Subject Lessons:
Imperatives in Spanish
Commands in Spanish
Subject Exercises:
Positive Imperatives Exercise 1
Negative Imperatives Exercise 1
Also See:
Plural Commands with Vosotros
Plural Commands with Nosotros
In Spanish, the imperatives (imperativos en español) are used for commands, suggestions and requests. Also see Commands in Spanish.
Use imperatives to:
- Give orders
Examples:
¡Dame las llaves!
Give me the keys!
¡Cierra la puerta!
Close the door!
- Make suggestions
Examples:
¡No hables tan alto!
Don’t talk too loud!
¡Lleva una sombrilla, por si llueve!
Take an umbrella, in case it rains!
- Make requests
Examples:
¿Podrías por favor abrir la puerta?
Would you please open the door?
Regular Verbs Imperative Conjugation Table in Spanish
Important: Only the imperative tú form changes its grammatical structure depending on whether the command is affirmative or negative.
Verbs ending in -ar and -er -ir change forms when switching from affirmative to negative.
| Verb | Tú Affirmative/Negative | Usted | Ustedes | Nosotros |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pintar (to paint) | Pinta/No pintes | Pinte | Pinten | Pintemos |
| Preguntar (to ask, to question) | Pregunta/No preguntes | Pregunte | Pregunten | Preguntemos |
| Trabajar (to work) | Trabaja/No trabajes | Trabaje | Trabajen | Trabajemos |
| Aprender (to learn) | Aprende/No aprendas | Aprenda | Aprendan | Apredamos |
| Beber (to drink) | Bebe/No bebas | Beba | Beban | Bebamos |
| Responder(to answer, to respond) | Responde/No respondas | Responda | Respondan | Respondamos |
| Recibir (to receive) | Recibe/No recibas | Reciba | Reciban | Recibamos |
| Permitir (to allow, to permit) | Permite/No permitas | Permita | Permitan | Permitamos |
Examples:
¡Pregunten dónde está el centro comercial!
Ask where the mall is!
¡Trabajad más rápido!
Work faster!
¡No aprendas a decir mentiras!
Don’t learn to tell lies!
¡No bebas demasiado café!
Do not drink too much coffee!
Irregular Verbs Imperative Conjugation in Spanish Table
| Verb | Tú Affirmative/Negative | Usted | Ustedes | Nosotros |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decir (to say) | Di/No digas | Diga | Digan | Digamos |
| Hacer (to do/to make) | Haz/No hagas | Haga | Hagan | Hagamos |
| Ir (to go) | Ve/No vayas | Vaya | Vayan | Vayamos |
| Poner (to put) | Pon/No pongas | Ponga | Pongan | Pongamos |
| Salir (to go/ to go out) | Sal/No salgas | Salga | Salgan | Salgamos |
| Ser (to be) | Sé/No seas | Sea | Sean | Seamos |
| Tener (to have) | Ten/No tengas | Tenga | Tengan | Tengamos |
| Venir (to come) | Ven/No vengas | Venga | Vengan | Vengamos |
Examples:
¡No digas nada!
Do not say anything!
¡Por favor, seamos pacientes!
Please, be patient!
¡No pongas los zapatos sobre la mesa!
Don’t put the shoes on the table!
Imperative and Objects Pronouns in Spanish
Review direct object pronouns and indirect object pronouns in spanish
- Direct object pronouns address the subject of the sentence
Examples:
¡Toma agua! /Drink water!
¡Tomala! /Drink it!
¡Llama a María! Call Maria!
¡Llamala! Call her!
- Indirect object pronouns usually tells for whom/what or to whom the action is done.
Examples:
¡Canta una canción para nosotras! Sing a song for us!
¡Cantanos una canción! Sing us a song!
¡Compra una billetera para mí! Buy a wallet for me!
¡Cómprame una billetera! Buy me a wallet!
Related Subjects:
See Commands in Spanish
Negative Imperatives Exercise
Positive Imperatives Exercise
