Negative Commands in Spanish

Overview

In Spanish, telling someone not to do something requires a different verb form than telling them to do something. While affirmative commands (imperatives) have their own special forms, negative commands use the subjunctive mood for all persons. This is one of the first practical, everyday applications of the subjunctive that you will encounter at the B1 level.

The pattern is straightforward: place no before the subjunctive form of the verb. Where affirmative commands might feel irregular and unpredictable, negative commands have the advantage of being completely systematic -- if you know the present subjunctive, you already know the negative command forms.

Another important difference involves pronoun placement: in affirmative commands, pronouns attach to the end of the verb (dámelo), but in negative commands, they go before the verb (no me lo des).

How It Works

Formation

No + present subjunctive form

Person	Hablar	Comer	Escribir
tú	no hables	no comas	no escribas
usted	no hable	no coma	no escriba
nosotros	no hablemos	no comamos	no escribamos
vosotros	no habléis	no comáis	no escribáis
ustedes	no hablen	no coman	no escriban

Irregular Verbs

Since negative commands use the subjunctive, any verb irregular in the subjunctive will be irregular here:

Verb	tú	usted	ustedes
ir	no vayas	no vaya	no vayan
ser	no seas	no sea	no sean
estar	no estés	no esté	no estén
hacer	no hagas	no haga	no hagan
tener	no tengas	no tenga	no tengan
decir	no digas	no diga	no digan
salir	no salgas	no salga	no salgan
poner	no pongas	no ponga	no pongan

Pronoun Placement

In negative commands, all pronouns (reflexive, direct object, indirect object) go between no and the verb:

Type	Example	Translation
Reflexive	¡No te preocupes!	Don't worry!
Direct object	¡No lo hagas!	Don't do it!
Indirect object	¡No me digas!	Don't tell me! / You don't say!
Double pronouns	¡No se lo digas!	Don't tell it to him/her!

Compare with affirmative commands:

Affirmative	Negative
¡Hazlo! (Do it!)	¡No lo hagas! (Don't do it!)
¡Dímelo! (Tell me!)	¡No me lo digas! (Don't tell me!)
¡Siéntate! (Sit down!)	¡No te sientes! (Don't sit down!)

Examples in Context

Spanish	English	Note
¡No hables tan alto!	Don't speak so loud!	tú form
¡No comas eso!	Don't eat that!	tú form
¡No lo hagas!	Don't do it!	Pronoun before verb
¡No se preocupe!	Don't worry! (usted)	Formal, reflexive
¡No vayas allí!	Don't go there!	Irregular ir
¡No seas tonto!	Don't be silly!	Irregular ser
¡No te olvides de llamar!	Don't forget to call!	Reflexive pronoun
¡No me lo digas!	Don't tell me!	Double pronouns
¡No abran la puerta!	Don't open the door! (ustedes)	Plural formal
¡No tengáis miedo!	Don't be afraid! (vosotros)	Vosotros form
¡No llegues tarde!	Don't arrive late!	Common everyday use
¡No te preocupes por eso!	Don't worry about that!	Very common phrase

Common Mistakes

Using the affirmative imperative form with no

• Wrong: ¡No habla! or ¡No come!
• Right: ¡No hables! / ¡No comas!
• Why: Negative commands always use the subjunctive. You cannot simply put no in front of the indicative or the affirmative imperative form.

Attaching pronouns to the verb in negative commands

• Wrong: ¡No hágaslo!
• Right: ¡No lo hagas!
• Why: In negative commands, pronouns must go before the verb, between no and the verb form. Attaching them to the end is only for affirmative commands.

Confusing tú affirmative and negative forms

• Wrong: ¡No ven! (using affirmative tú form of venir)
• Right: ¡No vengas! (subjunctive)
• Why: The affirmative tú command (ven) and the negative tú command (no vengas) look completely different. Always switch to the subjunctive for negatives.

Forgetting stem changes in the subjunctive

• Wrong: ¡No te sentas!
• Right: ¡No te sientes!
• Why: Stem-changing verbs maintain their changes in the subjunctive. Sentarse (e→ie) becomes te sientes in the subjunctive, so the negative command is no te sientes.

Usage Notes

Negative commands are used constantly in everyday Spanish, from parenting (¡No corras! -- Don't run!) to friendly advice (No te preocupes -- Don't worry) to public signs (No pisar el césped -- Don't walk on the grass).

The phrase ¡No me digas! has evolved beyond its literal meaning ("Don't tell me!") to become a common interjection expressing surprise, similar to "You don't say!" or "No way!" in English.

In Latin America, where vosotros is not used, all plural commands use the ustedes forms (no hablen, no coman). In Spain, informal plural commands use vosotros (no habléis, no comáis) and formal plural commands use ustedes.

In regions that use vos (Argentina, parts of Central America), the negative vos command is the same as the tú subjunctive form: No hablés or No hables (depending on regional preference).

Practice Tips

• The fastest path to mastering negative commands is to solidify your present subjunctive forms. If you can conjugate the subjunctive, you already know negative commands -- just add no.
• Practice pairs of affirmative and negative commands to internalize the contrast: Hazlo / No lo hagas. Ven / No vengas. Dime / No me digas.
• Use everyday situations to practice: imagine you are a parent, a teacher, or a boss giving instructions about what not to do.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Subjunctive