Irregular informal commands (ven, di, sal...)

Most informal () commands use the same form as the él/ella present tense. However, eight of the most common verbs have short, irregular forms. Imagine a busy theater director giving quick stage directions during a rehearsal—they need to be brief!

Here are the eight irregular affirmative commands you need to know:

  • venir (to come) -> ven
  • decir (to say) -> di
  • salir (to go out) -> sal
  • hacer (to do/make) -> haz
  • tener (to have) -> ten
  • ir (to go) -> ve
  • poner (to put/place) -> pon
  • ser (to be) ->

Let's see the director use them in action:

Go out now, you have to start acting.
Sal ahora, tienes que empezar a actuar.
Be natural and make that gesture.
Sé natural y haz ese gesto.

These short commands are often combined to give quick, multiple instructions:

Come here and play the dramatic music.
Ven aquí y pon la música dramática.
Go to the curtain and put the chair here.
Ve al telón y pon la silla aquí.

They are perfect for keeping up the pace and expressing urgency:

Say your line with a lot of emotion.
Di tu línea con mucha emoción.
Be careful with the pause, the rehearsal is important.
Ten cuidado con la pausa, el ensayo es importante.