The imperative (el imperativo in Spanish) is used to give orders. If you want to tell someone to turn a light on, for example, or to stop doing something, then you’ll need to use the imperative in Spanish. In addition to issuing commands, the imperative is used to:
- to give permission
- to offer something
- to give advice, instructions, or orders
The imperative comes in two forms: the positive (telling someone to do something) and the negative (telling someone to not do something).
Before we get into using el imperativo, it’s important to remember that you must distinguish between tú and usted (informal and formal versions of “you,” respectively). How to address someone. (Youtube)
Conjugating El Imperativo
Affirmative form:
When you give orders to or recommend something to a person you are familiar with or to children you use 3rd person singular in present tense in imperative affirmative.
If you want to be polite and use USTED/USTEDES, the verbs change their form. AR-verbs get e/en and er/ir-verbs get a/an. See the table for examples.
Negative form:
In all negative forms you use the same as the USTED/USTEDES-forms.
Let’s talk, eat, write:
To encourage someone to do something with you you use 1st person plural subjunctive form:
HABLEMOS, COMAMOS, ESCRIBAMOS
General information:
There are only three persons that use el imperativo because you cannot order yourself, he, she, or us to do something—you can only order someone you’re talking to (i.e., “you”) to do something.
The regular imperative form of the verb:
| Tu | Usted | ustedes | |
| Afirmativo | Habla
come escribe |
Hable
Coma Coman |
Hablen
coman escriban |
| Negativo | No hables
no comas no escribas |
No hable
no coma no escriba |
No hablen
no coman no escriban |
Irregular forms:
| Verbs with irregular form in positive imperative informal form (tu) | Verbs with irregular form in positive and negative imperative informal form usted/ustedes | |
| Poner – pon ser – sé decir – di ir – ve hacer – haz salir – sal tener – ten venir – ven |
Tener – (No) Tengas/tenga/tengamos/tengan
Hacer – (no) Hagas/Haga/hagamos/hagan Salir – (No) Salgas/Salga/salgamos/salgan Decir – (No) Digas/Diga/digamos/digan Venir – (No) Vengas/Venga/vengamos/vengan Poner – (No) Pongas/Ponga/pongamos/pongan Caer – (No) Caigas/Caiga/caigamos/caigan Traer – (No) Traigas/traiga/traigamos/traigan Dar – (No) Des/Dé/demos/den |
|
| Verbs with irregular form in negative imperative informal form (tu) (NO) | ||
| Poner – pongas ser – seas decir – digas ir – vayas hacer – hagas salir – salgas tener – tengas venir – vengas Traer – traigas |
Dar – des
Pedir – pidas Dormir – duermas Jugar – juegas Pensar – pienses |
|
Constructing a Sentence with El Imperativo
Pronouns in Spanish can be attached to verb in two different ways.
1) in front of the conjugated verb
Te lo llevo. (I will bring it to you.)
2) attached behind the infinitive, the affirmative imperative og the gerund (-ing)
Voy a comprartelo. (I will buy it to you)
Estoy escribiendolo. (I am writing it now.)
3) When the imperative is negative the pronouns precede it in a normal way.
No me lo compres. (Don’t buy it to me)
| Pronombre
objeto directo |
Pronombre
reflexivo |
Pronombre objeto indirecto | |
| yo |
me |
||
| tú/vos |
te |
||
| usted, él, ella | lo |
se |
le (se) |
| la | |||
| nosotros, -as |
nos |
||
| ustedes, ellos, ellas | los |
se |
les (se) |
| las | |||
Example:
Cómpralo. – Buy it.
Cómpramelo. – Buy it for/to me.
Example:
No lo compres.
No me lo compres.