No eches la pelota tan alto.

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Breakdown of No eches la pelota tan alto.

• alto: high
• no: not
• la pelota: the ball

Questions & Answers about No eches la pelota tan alto.

Why is it eches and not echas?

Because this is a negative command addressed to tú.

In Spanish, negative commands for tú use the present subjunctive, not the normal present tense.

• Present tense: tú echas = you throw
• Negative command: no eches = don’t throw

So No eches la pelota tan alto means Don’t throw the ball so high.

How do you form eches from echar?

A very common way to form the tú negative command is:

1. Start with the yo form of the present tense
   
   • yo echo
2. Remove the final -o
3. Add the opposite ending
   
   • for -ar verbs, use -es

So:

• echar
• yo echo
• eches

That gives:

• no eches

Why is no placed before the verb?