Regulatory Commands
In everyday life, you use the imperative mood to give direct instructions. However, in highly formal, administrative, or legal contexts—like the regulations read before a standardized exam—Spanish uses the simple future tense to issue mandatory commands.
This is similar to English when an official says, "You will start the exam now," or a contract states, "The applicant will provide identification."
| The applicants will put the identification on the desk. | Los postulantes pondrán la identificación sobre el pupitre. |
| You will start the exam exactly at nine. | Ustedes iniciarán el examen exactamente a las nueve. |
| The applicants will turn off the calculator and any electronic device. | Los postulantes apagarán la calculadora y cualquier dispositivo electrónico. |
Strict Limits and Absolute Rules
Because these commands leave no room for debate, the future tense is frequently paired with restrictive adverbs like estrictamente (strictly) or absolute negative words like nadie (no one).
| The duration of the test will be strictly two hours. | La duración de la prueba será estrictamente de dos horas. |
| No one will leave their desk after starting the exam. | Nadie dejará su pupitre después de iniciar el examen. |
| No one will enter the classroom, except the director. | Nadie entrará al aula, excepto el director. |
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