Tense guide

Imperativo
Spanish Tense

Used to give direct commands and instructions. '¡Habla más despacio!' — Speak more slowly! The yo form does not exist in the imperative.

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Formation

Tú form = the él/ella present indicative for regular verbs. Vosotros = infinitive minus -r plus -d. Usted/ellos use the present subjunctive forms. Key irregulars for tú: sé (ser), ve (ir), ten (tener), haz (hacer), di (decir), pon (poner), sal (salir), ven (venir). Negatives use the subjunctive: ¡No hables!, ¡No vayas!

-AR endings
— · -a · -e (subj.) · -emos (subj.) · -ad · -en (subj.)
-ER endings
— · -e · -a (subj.) · -amos (subj.) · -ed · -an (subj.)
-IR endings
— · -e · -a (subj.) · -amos (subj.) · -id · -an (subj.)

Regular verb conjugations

hablar (-ar)
yo
habla
élhable
noshablemos
voshablad
elloshablen
comer (-er)
yo
come
élcoma
noscomamos
voscomed
elloscoman
vivir (-ir)
yo
vive
élviva
nosvivamos
vosvivid
ellosvivan

Key irregular verbs

yo
élsea
nosseamos
vossed
ellossean
yo
ve
élvaya
nosvayamos
vosid
ellosvayan
tener guide →
yo
ten
éltenga
nostengamos
vostened
ellostengan
hacer guide →
yo
haz
élhaga
noshagamos
voshaced
elloshagan
poder guide →
yo
puede
élpueda
nospodamos
vospoded
ellospuedan
estar guide →
yo
está
élesté
nosestemos
vosestad
ellosestén

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FAQ

When do you use the Imperativo in Spanish?

Used to give direct commands and instructions. '¡Habla más despacio!' — Speak more slowly! The yo form does not exist in the imperative.

How do you form the Imperativo?

Regular -AR verbs use endings: —, -a, -e (subj.), -emos (subj.), -ad, -en (subj.). -ER: —, -e, -a (subj.), -amos (subj.), -ed, -an (subj.).

Which verbs are irregular in the Imperativo?

Common irregulars: ser, ir, tener, hacer, poder, estar. Each must be memorised.

Related verb guides

serirtenerhacerpoderestarhablarcomervivir