So far every command has been aimed directly at the listener: ¡ven!, ¡siéntese!, ¡cállense!. But what if you want to tell someone that a third party should do something — "let him come in", "may they be happy", "have a good day"? For that, Spanish uses a simple but elegant structure: que + present subjunctive.
The basic pattern
The formula is:
que + present subjunctive verb + (subject, if needed)
The word que here is not a question word and not exactly a conjunction — it is closer to the English let or may at the start of a wish. You do not write a question mark, but you almost always write an exclamation mark.
¡Que pase!
Let him come in!
¡Que descanses!
Rest well! / Sleep well!
¡Que se diviertan!
Have fun, you all!
Even though these translate into English with let, may, or have, the Spanish is just que plus a subjunctive form. No helper verbs, no "dejar", no infinitive.
Third-person commands
The most literal use is to pass along a command that someone else should carry out. You use it when you are not speaking to the person who will do the action.
Que lo haga Pedro.
Let Pedro do it.
Que espere un momento.
Have him (or her) wait a moment.
Wishes and good-byes
The same structure powers an enormous number of everyday farewells and well-wishes. Once you notice the pattern, you will start hearing it everywhere.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¡Que te vaya bien! | Hope it goes well for you! |
| ¡Que tengan buen viaje! | Have a good trip (you all)! |
| ¡Que duermas bien! | Sleep well! |
| ¡Que se mejore pronto! | Get well soon! |
| ¡Que Dios te bendiga! | May God bless you! |
Pronoun placement
Because que + subjunctive is treated as a conjugated form (not an imperative proper), pronouns come before the verb, not attached to it.
¡Que se lo den a ella!
Let them give it to her!
This is the same placement you would use in any ordinary sentence. You do not write ¡que dénselo! — that would look like an attached affirmative command, and it is wrong here.
Is it really a command?
Strictly speaking, these constructions are a kind of hortative or optative — they express a wish or an instruction about a third party. Spanish grammar treats them as part of the imperative family because they fill the same role: telling someone (or fate, or the universe) what should happen.
If you want to soften a direct order instead of bouncing it through a third party, look at softened requests.
Related Topics
- Imperative OverviewA2 — A tour of Spanish commands and the different forms for tú, usted, nosotros, and ustedes.
- Softened RequestsB1 — How to make requests politer than a direct command using the conditional, modal verbs, and impersonal forms.