No hables así con tu mamá.

Don’t speak like that with your mom.

Breakdown of No hables así con tu mamá.

• hablar: to speak
• con: with
• la mamá: the mom
• tu: your
• no: not
• así: that way

Questions & Answers about No hables así con tu mamá.

Why is it hables and not hablas?

Hables is the negative command form (negative tú imperative), which uses the present subjunctive in Spanish.

• Hablas = you speak / you talk (simple present, indicative): Tú hablas español.
• (No) hables = don’t speak / don’t talk (negative command to tú): No hables así.

For negative commands with tú, Spanish does not use the normal imperative (habla). It switches to the present subjunctive:

• Hablar → present subjunctive tú form: hables → No hables…

So what verb form is hables exactly, and how is it formed?

Hables is present subjunctive, second person singular (tú) of hablar.

To form it (for -ar verbs like hablar):

1. Take the yo form in the present: hablo
2. Drop the -o: habl-
3. Add the -er/-ir present subjunctive endings for tú → -es:
   
   • hables

This subjunctive form is used:

• for negative tú commands: No hables así.
• in other subjunctive contexts: Quiero que hables.

Why does the sentence start with No? Could I put no somewhere else?

In Spanish, negative commands must have no directly before the verb:

• No hables así con tu mamá. = Don’t talk to your mom like that.

You can’t move no somewhere else like:

• ✗ Hables no así con tu mamá. (incorrect)

The pattern is:

• No + (object pronouns) + verb + rest of the sentence

Example with pronouns:

• No le hables así a tu mamá. (Don’t talk to your mom like that.)

Would No habla así con tu mamá mean the same thing?

No. No habla así con tu mamá is not a command to tú.

• No habla así con tu mamá.
  
  • Could mean: He/She/usted doesn’t talk to your mom like that. (3rd person or formal you, statement)

To tell you (tú) not to do something, you must use the negative tú command:

• No hables así con tu mamá. = Don’t talk to your mom like that.

Why is it con tu mamá and not a tu mamá? Are both possible?

Both con tu mamá and a tu mamá are possible, but they feel slightly different:

• No hables así con tu mamá.

  • Focuses on your interaction with your mom, your way of talking with her.

• No le hables así a tu mamá.

  • Very common in Latin America.
  • Focuses on how you address her; literally: Don’t talk like that *to your mom.*

In everyday speech, No le hables así a tu mamá is probably more frequent than No hables así con tu mamá, but both are correct and natural.

What does así add here? Could I just say No hables con tu mamá?

Así means like that / in that way / that way.

• No hables con tu mamá. = Don’t talk to your mom (at all).
• No hables así con tu mamá. = Don’t talk to your mom like that (don’t use that tone / those words / that attitude).

So así narrows the meaning: the problem is how you’re talking, not the fact of talking itself.

Can así go in a different place, like No hables con tu mamá así?

Yes, you can say:

• No hables así con tu mamá.
• No hables con tu mamá así.

Both are grammatically correct and understandable. The first (No hables así con tu mamá) is generally more common and flows more naturally, but the second is also used, especially in some regions.

You cannot move así in front of the verb:

• ✗ No así hables con tu mamá. (unnatural/wrong in this sense)

What’s the difference between mamá and madre?

Both mean mother, but the tone is different:

• Mamá

  • More affectionate / familiar (like mom / mommy).
  • Very common in everyday speech: Voy con mi mamá.

• Madre

  • More formal, neutral or distant (more like mother in a formal sense).
  • Used in formal contexts or set phrases: Día de la Madre, Mi madre se llama…

In this kind of scolding sentence, mamá is much more natural:

• No hables así con tu mamá.
  Using madre here would sound stiff:
• ? No hables así con tu madre. (understandable but more formal / less typical in many parts of Latin America).

Why does mamá have an accent mark?

The accent mark in mamá shows where the stress is:

• mamá is pronounced ma-MÁ (stress on the last syllable).
• Without the accent, mama would be read MA-ma (stress on the first syllable).

Also, mama (without an accent) is a different word: it can mean breast/udder in some contexts. So the accent changes both the stress and the meaning.

Why do we say tu mamá instead of just mamá? Could I drop tu?

Both are possible, but not always interchangeable:

• No hables así con tu mamá.

  • Clear, neutral: your mom (explicitly saying it’s your mother).

• No hables así con mamá.

  • Also possible, especially in a family context when it’s obvious whose mom it is (the family’s shared mom).
  • This sounds like something another family member (dad, sibling) might say.

In many situations, tu mamá is safer because it’s explicit and widely used.

How would I say this formally, using usted instead of tú?

For usted (formal you), you use the usted present subjunctive:

• No hable así con su mamá.
  
  • Formal, singular: Don’t talk to your mom like that.

If you want the more common pattern with a and the indirect object pronoun:

• No le hable así a su mamá.

Hable is the usted form of the present subjunctive of hablar.

How would I say this to several people (plural you)?

In Latin America, plural you is usually ustedes. Use the ustedes present subjunctive:

• No hablen así con su mamá.
• More common: No le hablen así a su mamá. (If you’re talking about their shared mother.)

Hablen is the ustedes present subjunctive of hablar.

Is the tone of No hables así con tu mamá very strong or just mildly scolding?

By itself, No hables así con tu mamá is a reproach or scolding, but it isn’t automatically extremely rude. The tone depends a lot on voice, context, and added words:

• Neutral / firm: parent correcting a child, teacher correcting a student.
• Stronger if you add emphasis:
  
  • ¡No le hables así a tu mamá!
  • Oye, no vuelvas a hablarle así a tu mamá.

So it’s a serious correction, but not necessarily aggressive; it’s standard language for telling someone they’re being disrespectful.