Spanish imperative: how to give orders, instructions and advice

You learn that "do it" is hazlo, so you confidently say no hazlo for "don't do it". Everyone understands you, and everyone notices. The correct form is no lo hagas — different verb form, different word order. The negative imperative is not the affirmative with no in front, and that is where most learners lose control of commands.

The short version: Affirmative tú commands have their own short forms, eight of which are irregular (di, haz, ve, pon, sal, sé, ten, ven). Everything else — usted, ustedes, nosotros and all negative commands — uses the subjunctive. Pronouns attach to the end of affirmative commands and go before negative ones.

Affirmative tú: the everyday command

For regular verbs, the affirmative tú command is identical to the third person singular of the present tense.

Stem changes carry over: cerrar gives cierra, volver gives vuelve, pedir gives pide. If you know the él/ella present form, you know the command.

The eight irregulars. Short, very common, and worth memorising as a block. There are no others.

Note the accent on sé (ser), which distinguishes it in writing from the pronoun se.

Vosotros: drop the -r, add a -d

The vosotros command, used in Spain for a group you address informally, is simple: take the infinitive and replace the final -r with -d. No exceptions.

Even the verbs irregular in the tú form behave here: hacer gives haced, decir gives decid, ir gives id.

Usted and ustedes: borrow the subjunctive

Formal commands use the present subjunctive: take the yo form of the present, drop the -o, and add the opposite vowel ending.

Pase, siéntese. — Come in, sit down. In Latin America ustedes covers both formal and informal plural, so these forms work harder there than in Spain.

The negative imperative: the real trap

All negative commands use the subjunctive, for every person. The affirmative tú forms you just learned disappear completely.

Notice that usted and ustedes do not change: they were already subjunctive. Only tú and vosotros transform.

Where the pronouns go

This is the second half of the system, and completely regular.

Two points. The order is always indirect before direct: me then lo, giving dímelo. And attaching pronouns often forces a written accent, because the extra syllables would otherwise shift the stress: di and dime take none, dímelo does, as do siéntate and levántate. The spoken stress never moves.

The nosotros command: "let's"

English "let's do it" is a single subjunctive form: hablemos, comamos, hagámoslo. The negative works the same way: no hablemos de eso.

Ir is the exception: "let's go" is vamos, and with the reflexive, vámonos. A reflexive nosotros command drops the final -s before nos: sentémonos, levantémonos.

Reflexive vosotros drops the -d

Attach os to a vosotros command and the -d disappears: sentad + os gives sentaos, levantad + os gives levantaos, likewise callaos, poneos. The one exception is irse, which gives idos.

How commands actually sound in Spain

Here is the cultural point English speakers most need. A bare imperative in English sounds abrupt, so English hedges with "could I possibly", "would you mind". Spanish does not carry the same weight. Dame un café between friends, or ponme una caña in a bar, is entirely normal. Translating English politeness scaffolding word for word makes you sound stiff and oddly formal. Spanish has its own softeners:

• Add por favor — Pásame la sal, por favor.
• Use a question — ¿Me pones un café?, ¿Me pasas la sal? This is the natural way to order in a bar.
• Ask about ability — ¿Puedes ayudarme? for a genuine favour.
• Switch to usted with strangers or in professional settings: Dígame, Perdone.

The imperative is also the normal form for instructions, recipes and directions: Gira a la derecha, Añade dos huevos. Nobody there is giving you orders at all.

Frequently asked questions

Why is "no hazlo" wrong?

Because negative commands use the subjunctive and place pronouns before the verb, not attached to it. The correct form is no lo hagas. The form haz exists only in affirmative commands and disappears once you add no.

What are the irregular tú commands in Spanish?

There are eight: di (decir), haz (hacer), ve (ir), pon (poner), sal (salir), sé (ser), ten (tener), ven (venir). They are irregular only in the affirmative; in the negative they follow the subjunctive like everything else: no digas, no hagas, no vayas.

When do I need a written accent on a command?

When attaching pronouns adds syllables that would otherwise move the stress in writing. Dime needs no accent, but dímelo does; likewise siéntate and levántate. Pronunciation does not change: the accent preserves the original stressed syllable.

Is using the imperative rude in Spanish?

Much less than in English. Dame un café or ponme una caña is ordinary between friends and in bars, and nobody hears it as aggressive. To soften it, add por favor or turn it into a question such as ¿me pones un café?, which is what most Spaniards actually say.

How do I say "let's" in Spanish?

Use the nosotros subjunctive: hablemos, comamos, salgamos esta noche. The exception is ir: "let's go" is vamos, reflexive vámonos. Reflexive forms drop the final -s before nos: sentémonos, not sentemosnos.