{"id":144716,"date":"2024-02-17T14:13:11","date_gmt":"2024-02-17T19:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/spanish-commands\/"},"modified":"2025-01-30T00:04:30","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T05:04:30","slug":"spanish-commands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-commands\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Form and Use Commands in Spanish"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spanish commands are an important part of learning the language.\u00a0We use them to give directions or instructions, to ask for things, to give warnings or advice and more.<\/p>\n

If you’re already familiar with a couple of Spanish tenses, learning commands should be a breeze.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]
\n<\/p>\n

Using the Imperative Mood for Spanish Commands<\/h2>\n

Spanish has three grammatical moods<\/a>: the indicative, the subjunctive and the imperative. The imperative mood is used to give commands.<\/strong> In other words, it’s used to tell someone what to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In English, the imperative consists of the base form of the verb. For example, “Listen!” or “Tell me!” You could give these commands to one or more people.<\/p>\n

Commands in Spanish, however, have different endings depending on who you’re talking to<\/strong>. They normally don’t include a subject, but usually refer to the second person singular or plural.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here are the endings for the three different verb types in the imperative mood, along with examples using hablar<\/em> (to speak), comer <\/em>(to eat) and escribir<\/em>\u00a0(to write):<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Pronoun<\/strong><\/th>-ar<\/i>
\n verbs<\/strong><\/th>		-er<\/i>
\n verbs<\/strong><\/th>		-ir<\/i>
\n verbs<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
T\u00fa<\/i><\/td>-a<\/b><\/i> ( habla<\/i> <\/a>\n )<\/td>-e<\/b> ( come <\/a>\n )<\/i><\/td>-e<\/b> ( escribe <\/a>\n )<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Usted<\/i><\/td>-e<\/b><\/i> ( hable<\/i> <\/a>\n )<\/td>-a<\/b> ( coma <\/a>\n )<\/i><\/td>-a<\/b> ( escriba <\/a>\n )<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nosotros<\/i><\/td>-emos<\/b><\/i> ( hablemos<\/i> <\/a>\n )<\/td>-amos<\/b> ( comamos <\/a>\n )<\/i><\/td>-amos<\/b> ( escribamos <\/a>\n )<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vosotros<\/i><\/td>-ad<\/b><\/i> ( hablad<\/i> <\/a>\n )<\/td>-ed<\/b> ( comed <\/a>\n )<\/i><\/td>-id<\/b> ( escribid <\/a>\n )<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ustedes<\/i><\/td>-en<\/b><\/i> ( hablen<\/i> <\/a>\n )<\/td>-an<\/b> ( coman <\/a>\n )<\/i><\/td>-an<\/b> ( escriban <\/a>\n )<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Forms of the Spanish Imperative\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Informal Spanish Commands<\/h3>\n

We use affirmative commands in the t\u00fa<\/em> form<\/a> to tell just one person to do something in informal settings.<\/p>\n

Affirmative t\u00fa<\/em> commands use the\u00a0\u00e9l\/ella\/usted<\/em> form of the present simple indicative<\/strong>. To make the negative command, we use the word no<\/em> followed by the verb in the t\u00fa<\/em> subjunctive form<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Infinitive Verb<\/th>Affirmative T\u00fa Command<\/th>Negative T\u00fa Command<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
hablar<\/i> <\/a>\n (to speak)<\/td> habla<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n (speak)<\/td> no hables<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n (don't speak)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
comer<\/i> <\/a>\n (to eat)<\/td> come<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n (eat)<\/td> no comas<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n (don't eat)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
escribir<\/i> <\/a>\n (to write)<\/td> escribe<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n (write)<\/td> no escribas<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n (don't write)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Take a look at some example sentences:<\/p>\n

Abre<\/strong> la puerta.<\/em> (Open the door.)<\/p>\n

Come<\/strong> las verduras.<\/em> (Eat the vegetables.)<\/p>\n

No<\/strong> vayas<\/strong> al parque.<\/em> (Don’t go to the park).<\/p>\n

No comas<\/strong> dulces en la ma\u00f1ana.<\/em> (Don’t eat candy in the morning.)<\/p>\n

For more on telling someone what not to do, check out our full post on negative commands in Spanish<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are only eight irregular\u00a0t\u00fa<\/em>\u00a0commands. They are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Infinitive<\/strong><\/th>T\u00fa<\/i> Command<\/strong><\/th>Example Sentences <\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
decir<\/i>
\n(to say\/tell)<\/td>		 di<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> Dime todo lo que pas\u00f3.<\/i> <\/a>\n
\n(Tell me everything that happened.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
hacer<\/i>
\n(to do\/make)<\/td>		 haz<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> Haz tu tarea ahora.<\/i> <\/a>\n
\n(Do your homework now.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ir<\/i>
\n(to go)<\/td>		 ve<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> Ve al mercado, por favor.<\/i> <\/a>\n
\n(Go to the market, please.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
poner<\/i>
\n(to put\/place)<\/td>		 pon<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> Pon la comida en la mesa, por favor.<\/i> <\/a>\n
\n(Put the food on the table, please.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
salir<\/i>
\n(to leave\/go out)<\/td>		 sal<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> Sal esta noche conmigo.<\/i> <\/a>\n
\n(Go out with me tonight.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ser<\/i>
\n(to be)<\/td>		 s\u00e9<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> S\u00e9 un buen ni\u00f1o.<\/i> <\/a>\n
\n(Be a good boy.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
tener<\/i>
\n(to have)<\/td>		 ten<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> \u00a1Ten cuidado!<\/i> <\/a>\n
\n(Be careful!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
venir<\/i>
\n(to come)<\/td>		 ven<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> \u00a1Ven ac\u00e1!<\/i> <\/a>\n
\n(Come here!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Formal Spanish Commands<\/h3>\n

We use commands in the usted<\/em> form to tell someone what to do in more formal settings or to imply respect.<\/p>\n

To make an usted<\/em> command, use the \u00e9l\/ella\/usted<\/em> form of the present simple subjunctive<\/strong>. In most cases, this means we take the yo <\/em>form of the verb,\u00a0drop the \u2013\u00a0o <\/em>and add the opposite ending. To make it negative, we just add the word no:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Infinitive Verb<\/th>Affirmative Usted Command<\/th>Negative Usted Command<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
hablar<\/i> <\/a>\n (to speak)<\/td> hable<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n (speak)<\/td> no hable<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n (don't speak)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
comer<\/i> <\/a>\n (to eat)<\/td> coma<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n (eat)<\/td> no coma<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n (don't eat)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
escribir<\/i> <\/a>\n (to write)<\/td> escriba<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n (write)<\/td> no escriba<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n (don't write)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

For example:<\/p>\n

S\u00f3lo hable<\/strong> espa\u00f1ol<\/em>\u00a0conmigo, por favor.<\/em> (Only speak Spanish with me, please.)<\/p>\n

D\u00edgame<\/strong> el plan.<\/em> (Tell me the plan.)<\/p>\n

No salga<\/em><\/strong> hasta la noche.<\/em> (Don’t leave until tonight.)<\/p>\n

No vea<\/strong>\u00a0la pel\u00edcula antes de leer el libro.<\/em> (Don’t watch the movie before reading the book.)<\/p>\n

There are also some usted<\/em> commands that don’t follow the traditional format:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Infinitive<\/strong><\/th>Usted<\/i> Command<\/strong><\/th>Example Sentences<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
dar<\/i>
\n(to give)<\/td>		 d\u00e9<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> D\u00e9me la ensalada con pollo, por favor.<\/i> <\/a>\n
\n(Give me the chicken salad, please.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
decir<\/i>
\n(to say\/tell)<\/td>		 diga<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> D\u00edgame su nombre y n\u00famero de tel\u00e9fono.<\/i> <\/a>\n
\n(Tell me your name and phone number.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
estar<\/i>
\n(to be)<\/td>		 est\u00e9<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> Est\u00e9 atento a las instrucciones.
\n<\/i> <\/a>\n (Pay attention to the instructions.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
hacer<\/i>
\n(to do\/make)<\/td>		 haga<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> No haga planes antes de consultar el pron\u00f3stico del tiempo.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Don't make plans before checking the weather forecast.)
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ir<\/i>
\n(to go)<\/td>		 vaya<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> Vaya al m\u00e9dico.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Go to the doctor.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
poner<\/i>
\n(to put\/place)<\/td>		 ponga<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> Ponga el formulario en un sobre.<\/i> <\/a>\n
\n(Put the form in an envelope.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
saber<\/i>
\n(to know)<\/td>		 sepa<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> Sepa que estamos aqu\u00ed para ayudarlo.<\/i> <\/a>\n
\n(Know that we're here to help you.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
salir<\/i>
\n(to leave\/go out)<\/td>		 salga<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> Salga por la puerta trasera.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Leave through the back door.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ser<\/i>
\n(to be)<\/td>		 sea<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> Por favor sea puntual.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Please be on time.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
tener<\/i>
\n(to have)<\/td>		 tenga<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> Tenga cuidado, la acera est\u00e1 resbaladiza.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Be careful, the sidewalk is slippery.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
venir<\/i>
\n(to come)<\/td>		 venga<\/i><\/b> <\/a>\n <\/td> Venga conmigo.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Come with me.) <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Ustedes <\/em>Commands<\/h3>\n

In Latin America, you’d use ustedes<\/em> commands to address more than one person simultaneously (formal or informal). In Spain, we use ustedes<\/em> only in formal situations.<\/p>\n

To make the ustedes<\/em> form of these commands, just add an n <\/em>to the usted<\/em> form<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vayan<\/strong> a la tienda y compren<\/strong> ropa nueva.<\/em> (Go to the store and buy new clothes.)<\/p>\n

Escriban<\/strong> sus nombres en el formulario.<\/em> (Write your names on the form.)<\/p>\n

Like with usted<\/em>, ustedes<\/em> negative commands are the same as their affirmative counterparts, just preceded by the word “no.”<\/em><\/p>\n

No coman<\/strong> eso.<\/em> (Don’t eat that.)<\/p>\n

No jueguen<\/strong> en la calle.<\/em> (Don’t play in the street.)<\/p>\n

There are a few other types of commands that we won’t cover here but are covered elsewhere. Check out our posts on:<\/p>\n