There are many different types of Spanish commands, including negative tú commands, formal commands, indirect commands, nosotros commands, and affirmative tú commands. We'll focus on affirmative tú commands in this article, so ¡ponte listo! (look sharp!) These command forms are definitely going to come in handy.
Overview
Tú commands are the singular form of informal commands. You can use affirmative tú commands to tell a friend, family member the same age as you or younger, classmate, child, or pet to do something. To tell somebody not to do something, you would use a negative tú command. This article covers affirmative tú commands (also called the informal imperative) in all their forms.
Just so you know, here is what each of these command forms looks like.
Affirmative Tú Command
Compra los libros.
Buy the books.
Negative Tú Command
No compres los libros.
Don’t buy the books.
How to Form Regular Affirmative Tú Commands
For regular verbs, you will simply use the third-person singular form of the present indicative to form an affirmative tú command.
Forming Commands with -ar Verbs
For verbs that end in -ar, add the third-person singular ending -a to the stem
Verb Stem Tú Command English
comprar
compr-
Compra la camisa.
Buy the shirt.
Stem? I thought we were talking about verbs, not plants.
In Spanish grammar lingo, a stem is the verb form you're left with if you take the -ar, -er or -ir away from the end of an infinitive.
Example: The stem of comprar is compr-.
Forming Commands with -er and -ir Verbs
For verbs that end in -er and -ir, add the third-person singular ending -e to the stem
Verb Stem Tú Command English
aprender
aprend-
¡Aprende español!
Learn Spanish!
escribir
escrib-
Escribe el ensayo.
Write the essay.
Forming Commands with Verbs with Stem or Spelling Changes
For verbs with stem changes or spelling changes in the present tense, the stem or spelling change also applies to the informal command form. Here are some examples of these types of verbs.
Verb Tú Command English
cerrar
Cierra la puerta.
Close the door.
mover
Mueve esas sillas.
Move those chairs.
incluir
Incluye tus datos aquí.
Include your information here.
Irregular Affirmative Tú Commands
All verbs with irregular third-person singular forms in the present tense maintain that same irregularity in the affirmative informal command, except for the following eight verbs, which have special irregular affirmative command forms. These ones are super-duper irregular.
Verb Affirmative Tú Command Form
ser
sé
ir
ve
tener
ten
venir
ven
hacer
haz
decir
di
poner
pon
salir
sal
To remember the super-duper irregular command forms in the table above, memorize this mnemonic device:
se ve ten ven haz di pon sal
Now say it ten times fast. No, es broma (just kidding), but do practice it so you don't forget these important irregular affirmative command forms.
Pronoun Placement with Commands
Pronouns are attached to the end of affirmative commands. A written accent (tilde ) is often added to maintain the verb's original stress, especially if more than one pronoun is used.
Traelo.
Bring it.
Tráemelo.
Bring it to me.
Dilo.
Say it.
Díselo.
Say it to her.
Cómpraselo.
Buy it for him.
Ponte los zapatos ¡Póntelos!
Put on your shoes. Put them on!
Punctuation to the Rescue!
Because informal tú commands take the same form as the third-person singular of the present tense, it is helpful to include exclamation points to indicate urgency. You can also include the name of the person you are commanding, followed by a comma. Without the comma, an imperative verb could be confused with a third-person singular present verb. Compare the following sentences, paying careful attention to the different punctuation.
Spanish English Verb Mood
Compra la camisa.
She buys the shirt. Present indicative
¡Compra la camisa!
Buy the shirt! Informal imperative
Alicia compra la camisa.
Alicia buys the shirt. Present indicative
Alicia, compra la camisa.
Alicia, buy the shirt. Informal imperative
