Gothic facade of Cathedral of Cabildo in Seville, Spain

Commands in Spanish: How to form and use them?

By: Maria Leticia Temoltzin-Espejel Thu Sep 18 2025

Imperative Mood

Commands are used to give orders and instructions, or to make requests and recommendations. They can be affirmative: ¡Ven aquí!(Come here!), negative: No tires basura(Do not throw garbage), formal: Pase usted(Come in), or informal: Abre la ventana(Open the window). Do you want to show who’s the boss when giving commands? Keep reading!

When are commands used in Spanish?

Use commands (also known as the imperative) to give orders, instructions, to make requests, and to give suggestions or advice. For example:

Orders
¡Siéntate!
Sit down!
Instructions
Coloca las baterías.
Put on (install) the batteries.
Informal requests
Abre la ventana por favor.
Open the window please.
Suggestions or advice
Come frutas y verduras.
Eat fruits and vegetables.

Important

When using commands to make requests, tone is important as they can sound rude or abrupt. In order to avoid this, there are other ways to make requests, usually in the form of a question.

You can simply use the present indicative tense:

¿Abres la ventana por favor?

Can you open the window, please?

Or use a modal verb like poder(to be able to):

¿Puedes abrir la ventana?

Can you open the window?

To be extra polite you can use the conditional simple tense:

¿Podrías abrir la ventana por favor?

Could you open the window, please?

How to form commands in Spanish?

Commands are formed differently depending on who you address. Commands can address “you” (formal and informal), “you all” (ustedes or vosotros), or “we” (nosotros). In some cases, commands have one form if they are affirmative and another form if they are negative, for example:

Affirmative
¡Canta!
Sing!
Negative
¡No cantes!
Don’t sing!

Tip

Recall that Spanish uses the upside down exclamation ¡ at the beginning of an , and they are often used with commands:

¡Cierra la puerta!

Close the door!

are not necessary when using commands:
- Lava el coche.
  (You) Wash the car.
- Laven los platos.
  (You all) wash the dishes.
However, subject pronouns can be used in two cases: for emphasis or as a form of politeness.
- Emphasis
  Lava el coche tú.
  (YOU) Wash the car.
- Politeness
  Abra usted la puerta.
  (Formal YOU) Open the door.
and are placed either attached to the command or before the verb depending on whether the command is affirmative or negative:
Affirmative commands - pronouns attach to the command:
direct object pronounindirect object pronounreflexive pronoun
Disfrútalo.
Enjoy it.
Dile.
Tell him/her.
Lávate las manos.
Wash your hands.
Lávatelas.
Wash them.
Negative commands - pronouns go before the verb:
negationreflexive pronoundirect object pronoun
No te laves las manos.
Don’t wash your hands.
No te las laves.
Don’t wash them.

Click the link, to find further information on how to use commands with object and reflexive pronouns.

Now let’s get into the details. ¡A leer!(Let’s read!)

Informal commands

In everyday interactions, the use of informal commands — those that refer to the tú pronoun — are more common. Their use shows familiarity and belonging to a group or community. Informal commands (aka tú commands) have one form if they are affirmative and another form if they are negative.

Affirmative

verbs
These verbs have the same form as the él, ella, usted in the present tense: canta(sing), come(eat), escribe(write). Compare:
Present tense of él, ella, usted
él canta
he sings
Command
¡Canta!
(you) Sing!
verbs
There are a few high frequency verbs that have irregular forms and are one-syllable: ven(come), haz(do), etc.
Find the complete list of one-syllable Spanish commands and examples. Also, check out a strategy for a fun way to remember these forms.

Present tense of él, ella, usted	él canta he sings
Command	¡Canta! (you) Sing!

Negative

Negative tú commands have a different form than the affirmative. Here’s how to form them.

Regular verbs

In order to form the negative tú command, take the verb form of tú in the present indicative and follow these rules:

	-ar verbs	-er / -ir verbs
Rule	Replace -a with -e	Replace -e/i with -a
Example	Present (tú) bailas you dance ⇣ Negative command no bailes don’t dance	Present (tú) bebes you drink ⇣ Negative command no bebas don’t drink

Irregular verbs
Some irregular verbs are formed using the yo form in the present tense.
Rule: Drop the -o and add the ending -as.
salgo(I go out) → no salgas(don’t go out)
Find more Spanish irregular verbs here.

Tip

If you are familiar with the Spanish subjunctive, negative commands are formed using the tú form of the present subjunctive.

Quiero que tú comas.
I want you to eat.
¡No comas galletas antes de la cena!
Don’t eat cookies before dinner!

Important

In some countries such as Argentina, Colombia, and most parts of Central America, there is a unique form: the commands with pronoun vos(you, sg.). They have different forms in the affirmative and negative. Here’s an example with the verb cantar(to sing):

Affirmative
cantá vos
you sing
Negative
no cantés
don’t sing

To find out how to use the pronoun vos in Spanish, click the link!

Formal commands

Formal commands (aka usted commands) refer to the usted pronoun and are used in formal contexts with people that represent an authority: a professor, a boss, a doctor, etc. Oftentimes, these people come with a title, such as: señor / señora Rodríguez(Mr. / Mrs. Rodríguez), profesor Ramírez(professor Ramírez), etc. Formal commands are also commonly used with elder people. However, in some countries the use of the usted commands is less frequent with younger generations.

To learn more about Spanish subject pronouns including the difference between tú and usted, check out our post!

Usted commands have the same forms for affirmative and negative. Let’s see how they are formed.

Regular verbs

Take the stem of the yo form in the present, and change the last letter according to the following rule:

	-ar verbs	-er / -ir verbs
Rule	Replace -o with -e	Replace -o with -a
Example	Present (yo) canto I sing ⇣ Command (usted) (no) cante (don’t) sing	Present (yo) escribo I write ⇣ Command (usted) (no) escriba (don’t) write

Irregular verbs
The previous rule also works for irregular verbs, except for a few exceptions like yo soy(I am) → sea(you are) and yo doy(I give) → dé(you give). Find the complete list of irregular verbs here.
Important
With some one-syllable commands, be careful to place a written accent since words like dé and sé change meaning if no written accent is used.
dé = usted command of the verb dar(give) ≠ de = preposition
sé = tú command of the verb ser(be) ≠ se = reflexive pronoun / indirect object pronoun

‘Ustedes’ commands

Ustedes commands are used as the plural form for tú(you) and vos(you) in all of Latin America when addressing more than one person. They have the same forms in the affirmative and negative.

Regular verbs

To form these commands, use the form of ustedes in the present and then follow the same rule in affirmative and negative forms:

	-ar verbs	-er / -ir verbs
Rule	Replace -a with -e	Replace -e/i with -a
Example	Present (ustedes) cantan you sing ⇣ Command (no) canten (dont) sing	Present (ustedes) bebes you drink ⇣ Command (no) coman (don’t) eat

Irregular verbs
Use the same forms as the usted command but add an -n at the end:
Usted diga la verdad. → Ustedes digan la verdad.
You tell the truth. → You (all) tell the truth.

The same rule applies to the negative. Find a more complete list here.

Tip

If you are familiar with the , ustedes commands have the same forms as the ustedes present subjunctive.

Quiero que ustedes vengan.
I want you to come.
¡Vengan acá!
Come over here!

‘Vosotros’ commands

Vosotros commands are only used in Spain. They are equivalent to the ustedes commands in Latin America — that is, “you” plural. These have different forms in the affirmative and negative.

Affirmative

Affirmative vosotros commands are formed by dropping the -r in the infinitive and replacing it with -d. Here are some examples with all three ending types:

ar verb
cantad
sing
er verb
comed
eat
ir verb
escribid
write

Important

With reflexive pronouns the -d is dropped before attaching the pronouns:

Command

sentad(sit)

Reflexive pronoun

-os → sentaos(sit down)

Exception!

Except with the verb ir(to go), where we keep -d:

id(go)

-os → idos(go away)

Negative

They are formed by dropping the -o ending of the conjugation of yo in the present tense and adding the corresponding endings.

	-ar verbs	-er / -ir verbs
Rule	Drop -o and add -éis	Drop -o and add -áis
Example	Present (yo) canto I sing ⇣ Negative command no cantéis don’t sing	Present (yo) como I eat ⇣ Negative command no comáis don’t eat

‘Nosotros’ commands

There is a type of command where speakers include themselves. These are the nosotros commands. They are used to make invitations or to do something together, and they're the equivalent of “let’s” in English. There’s no change when the command is negative.

Regular verbs

Use the conjugation of the nosotros form in the present and replace one letter:

	-ar verbs	-er / -ir verbs
Rule	Replace -a with -e	Replace -e/i with -a
Example	Present (nosotros) bailas you dance ⇣ Command (no) bailemos let’s (not) dance	Present (nosotros) comemos we drink ⇣ Command (no) comamos let’s (not) eat	Present (nosotros) escribimos we write ⇣ Command (no) escribamos let’s (not) write

Important

When a nosotros command is followed by se in a double object pronoun construction, or the reflexive nos, the final “s” of the command is dropped before adding “se” or “nos” :

digamos + selo

→

digámoselo

let’s say it to him

levantemos + nos

→

levantémonos

let’s get up

Irregular verbs
Irregular nosotros commands are formed with the conjugation of yo in the present.
Rule: Drop the -o and replace with -amos in both affirmative and negative commands.
salgo(I go out) → no salgamos hoy(let’s not go out today)
Find more irregular conjugations here.

Tip

If you are familiar with the , nosotros commands have the same forms as the nosotros present subjunctive.

Sugiero que vayamos antes de que cierren.
I suggest we go before they close.
¡Vayamos al cine!
Let’s go to the movies!

Important

Nosotros commands are usually replaced by phrases like vamos a + ("let’s" + infinitive) or a + infinitive ("let’s" + infinitive):

¡Comamos!	→	Let's eat!
¡Vamos a comer!
¡A comer!

To sum up

Commands are used when giving orders, instructions, requests, or recommendations.
The singular “you” form can be formal (usted) or informal ( tú or vos).
The forms for tú and vosotros have one form in the negative and another in the affirmative.
Object and reflexive pronouns go in front of the verb if the command is negative or attached to the command if affirmative.

Ready to put your new knowledge to the test? Check out our activities!

To embark on your next language adventure, join Mango on social!

Ready to take the next step?

The Mango Languages learning platform is designed to get you speaking like a local quickly and easily.

Commands in Spanish: How to form and use them?

When are commands used in Spanish?

Important

How to form commands in Spanish?

Tip

Informal commands

Affirmative

Negative

Tip

Important

Formal commands

Important

‘Ustedes’ commands

Tip

‘Vosotros’ commands

Affirmative

Important

Exception!

Negative

‘Nosotros’ commands

Important

Tip

Important

To sum up

To embark on your next language adventure, join Mango on social!

Ready to take the next step?

We value your privacy.