Affirmative commands (imperative mood) tell someone to do something in a positive way. The form depends on who you’re speaking to:

tú (informal singular)
usted (formal singular)
vosotros (informal plural, mainly used in Spain)
ustedes (formal plural in Latin America, plural in general)

These commands use specific verb forms.

How to Form Affirmative Commands

Tú (Informal Singular)

Use the third person singular form of the present indicative.
Irregular verbs have special command forms.

Usted (Formal Singular)

Use the third person singular form of the present subjunctive.

Vosotros (Informal Plural, Spain)

Take the infinitive, drop -r, add -d.
Irregular verbs follow the same rule (e.g., decid from decir).

Ustedes (Plural)

Use the third person plural form of the present subjunctive.

Examples

Spanish Command	English Command
¡Habla!	Speak!
¡Escribe!	Write!
¡Lee!	Read!
¡Escucha!	Listen!

Irregular Affirmative Tú Commands

Some verbs have irregular tú command forms. These do not follow the third person singular rule:

Infinitive	Tú Command	English Example	Spanish Example
decir	di	Say it!	¡Di eso!
hacer	haz	Do it!	¡Hazlo!
ir	ve	Go!	¡Ve!
poner	pon	Put it!	¡Ponlo!
salir	sal	Leave!	¡Sal!
ser	sé	Be good!	¡Sé bueno!
tener	ten	Have patience!	¡Ten paciencia!
venir	ven	Come here!	¡Ven aquí!

Reflexive Verbs

For affirmative commands with reflexive verbs (or pronouns like me, te, nos, os, se), attach the pronoun to the end of the command. Add an accent mark to maintain the original stress if needed.

Command Stem	Reflexive Command	Pronoun Meaning	Spanish Example	English Example
levanta	levántate	yourself (informal)	¡Levántate temprano!	Get yourself up early!
acuesta	acuéstense	yourselves (formal plural)	¡Acuéstense ya!	Go to bed now!
despierta	despiértate	yourself (informal)	¡Despiértate rápido!	Wake yourself up quickly!

Practice

Try these verbs, choosing the right form for the subject:

Infinitive	Tú	Usted	Vosotros	Ustedes
comer	come	coma	comed	coman
escribir	escribe	escriba	escribid	escriban
volver	vuelve	vuelva	volved	vuelvan

Tú* forms are often the most irregular, so memorize those directly.

Wrapping Up

Affirmative commands are a great way to give instructions, advice, or orders in Spanish. Just remember:

Use third person singular indicative for tú (except irregulars).
Use third person singular/plural subjunctive for usted/ustedes.
Use -d for vosotros.
Attach pronouns to affirmative commands.
Practice irregular tú forms separately.

¡Practica y habla!

Flashcards (1 of 15)

English Command: Speak!

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025