The rule, in plain English
Start with commands for tú. For a positive command, use the same form as él or ella in the present: hablar → habla, comer → come, vivir → vive. For a negative command, use no and change the ending: no hables, no comas, no vivas. Some positive commands are irregular and must be learnt as short words: ven, haz, di, sal, ten, ve and pon.
Why it's hard for English speakers
English uses speak for both Speak! and Don't speak! Spanish uses two forms: ¡Habla! and ¡No hables! Learn the tú pair first. The tables then show the forms for polite commands and for speaking to a group.
Worked examples
Start with these worked examples, then reveal more when you are ready.
- Habla más despacio, por favor.Speak more slowly, please.Positive tú commands: The regular affirmative tú command of hablar is habla.
- Come un poco de fruta.Eat some fruit.Positive tú commands: The affirmative tú command of comer is come.
- Escribe tu nombre aquí.Write your name here.Positive tú commands: The affirmative tú command of escribir is escribe.
- Cierra la puerta, por favor.Close the door, please.Positive tú commands: Cierra keeps the present-tense stem change of cerrar.
- Pide la cuenta al camarero.Ask the waiter for the bill.Positive tú commands: Pide is the affirmative tú form of the stem-changing verb pedir.
- Vuelve antes de las once.Come back before eleven.Positive tú commands: Vuelve is the affirmative tú command of volver.
- No hables tan rápido.Do not speak so quickly.Negative tú commands: A negative tú command uses the present subjunctive: no hables.
- No comas eso.Do not eat that.Negative tú commands: Negative tú uses the opposite-vowel subjunctive form comas.
- No escribas en este papel.Do not write on this paper.Negative tú commands: No escribas is the negative tú command of escribir.
- No cruces la calle ahora.Do not cross the street now.Negative tú commands: Cruzar changes z to c before the subjunctive ending -es.
- No llegues tarde.Do not arrive late.Negative tú commands: Llegar changes g to gu before -es to preserve its sound.
- No te preocupes.Do not worry.Negative tú commands: In a negative command, the reflexive pronoun comes before the verb.
Regular affirmative and negative commands
| Subject | hablar | comer | vivir |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | N/A — no yo command | N/A — no yo command | N/A — no yo command |
| Tú | habla / no hables | come / no comas | vive / no vivas |
| Él/Ella | N/A — not directly addressed | N/A — not directly addressed | N/A — not directly addressed |
| Usted | hable / no hable | coma / no coma | viva / no viva |
| Nosotros/as | hablemos / no hablemos | comamos / no comamos | vivamos / no vivamos |
| Vosotros/as | hablad / no habléis | comed / no comáis | vivid / no viváis |
| Ellos/Ellas | N/A — not directly addressed | N/A — not directly addressed | N/A — not directly addressed |
| Ustedes | hablen / no hablen | coman / no coman | vivan / no vivan |
Common irregular commands
| Subject / form | decir | hacer | ir | poner | salir | ser | tener | venir |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tú affirmative | di | haz | ve | pon | sal | sé | ten | ven |
| Tú negative | no digas | no hagas | no vayas | no pongas | no salgas | no seas | no tengas | no vengas |
| Usted | diga | haga | vaya | ponga | salga | sea | tenga | venga |
| Nosotros/as | digamos | hagamos | vayamos | pongamos | salgamos | seamos | tengamos | vengamos |
| Vosotros/as | decid | haced | id | poned | salid | sed | tened | venid |
| Ustedes | digan | hagan | vayan | pongan | salgan | sean | tengan | vengan |
Pronoun position with commands
| Command | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| affirmative | attach pronoun(s) to the end | Dime. / Cómpralo. |
| negative | put pronoun(s) before the verb | No me digas. / No lo compres. |
| affirmative + extra syllables | add an accent if needed to preserve stress | Siéntate. / Escríbemelo. |
| negative reflexive | no + reflexive pronoun + verb | No te levantes. |
Common mistakes
- ¡No hablas tan rápido!¡No hables tan rápido!A negative tú command uses the present subjunctive.
- ¡Haces los deberes!¡Haz los deberes!Haz is the irregular affirmative tú command of hacer.
- ¡Te sienta!¡Siéntate!Attach the reflexive pronoun to an affirmative command and preserve the stress with an accent.
- ¡No levántate!¡No te levantes!Put the reflexive pronoun before a negative command.
Practice
Speak! (tú) = ¡___!
Don't speak! = ¡No ___!
Come here! (tú) = ¡___ aquí!
Eat! (tú) = ¡___!
Write! (tú, escribir) = ¡___!
Don't eat that! (tú) = ¡No ___ eso!
Do it! (tú, hacer) = ¡___!
Speak more slowly, please. (usted)