Giving Orders (Tú)
To give direct instructions to someone you address as tú (informal singular), use the affirmative imperative.
For regular verbs, the tú command looks exactly like the él / ella / usted form of the present tense.
- mirar becomes mira
- entrar becomes entra
| Look at this! | ¡Mira esto! |
| Enter the house now! | ¡Entra en la casa ahora! |
Giving Orders (Vosotros)
When addressing a group informally (vosotros or vosotras), the rule is simple and has no exceptions. Drop the final -r of the infinitive and replace it with a -d.
- entrar becomes entrad
- abrir becomes abrid
| Boys, enter and rest. | Chicos, entrad y descansad. |
| Open the books. | Abrid los libros. |
Attaching Object Pronouns
When using direct object pronouns (like lo, la, los, or las) with affirmative commands, attach the pronoun directly to the end of the verb to form a single word.
When attaching a pronoun to a tú command, you usually add a written accent mark to the verb to maintain the original spoken stress.
| Write it here. | Escríbelo aquí. |
When attaching a single pronoun to a vosotros command, no accent mark is needed.
| The messages are new, answer them! | Los mensajes son nuevos, ¡contestadlos! |
Multiple Commands
You can chain commands together using y (and).
| Take the money and buy the bread. | Coge el dinero y compra el pan. |
| Read the note, take out the garbage, and ask the neighbor. | Leed la nota, sacad la basura y preguntad al vecino. |
