A little more to say
Asking someone to do something
Requests and commands
Tell or ask someone to do something.
Endings refresher
Commands
These examples use hablar. Affirmative tú and vosotros differ from the subjunctive forms used for the other commands.
| Person | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tú | habla | no hables |
| usted | hable | no hable |
| nosotros / nosotras | hablemos | no hablemos |
| vosotros / vosotras | hablad | no habléis |
| ustedes | hablen | no hablen |
hacer: tú haz; negative tú no hagas
- Stem changes can remain in commands: recordar → recuerda; negative tú: no recuerdes.
- Common irregular affirmative tú forms: ven, di, sal, haz, ten, ve, pon, sé.
- For regular usted / ustedes: hablar → hable / hablen; comer → coma / coman; vivir → viva / vivan. Pronouns attach to affirmative commands and go before negative commands.
- These charts use tú. Vosotros / vosotras is mainly used in Spain; ustedes uses the final row. Vos forms vary by region.
The pattern
- Affirmative tú commonly matches él/ella present: habla, come, escribe.
- Negative tú uses subjunctive: no hables, no comas, no escribas.
- Usted/ustedes: hable/hablen. Common irregular tú forms: ven, di, sal, haz, ten, ve, pon, sé.
Cierra la puerta, por favor.
Close the door, please.
Why it works: Cierra asks one person, addressed as tú, to close the door. Cerrar changes e to ie in this command.
Notice the difference
No cierres la puerta, por favor.
Do not close the door, please.
Why it works: A negative tú command uses present subjunctive cierres. It is not formed by putting no before cierra.
One thing to watch for
Attach pronouns to affirmative commands, but put them before negative commands: dímelo / no me lo digas.