The imperative in Spanish is used to give directives, make requests, offer advice, and even offer invites. Whether you are telling someone to “Escucha!” (Listen!) or warning them, “No toques eso!”. (Do not touch that!) or motivating them with “¡Sigue adelante!” (Keep going!); understanding this grammatical structure will help your Spanish sound more natural and confident.

The imperative mood in Spanish is one of the easiest to conjugate, even if it looks complicated. I always encourage my students to master this grammatical structure because it will help them out a lot when having Spanish conversations. 

So in today’s blog post, we will look at the imperative mood, how it works, how to build it, and how to apply it in real-world circumstances. By the end of this, you will have a basic understanding of how to efficiently give orders in Spanish. 

Are you ready? ¡Vamos! (Let’s go!)

What Is the Imperative Mood?

The imperative mood in Spanish is used to give an order to someone, to make a suggestion to do something, give recommendations, offer advice, or make a request.

Unlike the indicative or subjunctive moods, which are used to describe wants or hypothetical circumstances, the imperative mood is all about action, telling someone what to do (or not do).

You will frequently hear the imperative in everyday conversations, whether in pleasant banter, receiving or reading instructions, or even road signs. For example:

• Ven aquí. (Come here.)
• Escucha esta canción. (Listen to this song.)
• No toques eso. (Don’t touch that.)

But…how do you form it? Well, it depends on a couple of things.

Forming the Affirmative Imperative

In Spanish, the imperative changes depending on whom you’re addressing. Let me break it down for you step by step.

Tú (Informal Singular)

For regular verbs, forming the affirmative imperative for “tú” is simple:

1. Take the third-person singular (él/ella/usted) form of the present indicative.
2. Use it as the command.

Examples:

• Hablar → Habla (Speak!)
• Comer → Come (Eat!)
• Escribir → Escribe (Write!)

Some verbs don’t follow this pattern and have unique imperative forms. These are called irregular verbs. The conjugation will vary depending on each individual irregular verb. Here’s a small guide for some of them:

Usted (Formal Singular)

For a polite or formal command, follow these steps:

1. Take the first-person singular (yo) form of the present indicative.
2. Remove the “-o” ending.
3. Add the opposite vowel ending:
   • -ar verbs → -e
   • -er / -ir verbs → -a

Examples:

• Hablar (yo hablo) → Hable (Speak!)
• Comer (yo como) → Coma (Eat!)
• Escribir (yo escribo) → Escriba (Write!)

Vosotros (Informal Plural – Spain)

In Spain, to address a group informally, follow this simple rule:

1. Take the infinitive form.
2. Remove the final -r and add “d”.

Examples:

• Hablar → Hablad (Speak!)
• Comer → Comed (Eat!)
• Escribir → Escribid (Write!)

Ustedes (Formal Plural – Latin America & Spain)

For ustedes, the process is similar to usted, but with an added “-n”:

Examples:

• Hablar → Hablen (Speak!)
• Comer → Coman (Eat!)
• Escribir → Escriban (Write!)

Forming the Negative Imperative

The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive form for all subjects.

Tú (Informal Singular)

1. Start with the yo form of the present indicative.
2. Drop the “-o” ending.
3. Add the opposite vowel ending:
   • -ar verbs → -es
   • -er / -ir verbs → -as

Examples:

• No hables. (Don’t speak.)
• No comas eso. (Don’t eat that.)
• No escribas en la mesa. (Don’t write on the table.)

Other Forms (Usted, Nosotros, Vosotros, Ustedes)

For all other subjects, just add “no” before the affirmative subjunctive form:

• No hable tan rápido. (Don’t speak so fast.)
• No comamos demasiado. (Let’s not eat too much.)
• No escribáis en el cuaderno. (Don’t write in the notebook.)
• No hablen de eso. (Don’t talk about that.)

Reflexive Verbs in the Imperative

Affirmative Commands with Reflexives

Attach the reflexive pronoun to the end of the verb:

• Lávate las manos. (Wash your hands.)
• Dúchese antes de salir. (Shower before leaving.)
• Cepillaos los dientes. (Brush your teeth.)

Negative Commands with Reflexives

Place the reflexive pronoun before the verb:

• No te levantes tarde. (Don’t get up late.)
• No se preocupe. (Don’t worry.)
• No os acostéis muy tarde. (Don’t go to bed too late.)

Now Let’s Put Them Into Practice!

The Spanish imperative is a valuable tool for everyday conversations, allowing you to sound more natural whether providing directions, making requests, or offering advice. While the many forms may appear confusing at first, with practice, they will become second nature.

So, what comes next? Practice, practice, practice! Try using imperative phrases in your Spanish practice by giving yourself commands like “¡Estudia más!” (Study more!) or practicing with a Spanish-speaking friend.

If you’re ready to take your Spanish to the next level, why not book a lesson with one of our amazing tutors at Strommen? We’d love to help you master the Spanish possessive adjectives (and so much more) with fun, personalized lessons.