Módulo 14·0/5 complete
Manda y Pide - Commands and Requests
Tell people what to do — and what not to do — with affirmative and negative commands
What you'll learn
- The affirmative tú imperative — habla, come, escribe — and its eight irregulars: di, haz, ve, pon, sal, sé, ten, ven
- The vosotros imperative — hablad, comed, escribid — the Castilian command form
- Negative commands built from the present subjunctive — no hables, no comas, no vengas
- Where pronouns go: attached to affirmative commands, before negative ones — dímelo but no me lo digas
- Following and giving a recipe — pela las patatas, córtalas, fríelas
Why it matters
Spaniards use direct commands far more than English speakers do — not because they're rude, but because the imperative is socially neutral in Spanish. Pásame el pan, dime, ven aquí are normal among friends and family.
The grammar splits cleanly in two. Affirmative commands have their own forms. Negative commands are just the present subjunctive, so if you have Module 13, half this module is already yours.
Before you start
Module 13 — the present subjunctive, which the negative imperative is built from. You'll also need object pronouns from Module 7.