Direct commands in Spanish (¡Ven!, ¡Escuchen!, ¡No hables!) cannot survive inside a subordinate clause. When you report what someone ordered, suggested, asked, or begged, the imperative form disappears and is replaced by the subjunctive. The exact tense of the subjunctive depends on when the reporting happened.
The Basic Transformation
A command becomes a que clause introduced by a verb of influence such as decir, pedir, ordenar, rogar, sugerir, or aconsejar. The verb inside the clause goes into the subjunctive.
- If the reporting verb is in the present, use the present subjunctive.
- If the reporting verb is in the past, use the imperfect subjunctive. See Tense Shifts.
«¡Escuchen con atención!» → La maestra les pidió que escucharan con atención.
'Listen carefully!' → The teacher asked them to listen carefully.
«Abre la ventana.» → Me dice que abra la ventana.
'Open the window.' → He tells me to open the window.
Decir que with Two Meanings
The verb decir is special. Followed by the indicative, it reports a statement of fact. Followed by the subjunctive, it reports a command or request. The same verb decir que can therefore mean two very different things depending on the mood that follows.
Mi mamá dice que estudie mucho.
My mom tells me to study a lot. (a command)
Negative Commands
Negative commands behave the same way: the no stays, and the verb moves into the subjunctive.
«¡No corran!» → Nos gritó que no corriéramos.
'Don't run!' → He yelled at us not to run.
«No me llames tan tarde.» → Me pidió que no la llamara tan tarde.
'Don't call me so late.' → She asked me not to call her so late.
Other Verbs of Influence
Many verbs beyond decir introduce reported commands. Each adds a slightly different tone of authority or politeness.
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| pedir | to ask (for), to request |
| ordenar / mandar | to order, to command |
| rogar / suplicar | to beg, to plead |
| sugerir | to suggest |
| aconsejar | to advise |
| recomendar | to recommend |
| insistir en | to insist on |
El doctor le recomendó que tomara más agua.
The doctor recommended that he drink more water.
Mis padres insistieron en que volviera temprano.
My parents insisted that I come back early.
Present-Tense Reporting
When the reporting verb stays in the present, the reported command uses the present subjunctive. No backshift is needed. See Dice que vs. Dijo que.
Mi hermano me pide que lo ayude con la tarea.
My brother is asking me to help him with the homework.
El jefe nos ordena que terminemos el informe hoy.
The boss orders us to finish the report today.
Using the Infinitive as an Alternative
Latin American Spanish allows a common shortcut when the subject of the request is clear and short: decir a alguien + infinitivo.
Me dijo que viniera temprano.
He told me to come early.
Me dijo venir temprano.
He told me to come early. (less common, more colloquial)
The subjunctive version is more standard and is what you should use in formal writing. The infinitive pattern is most natural in casual speech and with verbs like mandar, dejar, hacer, and prohibir: Me mandó callar, Lo dejó entrar.
Full Circle: A Longer Example
Putting it all together, watch how a short dialogue transforms into reported speech.
«¡Llámame mañana y tráeme los documentos!» → Me pidió que la llamara al día siguiente y que le llevara los documentos.
'Call me tomorrow and bring me the documents!' → She asked me to call her the next day and bring her the documents.
Notice three simultaneous shifts: the imperatives llámame and tráeme move to the imperfect subjunctive (llamara, llevara), the time word mañana becomes al día siguiente, and traer switches to llevar because the documents are now going away from the reporter's location. Commands are where all the pieces of reported speech come together.
Related Topics
- Reported Speech OverviewB1 — How Spanish reports what someone else said using direct and indirect speech.
- Tense ShiftsB2 — How verb tenses move backward when reporting speech from a past moment in Spanish.
- Reporting QuestionsB2 — How to turn direct questions into indirect ones using 'si' and question words.