irregular)

  4. la mesa, por favor. (poner) (poner, irregular)

  5. tu nombre aquí. (escribir) (escribir, regular)

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Frequently asked questions

How do you form an affirmative command in Spanish?
Take the form of the present and drop the final -s: gives (speak), comes gives come (eat), gives (write). Stem changes stay: , , . Eight verbs are irregular: (), (), ten (), (), (), (), (), ().
How do pronouns work with Spanish commands?
With a command to do something, the pronouns go on the end, written as one word: (tell me it), (get up). When that pushes the stress to the third syllable from the end, the word needs a written accent. With a command not to do something, they go before the verb: , .
How many kinds of commands are there in Spanish?
Five persons, each affirmative or negative. ( / ), ( / ), ( / ), , the 'let's' form ( / ) and , used in Spain ( / ). Only affirmative and affirmative have forms of their own; the rest are the present subjunctive.
How do you form commands in Spain?
Replace the -r of the infinitive with -d: gives , gives , gives , with no irregulars. Before the reflexive the -d drops: sentaos (sit down), levantaos (get up); keeps it, idos. The negative is the present subjunctive: . Latin America uses instead: , .
What is the difference between formal and informal commands in Spanish?
Informal commands go to people you call (or in Spain): friends, family, children. Formal commands go to people you call or : strangers, customers, older people. The informal affirmative has its own form (, ); the formal command is always the present subjunctive (, ).