Spanish Commands: Every Form in One Table
Spanish has affirmative and negative commands for five different addressees: tú (informal singular), usted (formal singular), nosotros (let's…), vosotros (informal plural, Spain), and ustedes (plural formal/all of Latin America). All negative commands and all formal/plural commands use the present subjunctive. Only the affirmative tú command uses the third-person singular present indicative. Eight common verbs have irregular tú affirmative commands: di, haz, ve, pon, sal, sé, ten, ven.
Command formation in one rule
Affirmative tú = third-person singular present indicative ('habla', 'come'). Affirmative vosotros = infinitive with -r replaced by -d ('hablad'). All other commands (affirmative usted/nosotros/ustedes + all negative commands) = present subjunctive. Object pronouns attach to affirmative commands; precede negative commands.
| Person | Affirmative hablar | Negative hablar | Affirmative comer | Negative comer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tú | habla | no hables | come | no comas |
| usted | hable | no hable | coma | no coma |
| nosotros | hablemos | no hablemos | comamos | no comamos |
| vosotros | hablad | no habléis | comed | no comáis |
| ustedes | hablen | no hablen | coman | no coman |
Which command to use
- tú — informal, one person you know (friend, family, child).
- usted — formal, one person (older, professional context, stranger in some regions).
- nosotros — including yourself ('let's go!').
- vosotros — informal plural, mainly Spain.
- ustedes — formal plural in Spain, all plural in Latin America.
Real commands you'll hear daily
| Person / verb | Form | Example (Spanish) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|---|---|
| tú affirmative | ven | ¡Ven aquí, por favor! | Come here, please! |
| tú negative | no vengas | No vengas tarde. | Don't come late. |
| usted affirmative | pase | Pase, por favor. | Come in, please. |
| nosotros affirmative | vamos | ¡Vamos al parque! | Let's go to the park! |
| ustedes affirmative | siéntense | Siéntense, por favor. | Please sit down (plural). |
The 8 irregular tú affirmative commands
Memorize these monosyllables
di (decir = say), haz (hacer = do/make), ve (ir = go), pon (poner = put), sal (salir = leave), sé (ser = be), ten (tener = have), ven (venir = come). They appear constantly in conversation.
Same verb, different command
Ver vs ir share 've' for the affirmative tú command — context disambiguates: '¡Ve la película!' (watch the movie) vs '¡Ve a casa!' (go home).
Negative versions are regular
These same verbs are regular in their negative tú command: no digas, no hagas, no vayas, no pongas, no salgas, no seas, no tengas, no vengas — drawn from the present subjunctive as usual.
Spanish Commands — frequently asked
- What are the five Spanish command forms?
- tú (informal singular), usted (formal singular), nosotros (let's…), vosotros (informal plural, Spain), and ustedes (plural — formal in Spain, all plural in Latin America). Each has an affirmative and a negative form.
- How do you form a Spanish command?
- Affirmative tú uses the third-person present indicative ('habla'). Affirmative vosotros replaces the infinitive -r with -d ('hablad'). All other commands (formal, plural, negative) use the present subjunctive. Object pronouns attach to affirmative commands and precede negative commands.
- What is the difference between Spain and Latin America with commands?
- Spain uses vosotros (informal plural) and ustedes (formal plural). Latin America uses ustedes for all plural commands and does not use vosotros in daily speech. Singular tú and usted are the same in both regions.
- What are the 8 irregular tú affirmative commands in Spanish?
- di (decir), haz (hacer), ve (ir), pon (poner), sal (salir), sé (ser), ten (tener), ven (venir). These are the most common irregular tú imperatives in Spanish.
- How do you say 'Don't worry' in Spanish?
- Informal: 'No te preocupes' (tú). Formal: 'No se preocupe' (usted). Plural Latin America: 'No se preocupen' (ustedes). All use the present subjunctive with object pronouns placed before the verb.
Keep going
Continue with the directly related tense, verb, and comparison pages.