Affirmative Imperative
A2–B1Imperative and verb phrases 8 min
The imperative gives instructions, directions and invitations: habla for tú, hable for usted, hablen for ustedes. Object pronouns join the end of the verb, and a written accent keeps the stress in its place: Cómpralo. Siéntate, por favor.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A2: choose A2 or a higher level.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A2: choose A2 or a higher level.
CheatsheetA2–B1
| Point | Rule | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form | tú: the él form of the present | Habla más despacio, por favor. | Speak more slowly, please. |
| Form | usted: -ar verbs end in e, -er and -ir verbs in a | Pase, por favor. | Come in, please. |
| Form | ustedes: the usted form with n | Abran los libros. | Open your books. |
| Form | vosotros: the r of the infinitive becomes d | Abrid los libros. | Open your books. |
| Irregular verbs | tú: di / haz / pon / sal / ten / ven / ve / sé | Ven aquí. | Come here. |
| B1Irregular verbs | usted: esté / sepa, from estar and saber | Esté tranquilo, señor. | Don't worry, sir. |
| Pronouns | object and reflexive pronouns join the end of the verb | Cómpralo. / Siéntate. | Buy it. / Sit down. |
| Use | instructions, directions and requests | Sigue por esta calle y gira a la derecha. | Go along this street and turn right. |
| Use | invitations and offers | Pasa y siéntate. | Come in and sit down. |
| Fixed forms | mira / oye call for attention; perdona / perdone say sorry | Oye, ¿tienes un lápiz? | Hey, have you got a pencil? |
| Trap | the tú imperative has no final s: hablas → habla | Escucha, por favor. | Listen, please. |
OverviewA2
- tú, usted and ustedes each have their own imperative form.
- The subject pronoun usually stays out: the form shows who is spoken to. Escucha, por favor. — Listen, please.
- Latin America: ustedes is the plural of both tú and usted: Pasen, chicos. — Come in, guys.
- Spain: vosotros is the informal plural, and ustedes the formal one: Pasad, chicos. — Come in, guys.
- Latin America: Where people say vos, as in Argentina, Uruguay and Central America, the imperative stresses its last syllable: hablá / comé / escribí.
- When to say tú and when usted: Forms of Address: tú, usted, vosotros, ustedes.
Form: regular verbsA2
| Person | hablar | comer | escribir |
|---|---|---|---|
| tú | habla | come | escribe |
| usted | hable | coma | escriba |
| vosotros / vosotras | hablad | comed | escribid |
| ustedes | hablen | coman | escriban |
- The tú form is the él form of the present: Habla despacio. / Escribe tu nombre. — Speak slowly. / Write your name.
- The usted form swaps the vowel of the ending: -ar verbs take e, -er and -ir verbs take a: Escriba su nombre, por favor. — Write your name, please.
- The ustedes form adds n to the usted form: Escriban su nombre, por favor. — Write your names, please.
- Spain: The vosotros form changes the r of the infinitive to d: Escribid vuestro nombre. — Write your names.
Form: irregular verbsA2–B1
| Verb | tú | usted | ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|
| decir | di | diga | digan |
| hacer | haz | haga | hagan |
| poner | pon | ponga | pongan |
| salir | sal | salga | salgan |
| tener | ten | tenga | tengan |
| venir | ven | venga | vengan |
| ir | ve | vaya | vayan |
| ser | sé | sea | sean |
| dar | da | dé | den |
| B1estar | está | esté | estén |
| B1saber | sabe | sepa | sepan |
| Verb | tú | usted | ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|
| cerrar | cierra | cierre | cierren |
| volver | vuelve | vuelva | vuelvan |
| pedir | pide | pida | pidan |
- The usted and ustedes forms come from the yo form of the present: tengo → tenga, hago → haga.
- ir, ser and dar have forms of their own: vaya / sea / dé.
- B1estar and saber too: esté / sepa; these forms are the present subjunctive.
- The vowel change of the present stays in the tú, usted and ustedes forms: Cierra la puerta, por favor. — Close the door, please.
- Spain: The vosotros form stays regular: decid / haced / id.
Pronouns after the imperativeA2
| Pronoun | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| lo / la / los / las | Cómpralo. / Ábrela, por favor. | Buy it. / Open it, please. |
| me / te / le / nos / les | Dime tu nombre. / Escríbeme pronto. | Tell me your name. / Write to me soon. |
| te / se | Siéntate. / Siéntese, por favor. | Sit down. / Sit down, please. |
- Object and reflexive pronouns join the end of the affirmative imperative, as one word.
- The stress stays where it was, so when it falls three or more syllables from the end, it takes a written accent: Cómpralo. / Levántate. / Escúchame. — Buy it. / Get up. / Listen to me.
- A one-syllable form with one pronoun takes no written accent: Dame la mano. / Dime. / Hazlo. — Give me your hand. / Tell me. / Do it.
UseA2
| Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Instructions | Abre la ventana, por favor. | Open the window, please. |
| Directions | Sigue por esta calle y gira a la derecha. | Go along this street and turn right. |
| Requests | Ayúdame, por favor. | Help me, please. |
| Invitations and offers | Pasa y siéntate. / Prueba la sopa. | Come in and sit down. / Try the soup. |
| Calling for attention | Oye, ¿tienes un lápiz? / Mira, esta es mi casa. | Hey, have you got a pencil? / Look, this is my house. |
| Apologising | Perdona, ¿qué hora es? / Perdone, ¿dónde está la estación? | Sorry, what time is it? / Excuse me, where is the station? |
| Answering the phone | ¿Dígame? | Hello? |
| Answering the phone, with no imperative: ¿Bueno? in Mexico, ¿Aló? in the Andes and the Caribbean, ¿Hola? everywhere | ¿Bueno? / ¿Aló? / ¿Hola? | Hello? / Hello? / Hello? |
- por favor at the start or the end makes an order a request: Cierra la puerta, por favor. — Close the door, please.
- perdona and oye speak to tú; perdone and oiga speak to usted.
Typical errorsA2
| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Hablas más despacio, por favor. | Habla más despacio, por favor. | to ask tú to do something, the imperative has no final s |
| Hace la cama. | Haz la cama. | an order to tú: hacer has the short form haz |
| Me dice tu nombre. | Dime tu nombre. | an order to tú: dime, with the pronoun joined to the end of the verb |
| Comprálo. | Cómpralo. | the stress stays on com: cómpralo |
| Siéntate, señor García. | Siéntese, señor García. | usted takes the usted form |
| Ve aquí, por favor. | Ven aquí, por favor. | ven comes from venir, ve from ir |