Affirmative Commands in Spanish

In Brief

Use an affirmative command when you want someone to do something: Habla (“Speak”), Coma (“Eat”), or Escriban (“Write”). Spanish chooses a different command form for tú, usted, nosotros, vosotros and ustedes. Any object or reflexive pronoun joins the end of the affirmative command: escríbeme, siéntate, dámelo.

Overview

Commands are not limited to orders. They also give directions, offer encouragement, make invitations, explain recipes, and express friendly requests. Spanish calls the relevant verb form the imperativo afirmativo (“affirmative imperative”). The imperative is simply the verb form used to tell or invite somebody to act.

At A2, the most useful starting point is the informal singular form: regular tú commands resemble the present form used with él, ella or usted. From there, Spanish has separate forms for formal singular usted, inclusive nosotros (“let’s”), informal plural vosotros in most of Spain, and plural ustedes.

This is a bigger system than English has. English normally uses the bare verb for everyone—“open,” “wait,” “come”—and relies on context to identify the listener. Spanish builds both the listener and the social relationship into the verb form. It also writes pronouns onto the end of affirmative commands, which creates compact forms such as Dímelo (“Tell me it” → “Tell me”).

How It Works

Choose the person first

Before forming a command, decide whom you are addressing.

Person	Who is included?	Typical use	hablar
tú	one listener	informal singular	habla
usted	one listener	formal singular	hable
nosotros/as	speaker and others	“let’s…”	hablemos
vosotros/as	several listeners	informal plural, mainly Spain	hablad
ustedes	several listeners	all plural address in Latin America; formal plural in Spain	hablen

The pronouns themselves are usually left out. Abra la ventana already shows that one person addressed as usted should open it. A stated pronoun can clarify or contrast: Pase usted primero (“You go first”) and Hazlo tú (“You do it”).

Regular affirmative tú commands

For a regular informal command to one person, take the present-tense form used with él, ella or usted. Another practical shortcut is to remove the final -r from an -ar infinitive and use -a; for -er and -ir verbs, use -e.

Infinitive	Present third-person singular	tú command	English
hablar	habla	habla	speak
cerrar	cierra	cierra	close
comer	come	come	eat
volver	vuelve	vuelve	return
escribir	escribe	escribe	write
pedir	pide	pide	ask for / order

The present-tense stem change remains: cerrar → cierra, volver → vuelve, and pedir → pide. The main beginner trap is adding the ordinary tú ending -s. A command is Escucha, not Escuchas.

Eight common verbs have irregular affirmative tú forms:

Infinitive	Command	Example	Meaning
decir	di	Di tu nombre.	Say your name.
hacer	haz	Haz una lista.	Make a list.
ir	ve	Ve por aquí.	Go this way.
poner	pon	Pon la mesa.	Set the table.
salir	sal	Sal con tiempo.	Leave with time to spare.
ser	sé	Sé amable.	Be kind.
tener	ten	Ten paciencia.	Be patient.
venir	ven	Ven mañana.	Come tomorrow.

Learn these as a rhythm—di, haz, ve, pon, sal, sé, ten, ven—but also put each one in a short phrase. The accent in sé distinguishes “be” from the pronoun se.

Formal usted and plural ustedes

Commands for usted and ustedes use the present subjunctive (a verb form used in several situations involving wishes, influence, uncertainty, and commands). You can form most of them from the present yo form: remove its -o, then add the “opposite” vowel endings.

• -ar verbs take -e for usted and -en for ustedes.
• -er and -ir verbs take -a for usted and -an for ustedes.

Infinitive	Present yo	usted	ustedes
hablar	hablo	hable	hablen
comer	como	coma	coman
escribir	escribo	escriba	escriban
poner	pongo	ponga	pongan
hacer	hago	haga	hagan
decir	digo	diga	digan

Starting from yo explains forms such as ponga and diga. Some verbs are more irregular and must be learned with the subjunctive: ser → sea/sean, ir → vaya/vayan, estar → esté/estén, saber → sepa/sepan, and dar → dé/den.

Nosotros commands: “let’s…”

A nosotros command includes the speaker. It also uses a present-subjunctive form:

Infinitive	Command	English
hablar	hablemos	let’s speak
comer	comamos	let’s eat
escribir	escribamos	let’s write
buscar	busquemos	let’s look for
empezar	empecemos	let’s begin

For ir, vamos is the normal everyday invitation: Vamos a casa (“Let’s go home”). Vayamos also exists and is useful in deliberate or formal suggestions, such as Vayamos al siguiente punto (“Let’s move to the next point”).

Informal plural vosotros commands

In most of Spain, replace the infinitive’s final -r with -d:

Verb group	Infinitive	vosotros command
-ar	hablar	hablad
-er	comer	comed
-ir	escribir	escribid

Thus Abrid los libros addresses several people informally in Spain. Across Latin America, ustedes normally serves as the plural “you” regardless of formality, so the equivalent is Abran los libros.

Attach pronouns to the end

A direct object pronoun replaces the person or thing directly affected (el informe → lo). An indirect object pronoun identifies the recipient (a mí → me). A reflexive pronoun points back to the person doing the action, as in lavarse (“to wash oneself”).

In an affirmative command, all of these attach to the verb as one written word:

Starting idea	Attached form	Translation
abre + lo	ábrelo	open it
escribe + me	escríbeme	write to me
sienta + te	siéntate	sit down
dé + me + lo	démelo	give it to me (formal)

With two pronouns, the recipient/reflexive pronoun comes before the direct object: me lo, te la, nos los, se las. The indirect pronouns le and les become se before lo, la, los, or las: Explíqueselo can mean “Explain it to him, her, them, or you (formal).” Context identifies the recipient.

Attaching pronouns often changes the word’s spelling but should preserve the command’s spoken stress. Written accents do that: escribe → escríbeme, da → dámelo, lean → léanlo. Do not add an accent mechanically: ponlo and dime need none under normal Spanish stress rules.

Reflexive nosotros and vosotros commands lose a consonant before the attached pronoun:

Person	Build from	Result	Meaning
nosotros	sentemos + nos	sentémonos	let’s sit down
vosotros	sentad + os	sentaos	sit down (plural informal)

In sentémonos, the final -s disappears before nos. In sentaos, the -d disappears before os.

Examples in Context

Spanish	English	Note
¡Habla más despacio!	Speak more slowly!	Regular informal singular
Abre la aplicación y pulsa «Continuar».	Open the app and tap “Continue.”	Two tú instructions
Ven a cenar con nosotros.	Come have dinner with us.	Irregular tú form
Sé paciente; ya casi terminamos.	Be patient; we are almost finished.	Irregular tú form
Coma la sopa antes de que se enfríe.	Eat the soup before it gets cold.	Formal singular
Pase usted, por favor.	Please come in.	Usted stated for courtesy
Escriban sus respuestas en esta hoja.	Write your answers on this sheet.	Plural ustedes
Hablemos después de la reunión.	Let’s talk after the meeting.	Inclusive nosotros
Vamos por la calle de la izquierda.	Let’s take the street on the left.	Everyday “let’s go”
Cerrad las ventanas antes de salir.	Close the windows before leaving.	Informal plural in Spain
¡Sentaos aquí!	Sit down here!	Reflexive vosotros
Escríbeme cuando tengas un momento.	Write to me when you have a moment.	Attached indirect object
Léalo con atención antes de firmar.	Read it carefully before signing.	Formal command plus lo
Dámelo mañana.	Give it to me tomorrow.	Two attached pronouns
Pónganselas antes de salir.	Put them on before leaving.	Ustedes with two pronouns

Common Mistakes

Using the normal present tú form

• Wrong: ¡Esperas aquí!
• Right: ¡Espera aquí!
• Why: A regular affirmative tú command has no final -s. It matches the present third-person singular form.

Mixing informal and formal forms

• Wrong: Señora, abre la puerta, por favor.
• Right: Señora, abra la puerta, por favor.
• Why: If you address someone as usted, use the formal command. Whether tú or usted is appropriate depends on region, relationship, and setting.

Leaving a pronoun before an affirmative command

• Wrong: ¡Me llama esta tarde!
• Right: ¡Llámeme esta tarde!
• Why: Pronouns attach after affirmative commands. The wrong version looks like a statement: “You call me this afternoon.”

Losing the required accent

• Wrong: ¡Abrelo! / ¡Escribeme!
• Right: ¡Ábrelo! / ¡Escríbeme!
• Why: Attachment changes the number of syllables. The accent preserves the original stressed syllable.

Treating vosotros as universal plural “you”

• Wrong for a typical Latin American audience: Escuchad con atención.
• Right: Escuchen con atención.
• Why: Vosotros is mainly used in Spain. Latin American Spanish normally uses ustedes for any group.

Copying the affirmative form after no

• Wrong: No habla. (intended as “Don’t speak” to tú)
• Right: No hables.
• Why: Negative commands use subjunctive forms, and their pronouns come before the verb: Dímelo, but No me lo digas.

Usage Notes

An imperative does not automatically sound rude, but context matters. Among friends, Mira esto (“Look at this”) may sound entirely natural. With a customer or stranger, a bare command can feel abrupt even if its grammar is formal. Por favor, a person’s title, a warm tone, or a time-softening phrase can help: Envíeme el documento cuando pueda, por favor (“Please send me the document when you can”).

Instructions often use commands without sounding personal. Recipes may say Añada el aceite (“Add the oil”), signs may say Empuje (“Push”), and software may say Seleccione una opción (“Select an option”). Infinitives and impersonal constructions also appear in public instructions, so not every English instruction should automatically become an imperative.

Regional variation affects both singular and plural address. Spain commonly contrasts informal vosotros with formal ustedes. Most of Latin America uses ustedes for all groups. Many areas also use vos for informal singular address, with commands such as hablá, comé, and vení. Those forms are standard within their regions, but they belong to a regional pattern beyond the core tú/usted system taught here.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following details immediately, but they explain many forms you will encounter later.

Subjunctive-based commands preserve pronunciation through spelling changes. For example, buscar becomes busque, llegar becomes llegue, and empezar becomes empiece. The spelling changes are not extra command endings; they keep sounds consistent or follow the verb’s existing stem pattern.

Reflexive irse has a notable vosotros variation. The traditional command is idos, while iros is widespread in contemporary speech and accepted in modern usage. Learners should recognize both and follow the norm preferred in their course or target community.

Imperatives also develop conversational meanings. Mira and oye can introduce a thought rather than literally order someone to look or listen. Vamos can encourage (“Come on”), and venga is a frequent reaction or encouragement in Spain. Their force comes from tone and context, so literal translation is often misleading.

Finally, a command is only one request strategy. Spanish speakers often choose ¿Puedes cerrar la puerta? (“Can you close the door?”), ¿Podría ayudarme? (“Could you help me?”), or an impersonal instruction when directness would be awkward. Advanced control means choosing not only the correct command form, but also the form that suits the relationship and situation.

Practice Tips

1. Build a five-person ladder. Take one verb and say its forms in order: habla, hable, hablemos, hablad, hablen. Repeat with one -er verb and one -ir verb.
2. Add pronouns in stages. Begin with abre, then produce ábrelo; begin with da, then produce dame and dámelo. Say the words aloud before checking the accent.
3. Label your target region. If you focus on Latin America, actively produce ustedes forms while learning to recognize vosotros. If you focus on Spain, practise both plural choices and connect each one to the right social setting.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Regular -AR Verbs — provides the present-tense pattern behind many regular tú commands and the verb stem used throughout this topic.