Learn Spanish (Latin America): Señora, no use el flash aquí.

Señora, no use el flash aquí.

Madam, do not use the flash here.

Breakdown of Señora, no use el flash aquí.

Questions & Answers about Señora, no use el flash aquí.

Why is the verb use instead of usa?

Because we are giving a formal command to a señora (madam), we use the usted form. For an -ar verb like usar (to use), the formal command ending swaps to an -e, making it use. If you said usa, that would be the informal tú command.

Does the verb change because this is a negative command?

No, and that is the great thing about formal commands! For usted and ustedes, the verb stays exactly the same whether you are telling someone to do something or not to do something. You just put no in front of it: use el flash (use the flash) and no use el flash (don't use the flash).

Is flash really a Spanish word, and why is it masculine (el flash)?

It is an English loanword! Spanish borrows many modern technology and photography terms directly from English. When a new English noun is adopted into Spanish, it almost always gets assigned the masculine gender by default, which is why it uses el.

Could I include the word usted in this sentence?