How do you form commands in Spanish?

Five forms: tú, usted, nosotros, vosotros, ustedes. Affirmative tú = él/ella present (habla, come, vive). Negative tú = subjunctive (no hables). All usted / nosotros / ustedes commands = subjunctive. Affirmative vosotros has unique endings (-ad/-ed/-id).

What's the difference between affirmative and negative commands?

Affirmative tú is simpler, just the él/ella present form (habla). Negative tú always uses subjunctive (no hables). All other forms (usted, nosotros, ustedes) use subjunctive for both affirmative and negative.

Which Spanish verbs have irregular tú commands?

Eight: di (decir), haz (hacer), ve (ir), pon (poner), sal (salir), sé (ser), ten (tener), ven (venir). Memorize these, they're everyday commands. Negative versions use regular subjunctive (no digas, no hagas...).

How can I get better at Spanish commands?

Memorize the eight irregular tú commands as a unit. Beyond that, exposure to native speakers giving commands (in cooking videos, instructions, conversations) is the fastest path. Parrot's daily videos feature commands in real contexts.

Spanish grammar · Intermediate

Spanish Commands: Affirmative, Negative, Tú, and Ustedes

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Spanish commands (modo imperativo) tell someone to do or not do something. Five forms: tú (affirmative habla, negative no hables), usted (hable / no hable), nosotros (hablemos / no hablemos), vosotros (hablad / no habléis), ustedes (hablen / no hablen). Negative commands always use subjunctive forms.

Habla más despacio.

Speak more slowly.

What it is

Spanish commands (modo imperativo) tell someone to do or not do something. Five forms cover tú, usted, nosotros, vosotros, and ustedes. Affirmative tú is the simplest (just the él/ella form: habla, come, vive). Negative commands and all formal commands use subjunctive forms.

In Habla más despacio (Speak more slowly), habla is the affirmative tú command. To negate, switch to subjunctive: No hables tan rápido (Don't speak so fast).

How to spot it

Affirmative tú: él/ella form (habla, come, vive). Negative tú: subjunctive (no hables, no comas, no vivas). Usted / ustedes always subjunctive.

¡Habla! — Speak!
No hables. — Don't speak.
Hable usted. — Speak, sir/ma'am.

Object pronouns attach to the END of affirmative commands (dímelo) and come BEFORE negative commands (no me lo digas).

Spanish Commands Quick Reference

Spanish commands, five forms of hablar / comer / vivir

Form	Hablar	Comer	Vivir
tú (+)	habla	come	vive
tú (−)	no hables	no comas	no vivas
usted (+/−)	(no) hable	(no) coma	(no) viva
nosotros (+/−)	(no) hablemos	(no) comamos	(no) vivamos
vosotros (+)	hablad	comed	vivid
vosotros (−)	no habléis	no comáis	no viváis
ustedes (+/−)	(no) hablen	(no) coman	(no) vivan

Common Spanish Commands Examples in Spanish

Commands cover everyday instructions, requests, prohibitions, and let's statements:

Informal Tú Commands

Habla más despacio.: Speak more slowly.
Come las verduras.: Eat your vegetables.
Escríbeme mañana.: Write to me tomorrow.

Affirmative tú = same form as él/ella present. Pronouns attach to the end.

Negative Commands

No hables tan rápido.: Don't speak so fast.
No comas mucho.: Don't eat too much.
No me lo digas.: Don't tell me.

All negative commands use subjunctive forms. Pronouns come BEFORE the verb.

Formal (Usted / Ustedes) Commands

Pase, por favor.: Come in, please.
Hablen más alto.: Speak louder. (to a group)
No fume aquí.: Don't smoke here.

Both affirmative and negative formal commands use subjunctive: hable / no hable, hablen / no hablen.

Nosotros, Let's Commands

Hablemos de eso.: Let's talk about that.
Comamos pizza.: Let's eat pizza.
No vayamos hoy.: Let's not go today.

Nosotros commands work for both let's and let's not. Alternative: Vamos a + infinitive (Vamos a hablar = Let's talk).

How to Form Spanish Commands

Affirmative Tú, Same as Él/Ella Present

Take the present indicative él/ella form. Hablar → habla. Comer → come. Vivir → vive. Stem changes carry through: pensar → piensa, dormir → duerme.

Habla. Come. Vive. Piensa. Duerme.

Speak. Eat. Live. Think. Sleep.

Simplest of all command forms, just the él/ella present.

Negative Tú, Subjunctive

Use the tú subjunctive form. Hablar → no hables. Comer → no comas. Vivir → no vivas. Tener → no tengas.

No hables. No comas. No vivas allí. No tengas miedo.

Don't speak. Don't eat. Don't live there. Don't be afraid.

Negative tú = subjunctive tú form. The endings flip just like all subjunctive (-ar takes e, -er/-ir take a).

All Usted / Nosotros / Ustedes, Subjunctive

These three forms always use subjunctive, both affirmative and negative. Hable (you formal). Hablemos (we). Hablen (you all). Same with negative: no hable, no hablemos, no hablen.

Hable, por favor. Hablemos. Hablen. No fume.

Speak, please. Let's speak. Speak (you all). Don't smoke.

Memorize: only affirmative tú and affirmative vosotros differ from subjunctive. Everything else IS subjunctive.

Pronoun Placement

Affirmative commands: pronouns attach to the END of the verb (dímelo, cómprala, levántate). Negative commands: pronouns come BEFORE the verb (no me lo digas, no la compres, no te levantes).

Dímelo. → No me lo digas. Cómpralo. → No lo compres.

Tell me. → Don't tell me. Buy it. → Don't buy it.

Affirmative often requires adding an accent to keep the original stress (di → dímelo, levanta → levántate).

Common Mistakes with Spanish Commands

Incorrect: No hablas tan rápido. — Don't speak so fast. (wrong, negative tú uses subjunctive)

Correct: No hables tan rápido. — Don't speak so fast.

Negative tú commands always use subjunctive forms. Hables, not hablas.

Incorrect: Me dilo. / Dimelo. — Tell me. (correct pronoun order + accent)

Correct: Dímelo. — Tell me.

Pronouns attach to affirmative commands in this order: indirect + direct. Adding two pronouns may require an accent to preserve original stress: dí + me + lo → dímelo.

Incorrect: Hablen ustedes despacio. (telling a group informally) — Speak slowly. (vosotros vs. ustedes regional difference)

Correct: Hablad despacio. (Spain) / Hablen despacio. (Latin America) — Speak slowly.

In Spain, vosotros (informal you all) uses affirmative -ad/-ed/-id endings. In Latin America, ustedes covers both formal and informal you all, using subjunctive hablen.

All Five Command Forms

Spanish has five command forms: tú, usted, nosotros, vosotros, ustedes. Each has affirmative and negative versions.

Tú Commands (Hablar)

Affirmative = él/ella present. Negative = subjunctive.

tú (+)

tú (−)

Affirmative: habla / come / vive. Negative: no hables / no comas / no vivas.

Usted Commands (Hablar)

Always subjunctive, both affirmative and negative.

usted (+)

usted (−)

Same form for both, context (and the no) signals affirmative vs negative.

Nosotros Commands, Let's

Always subjunctive. Or use vamos a + infinitive.

nosotros (+)

nosotros (−)

Affirmative ir = vamos (not vayamos in common speech).

Vosotros and Ustedes

Vosotros affirmative is unique (-ad/-ed/-id). Ustedes always uses subjunctive.

vosotros (+)

vosotros (−)

ustedes (+)

ustedes (−)

Vosotros is mostly Spain. Latin America uses ustedes universally.

Irregular Tú Commands

Eight Irregular Affirmative Tú Commands

Eight high-frequency verbs have irregular affirmative tú commands (one-syllable or short forms): di (decir), haz (hacer), ve (ir), pon (poner), sal (salir), sé (ser), ten (tener), ven (venir).

¡Ven aquí!: Come here!
Haz tu tarea.: Do your homework.
Sé bueno.: Be good.
Dime la verdad.: Tell me the truth.

Memorize this list, these are everyday commands. Mnemonic: Di / Haz / Ve / Pon / Sal / Sé / Ten / Ven.

Negative Versions Use Subjunctive

All eight irregulars have regular subjunctive negatives: no digas, no hagas, no vayas, no pongas, no salgas, no seas, no tengas, no vengas.

No vayas.: Don't go.
No me digas eso.: Don't tell me that.
No seas tonto.: Don't be silly.

Memorize affirmative irregulars separately, negatives derive predictably from subjunctive.

Spanish Commands FAQs

How do you form commands in Spanish?: Five forms: tú, usted, nosotros, vosotros, ustedes. Affirmative tú = él/ella present (habla, come, vive). Negative tú = subjunctive (no hables). All usted / nosotros / ustedes commands = subjunctive. Affirmative vosotros has unique endings (-ad/-ed/-id).
What's the difference between affirmative and negative commands?: Affirmative tú is simpler, just the él/ella present form (habla). Negative tú always uses subjunctive (no hables). All other forms (usted, nosotros, ustedes) use subjunctive for both affirmative and negative.
Which Spanish verbs have irregular tú commands?: Eight: di (decir), haz (hacer), ve (ir), pon (poner), sal (salir), sé (ser), ten (tener), ven (venir). Memorize these, they're everyday commands. Negative versions use regular subjunctive (no digas, no hagas...).
Where do object pronouns go with Spanish commands?: Affirmative commands: pronouns attach to the END of the verb (dímelo, cómprala, levántate). Negative commands: pronouns come BEFORE the verb (no me lo digas, no la compres, no te levantes). Affirmative often needs an accent to keep stress (dímelo, cómprala).
How can I get better at Spanish commands?: Memorize the eight irregular tú commands as a unit. Beyond that, exposure to native speakers giving commands (in cooking videos, instructions, conversations) is the fastest path. Parrot's daily videos feature commands in real contexts.