How To Write Commands In Spanish

How to Write Commands in Spanish: A Comprehensive Guide

In Spanish, commands, or imperativos, are used to give orders, instructions, or make requests. Mastering the imperative mood is essential for effective communication, whether you’re giving directions, offering advice, or simply telling someone what to do. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the intricacies of forming and using commands in Spanish, ensuring you can confidently issue instructions in various contexts.

Introduction to Spanish Commands

The imperative mood in Spanish has different forms depending on whether you are addressing someone informally (tú), formally (usted), or in plural (vosotros/ustedes). Each form has specific conjugations that must be followed to ensure grammatical accuracy. Understanding these variations is crucial for conveying your message clearly and respectfully.

• Informal Commands (Tú): Used with people you are familiar with, such as friends, family, or peers.
• Formal Commands (Usted): Used with people you want to show respect to, such as elders, superiors, or people you don't know well.
• Plural Informal Commands (Vosotros): Used in Spain when addressing a group of people informally.
• Plural Formal Commands (Ustedes): Used in Latin America and Spain when addressing a group of people formally.

Let's dive into the specifics of forming each type of command.

Forming Informal Commands (Tú)

The informal "tú" command is generally straightforward. For affirmative commands, the "tú" form is the same as the third-person singular (él/ella/usted) of the present indicative.

Affirmative Tú Commands:

• For regular -ar verbs: Drop the -ar ending and add -a.
  • Example: Hablar (to speak) → Habla (speak!)
• For regular -er and -ir verbs: Drop the -er or -ir ending and add -e.
  • Example: Comer (to eat) → Come (eat!)
  • Example: Escribir (to write) → Escribe (write!)

Examples in Sentences:

• Habla más alto. (Speak louder.)
• Come tu cena. (Eat your dinner.)
• Escribe una carta. (Write a letter.)

Irregular Tú Commands:

Some verbs have irregular "tú" command forms. These must be memorized. Here are some of the most common irregular verbs:

• Decir (to say) → Di (say!)
• Hacer (to do/make) → Haz (do/make!)
• Ir (to go) → Ve (go!)
• Poner (to put) → Pon (put!)
• Salir (to leave) → Sal (leave!)
• Ser (to be) → Sé (be!)
• Tener (to have) → Ten (have!)
• Venir (to come) → Ven (come!)

A helpful mnemonic device to remember these irregular forms is "Vin Diesel Has Ten Weapons, eh?" using the first letter of each verb.

Examples in Sentences:

• Di la verdad. (Tell the truth.)
• Haz tu tarea. (Do your homework.)
• Ve al supermercado. (Go to the supermarket.)
• Pon la mesa. (Set the table.)
• Sal de aquí. (Leave here.)
• Sé amable. (Be kind.)
• Ten cuidado. (Be careful.)
• Ven aquí. (Come here.)

Negative Tú Commands:

To form negative "tú" commands, use the present subjunctive form of the verb.

• For -ar verbs: Drop the -ar ending and add -es.
  • Example: Hablar (to speak) → No hables (don't speak!)
• For -er and -ir verbs: Drop the -er or -ir ending and add -as.
  • Example: Comer (to eat) → No comas (don't eat!)
  • Example: Escribir (to write) → No escribas (don't write!)

Examples in Sentences:

• No hables durante la película. (Don't talk during the movie.)
• No comas demasiado rápido. (Don't eat too fast.)
• No escribas en la pared. (Don't write on the wall.)

Irregular Negative Tú Commands:

The negative "tú" commands of irregular verbs follow the same pattern as regular verbs but are based on the irregular present subjunctive forms.

• Ser → No seas (don't be!)
• Ir → No vayas (don't go!)
• Estar → No estés (don't be!)
• Dar → No des (don't give!)
• Saber → No sepas (don't know!)

Examples in Sentences:

• No seas tonto. (Don't be silly.)
• No vayas allí. (Don't go there.)
• No estés triste. (Don't be sad.)
• No des excusas. (Don't give excuses.)
• No sepas mi secreto. (Don't know my secret.)

Forming Formal Commands (Usted)

Formal commands are used when addressing someone with respect. These commands are derived from the present subjunctive form.

Affirmative and Negative Usted Commands:

• For -ar verbs: Drop the -ar ending and add -e for affirmative and -e for negative commands.
  • Example: Hablar (to speak) → Hable (speak!) / No hable (don't speak!)
• For -er and -ir verbs: Drop the -er or -ir ending and add -a for affirmative and -a for negative commands.
  • Example: Comer (to eat) → Coma (eat!) / No coma (don't eat!)
  • Example: Escribir (to write) → Escriba (write!) / No escriba (don't write!)

Examples in Sentences:

• Hable más despacio, por favor. (Speak more slowly, please.)
• No hable tan alto. (Don't speak so loudly.)
• Coma toda su comida. (Eat all your food.)
• No coma con la boca abierta. (Don't eat with your mouth open.)
• Escriba su nombre aquí. (Write your name here.)
• No escriba sobre la mesa. (Don't write on the table.)

Irregular Usted Commands:

Similar to the "tú" commands, some verbs have irregular subjunctive forms that are used to form formal commands.

• Ser → Sea (be!) / No sea (don't be!)
• Ir → Vaya (go!) / No vaya (don't go!)
• Estar → Esté (be!) / No esté (don't be!)
• Dar → Dé (give!) / No dé (don't give!)
• Saber → Sepa (know!) / No sepa (don't know!)

Examples in Sentences:

• Sea paciente. (Be patient.)
• No sea impaciente. (Don't be impatient.)
• Vaya a la oficina. (Go to the office.)
• No vaya tan rápido. (Don't go so fast.)
• Esté tranquilo. (Be calm.)
• No esté nervioso. (Don't be nervous.)
• Dé un ejemplo. (Give an example.)
• No dé problemas. (Don't give problems.)
• Sepa que estoy aquí para ayudar. (Know that I'm here to help.)
• No sepa mis intenciones. (Don't know my intentions.)

Forming Plural Informal Commands (Vosotros)

The vosotros form is used in Spain to address a group of people informally.

Affirmative Vosotros Commands:

To form affirmative vosotros commands, drop the -r from the infinitive and add -d.

• Example: Hablar (to speak) → Hablad (speak!)
• Example: Comer (to eat) → Comed (eat!)
• Example: Escribir (to write) → Escribid (write!)

Examples in Sentences:

• Hablad más alto. (Speak louder.)
• Comed toda la pizza. (Eat all the pizza.)
• Escribid vuestros nombres. (Write your names.)

Negative Vosotros Commands:

To form negative vosotros commands, use the present subjunctive form.

• For -ar verbs: Drop the -ar ending and add -éis.
  • Example: Hablar (to speak) → No habléis (don't speak!)
• For -er and -ir verbs: Drop the -er or -ir ending and add -áis.
  • Example: Comer (to eat) → No comáis (don't eat!)
  • Example: Escribir (to write) → No escribáis (don't write!)

Examples in Sentences:

• No habléis durante la clase. (Don't talk during the class.)
• No comáis dulces antes de la cena. (Don't eat sweets before dinner.)
• No escribáis en los pupitres. (Don't write on the desks.)

Forming Plural Formal Commands (Ustedes)

The ustedes form is used in both Spain and Latin America to address a group of people formally. It follows the same conjugation rules as the usted form.

Affirmative and Negative Ustedes Commands:

• For -ar verbs: Drop the -ar ending and add -en for affirmative and -en for negative commands.
  • Example: Hablar (to speak) → Hablen (speak!) / No hablen (don't speak!)
• For -er and -ir verbs: Drop the -er or -ir ending and add -an for affirmative and -an for negative commands.
  • Example: Comer (to eat) → Coman (eat!) / No coman (don't eat!)
  • Example: Escribir (to write) → Escriban (write!) / No escriban (don't write!)

Examples in Sentences:

• Hablen más claro, por favor. (Speak more clearly, please.)
• No hablen todos a la vez. (Don't all speak at once.)
• Coman todo lo que quieran. (Eat as much as you want.)
• No coman demasiado rápido. (Don't eat too fast.)
• Escriban sus respuestas aquí. (Write your answers here.)
• No escriban en los libros. (Don't write in the books.)

Irregular Ustedes Commands:

The irregular ustedes commands follow the same pattern as the irregular usted commands, based on the present subjunctive forms.

• Ser → Sean (be!) / No sean (don't be!)
• Ir → Vayan (go!) / No vayan (don't go!)
• Estar → Estén (be!) / No estén (don't be!)
• Dar → Den (give!) / No den (don't give!)
• Saber → Sepan (know!) / No sepan (don't know!)

Examples in Sentences:

• Sean puntuales. (Be punctual.)
• No sean impacientes. (Don't be impatient.)
• Vayan al salón de actos. (Go to the auditorium.)
• No vayan sin permiso. (Don't go without permission.)
• Estén atentos. (Be attentive.)
• No estén distraídos. (Don't be distracted.)
• Den sus opiniones. (Give your opinions.)
• No den información falsa. (Don't give false information.)
• Sepan que estamos aquí para ayudarles. (Know that we are here to help you.)
• No sepan más de lo necesario. (Don't know more than necessary.)

Placement of Pronouns in Commands

When using pronouns with commands, the placement differs between affirmative and negative commands.

Affirmative Commands:

In affirmative commands, pronouns are attached to the end of the verb. If there are two pronouns, they are attached in the order of indirect object pronoun followed by the direct object pronoun.

• Example: Decir (to say) + me (to me) → Dime (tell me!)
• Example: Dar (to give) + lo (it) + a mí (to me) → Dámelo (give it to me!)
• Example: Comprar (to buy) + la (it) + a ella (for her) → Cómprasela (buy it for her!)

Examples in Sentences:

• Hazlo ahora. (Do it now.)
• Dime la verdad. (Tell me the truth.)
• Escríbeme una carta. (Write me a letter.)
• Llévalo contigo. (Take it with you.)
• Explícaselo a él. (Explain it to him.)

Negative Commands:

In negative commands, pronouns precede the verb.

• Example: No decir (not to say) + me (to me) → No me digas (don't tell me!)
• Example: No dar (not to give) + lo (it) + a mí (to me) → No me lo des (don't give it to me!)

Examples in Sentences:

• No lo hagas. (Don't do it.)
• No me digas mentiras. (Don't tell me lies.)
• No me escribas cartas. (Don't write me letters.)
• No te lo lleves. (Don't take it with you.)
• No se lo expliques a ella. (Don't explain it to her.)

Reflexive Verbs in Commands

Reflexive verbs require special attention in command forms.

Affirmative Reflexive Commands:

In affirmative commands, the reflexive pronoun is attached to the end of the verb.

• Example: Levantarse (to get up) → Levántate (get up!)
• Example: Sentarse (to sit down) → Siéntate (sit down!)
• Example: Dormirse (to fall asleep) → Duérmete (fall asleep!)

Examples in Sentences:

• Levántate temprano. (Get up early.)
• Siéntate aquí. (Sit down here.)
• Duérmete pronto. (Fall asleep soon.)

Negative Reflexive Commands:

In negative commands, the reflexive pronoun precedes the verb.

• Example: No levantarse (not to get up) → No te levantes (don't get up!)
• Example: No sentarse (not to sit down) → No te sientes (don't sit down!)
• Example: No dormirse (not to fall asleep) → No te duermas (don't fall asleep!)

Examples in Sentences:

• No te levantes tarde. (Don't get up late.)
• No te sientes ahí. (Don't sit there.)
• No te duermas en clase. (Don't fall asleep in class.)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Mixing Formal and Informal Commands: Be consistent in using either "tú" or "usted" based on the context and your relationship with the person you are addressing.
• Incorrect Pronoun Placement: Remember to attach pronouns to the end of affirmative commands and place them before negative commands.
• Forgetting Irregular Verb Forms: Memorize the irregular command forms to avoid grammatical errors.
• Misusing Subjunctive Forms: Ensure you use the correct subjunctive forms for negative commands and formal commands.

Practical Exercises

To solidify your understanding of Spanish commands, try the following exercises:

1. Translate the following sentences into Spanish using the appropriate command form:
   • Tell me the truth (informal).
   • Don't eat that (formal).
   • Be careful (informal, plural in Spain).
   • Go to the store (formal, plural).
   • Don't be late (informal).
2. Provide the command form for the following verbs in all forms (tú, usted, vosotros, ustedes):
   • Hablar (to speak)
   • Comer (to eat)
   • Escribir (to write)
   • Ser (to be)
   • Ir (to go)

Conclusion

Mastering Spanish commands is crucial for effective communication. By understanding the rules for forming affirmative and negative commands in both formal and informal contexts, you can confidently give instructions, make requests, and offer advice in Spanish. Remember to pay attention to irregular verb forms and pronoun placement to avoid common mistakes. Practice regularly to reinforce your knowledge and improve your fluency. With dedication and practice, you'll become proficient in using commands in Spanish, enhancing your ability to communicate effectively in a variety of situations.