El imperativo
The imperative: how to tell someone what to do. In this unit we focus on tú.
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What is the imperative?
We use the imperative to tell someone what to do.
We use it to…
Give advice
Give instructions
We also use it to…
Ask for something
Invite and offer
Give orders
One form or four?
English: one form
The same form for everybody.
Eat!
Spanish: it depends on who you talk to
In this unit we mainly use tú: a friend, a classmate, your family.
Three more things
1. No subject
Like in English, we don't say the subject.
Close the door.
Cierra la puerta.Tú cierra la puerta.
2. It is polite
With por favor, the imperative is normal and polite with friends and family.
Could you pass me the salt?
Pásame la sal, por favor.
3. Two exclamation marks
Spanish opens and closes the exclamation.
Come here!
¡Ven aquí!
How do we form it?
Four steps:
- Regular verbs
- Stem-changing verbs
- Eight irregular verbs
- Adding pronouns
The rule
tú imperative = present tense of él / ella
| Infinitive | Present (él / ella) | Imperative (tú) | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| comprar | él compra | ¡Compra! | Buy! |
| comer | él come | ¡Come! | Eat! |
| vivir | él vive | ¡Vive! | Live! |
Another way to see it (as in the book)
Take the tú form of the present and remove the -s.
Both tricks give the same result. Choose the one you prefer.
The change stays
If the verb changes in the present, it also changes in the imperative. The rule from step 1 still works: él duerme → ¡duerme!
The -go trick
Six irregular verbs have a yo form that ends in -go. Remove -go and you have the imperative.
Two more, with no trick
Learn all eight as one long word:
Be careful
- ve is the imperative of ir and also of ver. Go! / Look!
- sé (ser) has a written accent. Be good → Sé bueno.
- sal (salir) is also the Spanish word for salt.
- The -go trick only works for these six verbs:
traer (traigo) → trae · oír (oigo) → oye
After the verb, joined to it
In English the pronoun comes after the verb as a separate word. In Spanish it also comes after the verb, but it is joined to it: one word.
| English | Español | Pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| Eat it. (el bocadillo) | Cómelo. | lo (direct object) |
| Moisturise them. (los pies) | Hidrátalos. | los (direct object) |
| Tell me. | Dime. | me (indirect object) |
Reflexive verbs: te + the
English uses your. Spanish uses te and the article (el, la, los, las).
Two pronouns: person first, then thing
The order is the opposite of English.
Da + me + lo
= Dámelo
Di + me + lo
= Dímelo
Extra: le + lo becomes se lo. Give it to him → Dáselo.
The written accent (la tilde)
The stressed syllable of the verb does not move. When we add syllables at the end, we often need a written accent.
| Verb + pronouns | Accent? | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1-syllable verb + 1 pronoun | No | pon·te · di·me · haz·lo |
| 1-syllable verb + 2 pronouns | Yes | pón·te·la · dí·me·lo |
| 2+ syllable verb + pronoun(s) | Yes | lá·va·te · có·me·lo |
The other persons
You only need to recognise these. In this unit we practise tú.
| comprar | comer | vivir | |
|---|---|---|---|
| tú (vos) | compra (comprá) | come (comé) | vive (viví) |
| vosotros/as | comprad | comed | vivid |
| usted | compre | coma | viva |
| ustedes | compren | coman | vivan |
Remember
Regular verbs
Present of él / ella: él come → ¡come!
Stem-changing verbs
The change stays: ¡duerme! ¡cierra! ¡pide!
Eight irregular verbs
ven · di · sal · haz · ten · ve · pon · sé
Pronouns
After the verb, joined, often with an accent: lávate, cómelo, dámelo
Practice
Write your answer and press Check. Press Enter to go to the next gap.
If your keyboard has no accents, use the á é í ó ú ñ buttons.
Give your partner advice
Your partner has a problem. Give three pieces of advice with the imperative (tú). Use at least one irregular verb and one pronoun.
Estoy muy cansado.
I'm very tired.
Tengo un examen el lunes.
I have an exam on Monday.
Me duele la espalda.
My back hurts.
Example: Acuéstate pronto, haz deporte y bebe mucha agua.