Mastering Spanish Tú Commands

In this post we’ll look at Spanish tú commands, or informal commands. A command, or an imperative, is the form of the verb that you use when you ask or tell someone to do something. Informal commands in Spanish are the forms that you use with people you address as tú. They’re the forms you’d use when you’re asking a friend or family member to do something. If you’re interested in formal usted and plural ustedes commands, check out this post.

For now, let’s look at tú commands. First, we’ll start with the forms of affirmative commands, and then we’ll see some examples. Then we’ll see some irregular affirmative command forms. Next that we’ll look at negative commands, which are use different forms. After that we’ll see a few irregular command forms. Then we’ll look at how to use object pronouns with commands. We’ll include practice exercises throughout.

Affirmative Spanish Tú Commands

Affirmative commands are when you tell someone to do something. (As opposed to telling someone not to do something.) Affirmative Spanish tú commands are very easy to form, with just a few irregular exceptions that we’ll get to in a moment. For the vast majority of verbs, simply use the third person él/ella form of the present tense.

• hablar → habla (speak)
• comer → come (eat)
• escribir → escribe (write)

Here are some examples.

• Habla despacio.
  Speak slowly.
• Bebe tu café.
  Drink your coffee.
• Cierra la puerta.
  Close the door.
• Termina tu tarea.
  Finish your homework.
• Abre tu libro.
  Open your book.

Irregular Affirmative Spanish Tú Commands

A couple of common verbs have irregular forms that you use as tú commands. That is, they don’t use the él/ella forms of the present tense.

• decir → di (say/tell)
• hacer → haz (do/make)
• ir → ve (go)
• poner → pon (put)
• salir → sal (leave)
• ser → sé (be)
• tener → ten (have)
• venir → ven (come)

Let’s see those irregular forms in examples.

• Di la verdad.
  Say the truth.
• Haz tu cama.
  Make your bed.
• Ve al mercado.
  Go to the market.
• Pon los libros en la mesa.
  Put the books on the table.
• Sal de la casa ahora.
  Leave the house now.
• Sé amable con tu hermana.
  Be nice to your sister.
• Ten paciencia.
  Have patience.
• Ven aquí, por favor.
  Come here, please.

Practice 1

Complete the commands with the missing verb forms, and then translate.

1. [Comer] tus verduras.
2. [Decir] la verdad.
3. [Mandar] me un mensaje.
4. [Hacer] tu tarea.
5. [Ir] a la escuela.
6. [Leer] este artículo.
7. [Poner] la mesa.
8. [Caminar] despacio.
9. [Salir] de aquí.
10. [Ser] amable.
11. [Tener] cuidado.
12. [Venir] aquí.

Negative Spanish Tú Commands

Most affirmative Spanish tú commands are based on the él/ella form of the present tense. Negative tú commands, though, are based on the subjunctive, so they have different forms. Don’t panic if you’re not comfortable with the subjunctive. It’s actually quite easy to form.

First, start with the yo form of the verb in the present tense. Why the yo form? Because in that form you’ll pick up both stem vowel changes (pensar à yo pienso) and added g (salir à yo salgo) or z (conducir à yo conduzco). You want to have all of those in your tú commands and subjunctive forms, so use the yo form to start with.

Next, drop the –o ending, so you’re left with a modified stem, for example piens-, salg– or conduzc-. Then add the “opposite” vowel plus -s. By opposite vowel, we mean –es for –ar verbs (which normally use –as in the present tense), and –as for –er and –ir verbs (which normally use –es in the present tense.) Finally, put no in front, since these are negative commands. Let’s break that down with several examples.

Here are some examples.

• No pongas los pies en la mesa.
  Don’t put your feet on the table.
• No duermas demasiado tarde.
  Don’t sleep too late.
• No le muestres esta carta a Juan.
  Don’t show Juan this letter.
• No le digas esta historia a nadie.
  Don’t tell anyone this story.
• No salgas.
  Don’t leave.
• No pienses en eso.
  Don’t think about that.
• No manejes/conduzcas tan rápido.
  Don’t drive so fast.

Irregular Negative Spanish Tú Commands

There are a few irregular negative tú commands. But since the negative commands are based on different forms, the irregular negatives are not the same as the irregular affirmatives. They are, however, the same as the negative usted commands, which are also based on the subjunctive.

• dar → no des (don’t give)
• estar → no estés (don’t be)
• ir → no vayas (don’t go)
• saber → no sepas (don’t know)
• ser → no seas (don’t be)

Here are some examples.

• No vayas a casa todavía.
  Don’t go home yet. 
• No le des más dinero.
  Don’t give him any more money.
• No estés triste.
  Don’t be sad.
• No seas una persona enojada.
  Don’t be an angry person.

Practice 2

Complete the negative commands with the missing verb forms, and then translate.

1. No [hablar] durante la clase.
2. No [decir] mentiras.
3. No [abrir] la ventana.
4. No [hacer] ruido.
5. No [entrar] en esa habitación.
6. No [ir] solo.
7. No [poner] los pies en la mesa.
8. No [ver] esa película.
9. No [estar] triste.
10. No [salir] tarde.
11. No [ser] grosero.
12. No [tener] miedo.
13. No [venir] tarde.
14. No [beber] mi café.

Pronoun Placement in Spanish Tú Commands

If you use an object or reflexive pronoun with a tú command, whether it’s affirmative or negative will determine where you put the pronoun.

For affirmative commands, attach the pronoun to the end of the command. This may mean that you need to add an accent to maintain stress. If you have double object pronouns, remember that indirect objects come before direct objects, and le and les both become se before lo, la, los, or las. You can read more about double object pronouns here.

• di (tell) + me (me) = Dime. (Tell me.)
• habla (speak) + le (to him/her) – Háblale. (Speak to him or her.)
• manda (send) + le (to him/her) = se before los + los (them) = Mándaselos. (Send them to him/her.)
• di (say) + le (to him/her) = se before lo + lo (it) = Díselo. (Say it to him/her.)
• da (give) + les (to them) = se before lo + lo (it) – Dáselo. (Give it to them.)
• lava (wash) + te (reflexive) = Lávate las manos. (Wash your hands.)

For negative commands, put the pronoun between no and the command form. The same word order and use of se comes into play.

• No me digas.
  Don’t tell me.
• No le hables.
  Don’t speak to him/her.
• No se lo des.
  Don’t give it to him/her.
• No te pongas los zapatos.
  Don’t put on your shoes.

Practice 3

Change the following statements into commands.

1. Tú hablas más lento.
2. Tú no comes dulces.
3. Tú estudias para el examen.
4. Tú no escribes en la mesa.
5. Tú abres la ventana. (Use a direct object pronoun.)
6. Tú no tocas la guitarra ahora.
7. Tú ayudas a tu amigo.
8. Tú no corres en el pasillo.
9. Tú cantas esa canción.
10. Tú no pones los pies en la mesa. (Use a direct object pronoun.)
11. Tú lees este libro.
12. Tú no sales tarde.
13. Tú cocinas la cena.
14. Tú no te olvidas de llamar a mamá.
15. Tú vienes a la fiesta.
16. Tú no rompes el vaso. (Use a direct object pronoun.)
17. Tú sigues las instrucciones.
18. Tú no le hablas tan alto.
19. Tú te duchas antes de salir.
20. Tú no pierdes las llaves.
21. Tú nos dices la verdad.
22. Tú no traes tu teléfono a la mesa.
23. Tú cierras la puerta.
24. Tú no tiras basura al suelo.
25. Tú haces ejercicio.
26. Tú no tocas mis cosas.
27. Tú te peinas el cabello.
28. Tú no lo compras.
29. Tú buscas la información.
30. Tú no comes demasiado.
31. Tú escuchas a la profesora. (Use a direct object pronoun.)
32. Tú no usas mi computadora.
33. Tú pruebas esta comida.
34. Tú no apagas la luz todavía.
35. Tú juegas con los niños.
36. Tú no empiezas sin mí.
37. Tú llamas al doctor.
38. Tú no bebes café antes de dormir.
39. Tú tomas una foto.
40. Tú no caminas descalzo.

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Answers

Practice 1

1. Come tus verduras. (Eat your vegetables.)
2. Di la verdad. (Tell the truth.)
3. Mándame un mensaje. (Send me a text.)
4. Haz tu tarea. (Do your homework.)
5. Ve a la escuela. (Go to school.)
6. Lee este artículo. (Read this article.)
7. Pon la mesa. (Set the table.)
8. Camina despacio. (Walk slowly.)
9. Sal de aquí. (Get out of here.)
10. Sé amable. (Be kind.)
11. Ten cuidado. (Be careful.)
12. Ven aquí. (Come here.)

Practice 2

1. No hables durante la clase. (Don’t speak during class.)
2. No digas mentiras. (Don’t tell lies.)
3. No abras la ventana. (Don’t open the window.)
4. No hagas ruido. (Don’t make noise.)
5. No entres en esa habitación. (Don’t go into that room.)
6. No vayas solo. (Don’t go alone.)
7. No pongas los pies en la mesa. (Don’t put your feet on the table.)
8. No veas esa película. (Don’t watch that movie.)
9. No estés triste. (Don’t be sad.)
10. No salgas tarde. (Don’t leave late.)
11. No seas grosero. (Don’t be rude.)
12. No tengas miedo. (Don’t be afraid.)
13. No vengas tarde. (Don’t come late.)
14. No bebas mi café. (Don’t drink my coffee.)

Practice 3

1. Habla más lento. (Speak more slowly.)
2. No comas dulces. (Don’t eat sweets.)
3. Estudia para el examen. (Study for the exam.)
4. No escribas en la mesa. (Don’t write on the table.)
5. Ábrela. (Open it.)
6. No toques la guitarra ahora. (Don’t play the guitar now.)
7. Ayuda a tu amigo. (Help your friend.)
8. No corras en el pasillo. (Don’t run in the hallway.)
9. Canta esa canción. (Sing that song.)
10. No los pongas en la mesa. (Don’t put them on the table.)
11. Lee este libro. (Read this book.)
12. No salgas tarde. (Don’t leave late.)
13. Cocina la cena. (Cook dinner.)
14. No te olvides de llamar a mamá. (Don’t forget to call mom.)
15. Ven a la fiesta. (Come to the party.)
16. No lo rompas. (Don’t break it.)
17. Sigue las instrucciones. (Follow the instructions.)
18. No le hables tan alto. (Don’t speak so loudly to him/her.)
19. Dúchate antes de salir. (Shower before leaving.)
20. No pierdas las llaves. (Don’t lose the keys.)
21. Dinos la verdad. (Tell us the truth.)
22. No traigas tu teléfono a la mesa. (Don’t bring your phone to the table.)
23. Cierra la puerta. (Close the door.)
24. No tires basura al suelo. (Don’t throw trash on the ground.)
25. Haz ejercicio. (Do exercise.)
26. No toques mis cosas. (Don’t touch my things.)
27. Péinate el cabello. (Comb your hair.)
28. No lo compres. (Don’t buy it.)
29. Busca la información. (Look for the information.)
30. No comas demasiado. (Don’t eat too much.)
31. Escúchala. (Listen to her.)
32. No uses mi computadora. (Don’t use my computer.)
33. Prueba esta comida. (Try this food.)
34. No apagues la luz todavía. (Don’t turn off the light yet.)
35. Juega con los niños. (Play with the kids.)
36. No empieces sin mí. (Don’t start without me.)
37. Llama al doctor. (Call the doctor.)
38. No bebas café antes de dormir. (Don’t drink coffee before sleeping.)
39. Toma una foto. (Take a picture.)
40. No camines descalzo. (Don’t walk barefoot.)

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