Key points about imperatives in Spanish
- Imperatives are used to give commands, orders and instructions.
- Positive commands use the tú form of the verb.
- Use an upside down exclamation mark ¡ at the beginning of the command and a regular exclamation mark ! at the end.
- Higher Tier - Positive commands can also use the vosotros form of the verb.
Forming the positive imperative with 'tú'- regular Spanish verbs
Use the tú form of the imperative when talking to one person informally.
To form the positive (affirmative) imperative for the tú form of a Something that follows the usual or ‘regular’ pattern. verb, take the s off the tú form of the A verb that describes an action that is happening now or that happens regularly, eg I eat breakfast..
| Tú form of the verb | English | Tú form of the imperative | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | you speak | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Speak! |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | you work | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Work! |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | you eat | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Eat! |
Forming the positive imperative with 'tú'- irregular Spanish verbs
Many high frequency verbs have Something that does not follow the usual or ‘regular’ pattern. imperatives in the tú form.
| Spanish infinitive | English | Tú form of the imperative | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to say | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Say! |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to make/do | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Do!/Make! |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to go out | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Go out! |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to be | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Be! |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to have | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Have! |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to go | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Go! |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to come | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Come! |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to put | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Put! |
For example:
¡Haz tus deberes! - Do your homework!
¡Sé bueno! - Be good!
¡Ten cuidado! - Be careful!
¡Ven aquí! - Come here!
Remember
Don't forget to add an upside-down exclamation mark at the beginning of the command ¡ and a regular exclamation mark ! at the end.
For example:
¡Pon la mochila sobre la mesa! - Put the rucksack on the table!
Imperatives in Spanish - Mini quiz
Translate the following into Spanish using the tú form:
Speak!
¡Habla!
Quiz - Imperatives in Spanish
Practise what you've learned about imperatives in Spanish with this quiz.
Higher Tier - Forming the positive imperative in the 'vosotros' form
Use the vosotros form of the imperative when talking to more than one person informally.
To form positive commands for the vosotros form, change the r at the end of the Form of the verb that has not been conjugated. Usually translated with 'to' in English, eg to play. to a d.
| Spanish infinitive | English | Vosotros form of the imperative | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to speak | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Speak! |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to run | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Run! |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to sleep | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Sleep! |
For example:
¡Terminad el trabajo! - Finish the work!
¡Comed todas las verduras! - Eat all the vegetables!
¡Dormid bien! - Sleep well!
Higher Tier - Imperatives - Mini quiz
Translate the following into Spanish using the vosotros form:
Take!
¡Tomad!
Higher Tier - Quiz - Imperatives
Practise what you've learned about imperatives in Spanish with this quiz.
Now you have learned about imperatives in Spanish why not explore negative forms in Spanish?
