Intermediate grammar guide
Spanish commands: form, audience, placement
Choose the audience first; command polarity decides where the pronoun goes.
Commands are shaped by who you are addressing and whether the instruction is positive or negative. In Spain, learners regularly encounter familiar singular tú and familiar plural vosotros, alongside polite usted and plural ustedes.
Building everyday vocabulary too? Explore the free vocabulary guides.
The idea
Understand the choice, not just the label.
Regular affirmative tú commands often match the third-person singular present: habla, come, escribe. Negative tú commands use no + present subjunctive: no hables, no comas, no escribas. Common irregular affirmative tú forms include di, haz, ve, pon, sal, sé, ten and ven.
Usted and ustedes commands use present-subjunctive forms: hable / hablen; coma / coman. Affirmative vosotros commonly replaces the final -r of the infinitive with -d: hablad, comed, escribid. Negative vosotros uses no + present subjunctive: no habléis, no comáis, no escribáis.
Attach pronouns to affirmative commands: Siéntate, decídmelo. Put pronouns before negative commands: No te sientes, no me lo digáis. Adding a pronoun can require an accent to preserve the original stress. Ustedes is the standard plural “you” across much of Latin America and is also used in Spain, especially in formal address; forms and preference vary.
| Form / pattern | Use it when… | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative tú | often third-person present; memorise common irregulars | Ven aquí. — Come here. |
| Negative tú | no + present subjunctive | No cruces todavía. — Don’t cross yet. |
| Vosotros | infinitive minus -r plus -d; negative uses subjunctive | Esperad aquí. / No esperéis aquí. — Wait here. / Don’t wait here. |
| Usted / ustedes | present-subjunctive command forms | Pase, por favor. — Come in, please. |
Hear it in a sentence
Examples in everyday Spanish
Dime la verdad, por favor.
Tell me the truth, please.
Affirmative tú; pronoun attaches.
No os preocupéis; llegaremos a tiempo.
Don’t worry; we’ll arrive on time.
Negative vosotros; pronoun precedes the verb.
Siéntense aquí, señoras.
Please sit here, ladies.
Ustedes command, common for polite plural address.
Look out for
Common mistakes, made clearer
Avoid
No habla tan rápido. (intended negative tú command)
Use / understand
No hables tan rápido.
Negative tú commands use the subjunctive form.
Avoid
Sienta te aquí.
Use / understand
Siéntate aquí.
Attach the pronoun to an affirmative command and add an accent if needed to keep the stress.
Avoid
No lo compra. (intended usted command)
Use / understand
No lo compre.
Usted commands use subjunctive forms; the object pronoun goes before a negative command.
Out in the world
Everyday use
Pásame el mapa cuando puedas.
Pass me the map when you can.
No aparquéis delante de la puerta.
Don’t park in front of the door.
A negative vosotros command.
Five quick checks
Try it before you peek.
- 01
Give an affirmative tú command: (hacer) la compra.
Reveal answer and explanation
Haz la compra.
Hacer has the irregular affirmative tú command haz.
- 02
Give a negative tú command: (decir) eso.
Reveal answer and explanation
No digas eso.
Negative tú uses no + present subjunctive; decir has digas.
- 03
Give an affirmative vosotros command: (abrir) la ventana.
Reveal answer and explanation
Abrid la ventana.
For regular affirmative vosotros, replace infinitive -r with -d.
- 04
Give a polite usted command with “me lo”: (traer) mañana.
Reveal answer and explanation
Tráigamelo mañana.
Usted uses traiga; affirmative pronouns attach, and the accent preserves stress.
- 05
Give a negative vosotros command: (sentarse) aquí.
Reveal answer and explanation
No os sentéis aquí.
Negative vosotros uses subjunctive sentéis, with os before the verb.
Still wondering
Questions about spanish commands: form, audience, placement
Is ustedes used in Spain?
Yes, but it is generally associated with formal plural address in most of Spain, while vosotros is familiar plural. In the Canary Islands and parts of Andalusia, ustedes can be used more broadly; regional usage varies.
Why does the pronoun move in a negative command?
Spanish attaches object or reflexive pronouns to affirmative commands, but places them before negative commands: Dímelo, but No me lo digas.