Have you ever needed to say “Close the door,” “Turn left,” or “Tell me the truth” in Spanish? That’s the imperative: quick, clear commands you use every day. In this lesson, you’ll learn the most useful imperative forms (tú and usted), how to make negatives, where to put pronouns (me, lo, te), and polite ways to sound natural.

By the end, you’ll be able to give short instructions confidently: in class, at work, in a shop, or in the street.

Affirmative tú commands: the quick win

For most verbs, the affirmative tú command looks just like the 3rd person singular (él/ella) of the present tense:

• hablar → habla (Speak.)
• comer → come (Eat.)
• abrir → abre (Open.)

Some very common verbs are irregular. Learn these like little “chips”: di (decir), haz (hacer), ve (ir), pon (poner), sal (salir), sé (ser), ten (tener), ven (venir). They’re super frequent in daily life: “¡Ven!”, “¡Haz la tarea!”, “¡Sé paciente!”

Negative tú commands: say “don’t”

Negative commands use “no” + a different ending. At A2, think of these patterns:

• -ar verbs: no + -es → no hables (Don’t speak.)
• -er/-ir verbs: no + -as → no comas, no abras (Don’t eat, don’t open.)

Irregular verbs follow the same pattern: no digas, no hagas, no vayas, no pongas, no salgas, no seas, no tengas, no vengas.

No habla en clase. → No hables en clase. Negative tú needs -es for -ar verbs and -as for -er/-ir verbs.

No en clase.

Cultural tip: polite vs. friendly

Spanish changes tone with the person you choose:

• tú: friendly, to someone you know (a friend, a classmate)
• usted: polite or formal (to a customer, older person, or stranger)

In many parts of Latin America, usted is more common in everyday interactions to be respectful. Add por favor to soften commands: “Pase, por favor”, “Espere un momento, por favor.”

Usted and ustedes commands

For polite commands (usted/ustedes), use these endings:

• -ar: hable / hablen
• -er/-ir: coma / coman, abra / abran

Irregulars follow the same pattern: diga/digan, haga/hagan, vaya/vayan, ponga/pongan, salga/salgan, sea/Sean, tenga/tengan, venga/vengan.

Use usted with one person (formal), ustedes with a group.

Where do pronouns go? (me, te, lo, la, los, las, nos)

• Affirmative: attach pronouns to the end of the verb.

  • Cómpralo. (Buy it.)
  • Dímelo. (Tell it to me.)
  • Siéntate. (Sit down.)

• Negative: pronouns go before the verb.

  • No lo compres. (Don’t buy it.)
  • No me lo digas. (Don’t tell me it.)
  • No te sientes. (Don’t sit down.)

Handy command verbs for daily life

Use these in directions, shops, and classrooms.

More examples you’ll hear

• Ve a casa. (Go home.)
• Ten paciencia. (Be patient.)
• No vayas tarde. (Don’t go late.)
• No hagas ruido. (Don’t make noise.)
• Dígame, ¿en qué puedo ayudarle? (Tell me, how can I help you?) — polite usted

Notice how por favor makes commands friendly: “Cierra la ventana, por favor.”

la ventana, por favor.

Quick review

• Affirmative tú: -a (habla), -e (come/abre); memorize the 8 irregulars (di, haz, ve, pon, sal, sé, ten, ven)
• Negative tú: no + -es (no hables), no + -as (no comas/no abras)
• Usted/ustedes: hable/hablen, coma/coman, abra/abran (use for politeness)
• Pronouns: attach in affirmative (Dímelo), place before in negative (No me lo digas). Add accents when attaching.

Practice giving mini-instructions today: in class (“Abre el libro”), at home (“Pon la mesa”), or on the street (“Siga recto”). The more you use commands, the more natural they feel.

You’ve got this—¡Sigue practicando y habla con confianza!