The negative imperative does the exact opposite of the affirmative one when it comes to pronouns. In the affirmative, dímelo (tell it to me) writes the pronouns attached to the verb. In the negative, the same idea becomes no me lo digas — three separate words, with the pronouns sitting in front of the verb. This mirror-image behaviour is the single biggest source of error in Spanish imperatives, especially for English speakers, because there is no equivalent rule in English. This page shows you exactly where the pronouns go, in what order, and why.
The core rule: pronouns precede the verb
In a negative command, clitics (object and reflexive pronouns) do not attach to the verb. They sit before it as separate words, in the same position they occupy in any other negative sentence with a conjugated verb.
No me hables así, por favor.
Don't talk to me like that, please.
No lo hagas todavía, espera un momento.
Don't do it yet, wait a moment.
No te preocupes, todo va a salir bien.
Don't worry, everything's going to be fine.
Notice the structure: no + (any clitics, in IO–DO order) + verb. The negative imperative verb itself is the present subjunctive form — hables, hagas, preocupes — but that's covered separately under negative tú commands. What matters here is the placement of the pronouns.
Why the mirror-image rule
It looks bizarre at first that Spanish would attach clitics in the affirmative but detach them in the negative. The historical explanation is simple: clitics in older Spanish followed the verb when the verb began the clause, and preceded it otherwise. The affirmative imperative starts the clause with the verb, so clitics follow. The negative imperative starts with no, so clitics revert to their normal preverbal slot. Modern Spanish has preserved this pattern almost untouched in the imperative.
For learners, the practical takeaway is: the negative imperative behaves exactly like an ordinary negative present-tense sentence as far as pronoun placement goes. Compare:
| Indicative negative | Imperative negative |
|---|---|
| No me hablas. | No me hables. |
| No lo haces. | No lo hagas. |
| No se lo das. | No se lo des. |
| No te levantas. | No te levantes. |
The pronouns are in exactly the same slot. Only the verb form changes (subjunctive for the command).
Order of pronouns: IO before DO
The same fixed order applies: indirect object pronoun first, direct object pronoun second, both before the verb.
No me lo digas otra vez, ya lo entendí.
Don't tell me that again, I already got it.
No se lo des a los niños, que es demasiado picante.
Don't give it to the kids, it's too spicy.
No nos lo cuentes ahora; espera a que esté todo el mundo.
Don't tell it to us now; wait until everyone's here.
As in the affirmative, le/les + lo/la/los/las becomes se lo / se la / se los / se las.
No se lo digas a tu madre, por favor.
Don't tell your mother, please.
Reflexive verbs
Reflexive pronouns follow exactly the same rule — they go in front of the verb.
No te muevas, que tienes algo en el pelo.
Don't move, you have something in your hair.
No te olvides de cerrar con llave al salir.
Don't forget to lock the door on your way out.
No te sientes ahí, que la silla está rota.
Don't sit there, the chair is broken.
If the verb is both reflexive and has a direct object pronoun, the order is reflexive + DO + verb:
No te lo pongas, está sucio.
Don't put it on, it's dirty.
Peninsular vosotros: no os + subjunctive
The plural informal command in Spain uses vosotros. Its negative form takes the present subjunctive, and the pronoun os sits in front of the verb — there is no -d drop here because there is no -d to drop in the negative form.
No os preocupéis, llegaremos a tiempo.
Don't worry, we'll get there on time.
No os mováis de ahí hasta que yo vuelva.
Don't move from there until I come back.
No os creáis todo lo que oigáis por ahí.
Don't believe everything you hear around.
Notice that no os often gets reduced in fast speech to something close to nos, but in writing the two words are always kept distinct.
Usted and ustedes negative commands
Formal negative commands follow the same structure: no + pronouns + verb in the present subjunctive.
No me lo diga ahora, por favor; espere a la reunión.
Don't tell me now, please; wait until the meeting. (formal)
No se preocupen, todo está bajo control.
Don't worry, everything is under control. (formal plural)
The full affirmative ↔ negative mirror
The cleanest way to internalise this is to look at pairs side by side:
| Affirmative | Negative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ¡Hazlo! | ¡No lo hagas! | Do it / Don't do it |
| ¡Dímelo! | ¡No me lo digas! | Tell it to me / Don't tell it to me |
| ¡Dáselo! | ¡No se lo des! | Give it to him / Don't give it to him |
| ¡Levántate! | ¡No te levantes! | Get up / Don't get up |
| ¡Póntelo! | ¡No te lo pongas! | Put it on / Don't put it on |
| ¡Decídmelo! | ¡No me lo digáis! | Tell it to me (pl.) / Don't tell it to me (pl.) |
| ¡Sentaos! | ¡No os sentéis! | Sit down (pl.) / Don't sit down (pl.) |
| ¡Dígamelo! | ¡No me lo diga! | Tell it to me (formal) / Don't tell it to me (formal) |
Two systematic changes happen across every row: the verb form switches (affirmative imperative → present subjunctive), and the pronouns slide from suffix position to preverbal position.
What English does
English makes no such switch. Tell me and don't tell me keep the pronoun in the same place — after the verb. That's why English-speaking learners reliably try to say no dime or no dímelo when they want don't tell me. The correction is to remember that Spanish moves the pronouns every time you negate a command — there is no exception.
Word order with negative time adverbs
Words like nunca, jamás, tampoco often appear with negative commands. They sit either before no (and replace it) or in their normal post-verbal position. Pronouns still go between no/nunca and the verb:
Nunca le digas eso a un niño.
Never say that to a child.
Jamás se lo cuentes a nadie.
Never tell anyone about it.
No me lo digas nunca más.
Never tell me that again.
Common Mistakes
❌ No dime la verdad.
Incorrect — pronouns cannot stay attached in a negative imperative.
✅ No me digas la verdad.
Don't tell me the truth.
❌ No hazlo ahora.
Incorrect — both the verb form (must be subjunctive) and the pronoun position are wrong.
✅ No lo hagas ahora.
Don't do it now.
❌ No levántate todavía.
Incorrect — the reflexive pronoun must precede, and the verb is subjunctive.
✅ No te levantes todavía.
Don't get up yet.
❌ No lo me digas.
Incorrect — DO cannot precede IO; the order is always IO + DO.
✅ No me lo digas.
Don't tell me that.
❌ No le lo des a tu hermano.
Incorrect — le + lo must become se lo.
✅ No se lo des a tu hermano.
Don't give it to your brother.
Key takeaways
- In the negative imperative, all clitics sit before the verb as separate words.
- The order is always (no) + IO + DO + verb, never the other way around.
- Le/les
- lo/la/los/las still becomes se lo / se la / se los / se las.
- The verb itself takes the present subjunctive form — see negative tú commands.
- The affirmative ↔ negative switch involves two simultaneous changes: verb form, and pronoun position.
If you only remember one thing from this page, remember the mirror: Dímelo → No me lo digas. Internalise that one pair and the rest of the system unfolds from it.
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Start learning Spanish→Related Topics
- Pronombres con el imperativo afirmativoA2 — In affirmative commands, object and reflexive pronouns attach to the end of the verb to form a single written word — dímelo, levántate, ponéoslo.
- Imperativo negativo de túA2 — How to tell a friend not to do something — no + 2nd-singular present subjunctive — with the same form for every verb in Spanish, regular or irregular.
- Acentos en los imperativos con pronombresA2 — When pronouns attach to an affirmative imperative, a written accent often becomes obligatory to preserve the verb's original spoken stress — dímelo, cómelo, levántate.
- Imperativo: visión generalA2 — The master map of the Spanish imperative — affirmative and negative commands for tú, vosotros, usted, ustedes and nosotros — with the peninsular vosotros form as its headline feature.
- Complemento directo con imperativosA2 — In affirmative commands the direct object pronoun attaches to the end (hazlo, cómelos); in negative commands it slides in front (no lo hagas, no los comas) — with a critical accent rule that learners constantly drop.