Usted Commands

When you address someone as usted — a stranger, a customer, an older person, a professional colleague — you also use a special command form. The usted imperative is the formal singular command. In Latin American Spanish, it's polite, neutral, and very common in business, service, and healthcare contexts.

The rule

The usted command is the third-person singular of the present subjunctive. That single form is used for both affirmative and negative commands — you simply put no in front when you want the negative.

InfinitiveAffirmativeNegative
hablarhableno hable
comercomano coma
vivirvivano viva
escribirescribano escriba
trabajartrabajeno trabaje
abrirabrano abra

Unlike tú, the usted form works the same way in both directions. That makes it a relief after the two-form tú system.

How to build it

Mentally, the process is:

  1. Start with the yo form of the present indicative (hablo, como, vivo).
  2. Drop the final -o (habl-, com-, viv-).
  3. Add the "opposite vowel": -e for -ar verbs, -a for -er and -ir verbs.

This is the same recipe as the present subjunctive, because it is the present subjunctive.

Examples

Hable más despacio, por favor.

Please speak more slowly.

Pase usted, lo estábamos esperando.

Come in, we've been expecting you.

Escriba su nombre y su firma aquí.

Write your name and signature here.

No se preocupe, yo me encargo de todo.

Don't worry, I'll take care of everything.

Irregular verbs

All the usual subjunctive irregulars apply. If the yo form is irregular, so is the usted command.

InfinitiveUsted command
tenertenga
venirvenga
salirsalga
hacerhaga
decirdiga
ponerponga
irvaya
sersea
estaresté
dardé
sabersepa
haberhaya

Tenga cuidado al cruzar la calle.

Be careful when you cross the street.

Vaya al tercer piso y pregunte por María.

Go to the third floor and ask for María.

Sea puntual para la entrevista.

Be on time for the interview.

Spelling and stem changes

Verbs ending in -car, -gar, and -zar shift their spelling for pronunciation: busque, llegue, empiece. Stem-changing verbs keep their change: piense, vuelva, pida, duerma.

Busque en el cajón de arriba.

Look in the top drawer.

Piense bien antes de firmar.

Think carefully before you sign.

Pronouns

Pronoun placement follows the usual command pattern. Attach pronouns to the end of affirmative commands; place them before negative commands.

Dígame su apellido, por favor.

Please tell me your last name.

No se olvide de traer su pasaporte.

Don't forget to bring your passport.

Siéntese donde quiera.

Have a seat wherever you like.

Adding usted for emphasis

Sometimes the pronoun usted is spoken right after the command for extra politeness or clarity. This is especially common in service language.

Firme usted aquí, por favor.

Please sign here.

Pase usted primero.

You go first.

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The usted command is the easiest formal tool you have. One form covers both affirmative and negative — just add no for the negative.
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To switch from a regular affirmative tú command to an usted command, flip the final vowel. Habla → hable. Come → coma. Vive → viva.

For the plural version of this same form, continue to Ustedes Commands.

Related Topics

  • Imperative OverviewA2 — A tour of Spanish commands and the different forms for tú, usted, nosotros, and ustedes.
  • Ustedes CommandsB1 — The plural command used throughout Latin America for any group you address as ustedes.
  • Tú: Negative CommandsB1 — Tell someone not to do something with no plus the present subjunctive tú form.
  • Subjunctive Triggers OverviewB1 — An overview of the WEIRDO categories that introduce the subjunctive in Spanish dependent clauses.