Examples Of Affirmative Commands In Spanish | Daily Commands

Spanish affirmative commands let you give clear directions using forms like tú, usted, nosotros, and vosotros, often with pronouns attached to the verb.

Affirmative commands are the Spanish forms you use when you want someone to do something: “Sit down,” “Call me,” “Let’s go.” If you searched for Examples Of Affirmative Commands In Spanish, you’re in the right place. You’ll hear these forms in homes, cafés, classrooms, and workplaces. Getting them right pays off right away: you sound natural, you avoid awkward tone slips, and you stop second-guessing where pronouns go.

This article gives you ready-to-use examples plus the grammar patterns behind them, so you can build your own commands on the fly. You’ll see the most common command types (tú, usted, ustedes, nosotros, vosotros, and regionally vos), the regular patterns, the irregular ones you’ll meet daily, and the small spelling and accent details that make a sentence look and sound correct.

What Spanish Affirmative Commands Do In Real Speech

An affirmative command tells someone to take an action. The verb changes form, and Spanish usually drops the subject pronoun. The form you pick signals who you’re talking to and how direct or polite you want to sound.

• tú for someone you treat informally: friends, family, many peers.
• usted for one person you treat formally or with extra politeness.
• ustedes for a group (standard in Latin America; also used in parts of Spain).
• vosotros for a group you treat informally (common in Spain).
• nosotros for “let’s …” instructions you do together.
• vos for informal singular in many countries (Argentina, Uruguay, parts of Central America, and more).

The Real Academia Española notes that Spanish has only a limited set of “true” imperative forms, with other command forms drawing on present subjunctive forms in several persons. That’s why you’ll often see a mix of patterns depending on who you address. RAE: “El imperativo. Propiedades formales” lays out the person set and the special second-person forms.

Examples Of Affirmative Commands In Spanish For Daily Life

These are the kinds of commands you can use right away. Each line includes a quick English gloss so you can grab the meaning at a glance.

Tú Commands You’ll Use All The Time

For regular verbs, the affirmative tú command often matches the third-person singular present indicative (él/ella/usted), like habla, come, vive. Pronouns like lo, me, te attach to the end in affirmative commands.

• Habla más despacio. Speak more slowly.
• Come aquí. Eat here.
• Vive el momento. Live in the moment.
• Abre la puerta. Open the door.
• Haz la tarea. Do the homework.
• Dime la verdad. Tell me the truth.
• Tráemelo mañana. Bring it to me tomorrow.

Usted Commands For Polite, Direct Requests

Usted commands usually match the present subjunctive form. They’re common in service situations and in polite requests with strangers.

• Pase, por favor. Come in, please.
• Siéntese aquí. Sit here.
• Hable con calma. Speak calmly.
• Espere un momento. Wait a moment.
• Dígame su nombre. Tell me your name.

Ustedes Commands For Groups

In much of the Spanish-speaking world, ustedes is the standard “you all.” Its affirmative command also uses the present subjunctive form.

• Pasen. Come in.
• Escuchen con atención. Listen closely.
• Levanten la mano. Raise your hand.
• Siéntense aquí. Sit here.
• Háganlo ahora. Do it now.

Nosotros Commands For “Let’s …”

For “let’s” instructions, Spanish uses the present subjunctive nosotros form. These are handy when you’re planning, cooking, or teaming up on a task.

• Vamos a casa. Let’s go home.
• Hablemos de eso luego. Let’s talk about that later.
• Comamos algo. Let’s eat something.
• Sigamos. Let’s continue.

The Centro Virtual Cervantes notes this person-and-form setup in its Plan Curricular grammar inventory, including pronoun placement patterns tied to imperative forms. Centro Virtual Cervantes: “El imperativo (Inventario B1-B2)” is a solid reference point for classroom-level descriptions.

Vosotros Commands If You Hear Spanish From Spain

In Spain, informal plural commands use vosotros. Regular formation is often the infinitive with the final -r swapped for -d.

• Hablad más alto. Speak louder.
• Comed aquí. Eat here.
• Vivid con alegría. Live with joy.
• Decid la verdad. Tell the truth.

How To Build Affirmative Commands Without Memorizing Everything

You can produce most commands with a small set of patterns. Start by picking the “you” you mean, then map the verb onto the right base form. The patterns below cover regular verbs and set you up for the common irregulars.

Regular Pattern Cheat Sheet

Use these rules when the verb is regular and you’re not attaching extra pronouns. Once you attach pronouns, you may need an accent mark to keep the stress where it belongs.

1. Tú: use the él/ella/usted present indicative form: habla, come, vive.
2. Usted / Ustedes: use present subjunctive: hable, coma, viva; plural hablen, coman, vivan.
3. Nosotros: present subjunctive: hablemos, comamos, vivamos.
4. Vosotros: replace the infinitive’s -r with -d: hablad, comed, vivid.

One mistake that shows up a lot is using an infinitive as a command, like writing Comer on a sign when the meaning is “Eat.” The RAE points out that affirmative orders directed to a second person should use imperative forms rather than the infinitive. RAE: “Infinitivo por imperativo” gives examples of correct command forms.

Pronouns In Affirmative Commands

Affirmative commands attach object pronouns to the end of the verb as one written unit. That’s why you see forms like dímelo and siéntense. When you attach one or two pronouns, Spanish often needs a written accent to keep the original stress pattern.

• Dime. Tell me. → Dímelo. Tell it to me.
• Compra. Buy. → Cómpralo. Buy it.
• Siéntense. Sit down (you all).
• Tráiganmelo. Bring it to me (you all / formal).

When you’re building longer forms, read them out loud. If the stress starts to drift, check whether an accent mark is needed after attaching pronouns.

Command Examples By Situation

Memorizing lists is rough. Situations stick better. Use these blocks as templates, swap nouns, and you’ll get dozens of usable commands with little effort.

At Home And With Friends

• Apaga la luz. Turn off the light.
• Cierra la ventana. Close the window.
• Lava los platos. Wash the dishes.
• Ven aquí. Come here.
• Ponte el abrigo. Put on your coat.
• Cuéntamelo. Tell me about it.

In Food And Coffee Settings

• Pruebe esto. Try this.
• Traiga la cuenta. Bring the check.
• Tomen asiento. Have a seat.
• Sirvan el agua. Serve the water.
• Pásame la sal. Pass me the salt.

In Travel And Directions

• Siga recto. Go straight.
• Gire a la derecha. Turn right.
• Suban al bus. Get on the bus.
• Bajen aquí. Get off here.
• No se preocupe. Don’t worry. (Common set phrase.)

Command Type	How To Form It	Example You Can Copy
Tú (regular)	Use él/ella/usted present indicative	Habla claro.
Usted (regular)	Use present subjunctive	Hable más despacio.
Ustedes (regular)	Present subjunctive plural	Pasen, por favor.
Nosotros	Present subjunctive nosotros	Comamos algo ligero.
Vosotros (regular)	Swap infinitive -r → -d	Comed aquí.
Pronoun attached	Add pronoun(s) after the verb; add accent if stress shifts	Dímelo.
Spelling change	Keep Spanish spelling rules in the command form	Busca → Buscad (vosotros)
Irregular core set	Memorize the short list	Di, haz, ve, pon, sal, sé, ten, ven.

Irregular Affirmative Commands That Show Up Daily

A small set of verbs refuses to behave in the tú form. These are the ones you’ll see on signs, hear in quick instructions, and use when you’re keeping Spanish simple and direct.

Core Irregular Tú Commands

• di (decir) — say / tell
• haz (hacer) — do / make
• ve (ir) — go
• pon (poner) — put
• sal (salir) — leave / go out
• sé (ser) — be
• ten (tener) — have / hold
• ven (venir) — come

Try them in full sentences so they stop feeling like flashcards:

• Hazlo ahora. Do it now.
• Ven conmigo. Come with me.
• Pon la mesa. Set the table.
• Di la verdad. Tell the truth.

Irregulars With Pronouns Attached

Once you attach pronouns, these can look longer than they sound. Keep your eye on the accent marks that appear to hold the stress steady.

• Dímelo. Tell it to me.
• Hazme un favor. Do me a favor.
• Póntelo. Put it on.
• Vete. Go away / leave. (Common in speech.)

Spelling And Accent Rules That Prevent “Red Ink”

Commands often trigger spelling tweaks so the sound stays consistent. You’ll meet these changes most in the usted, ustedes, and nosotros forms since they use the present subjunctive base. You’ll also see accent marks appear when pronouns attach and the stress would shift.

Spelling Changes You’ll See In Subjunctive-Based Commands

• -car → qu-: buscar → busque, busquen, busquemos.
• -gar → gu-: llegar → llegue, lleguen, lleguemos.
• -zar → c-: empezar → empiece, empiecen, empecemos.

Accent Marks With Attached Pronouns

When you add pronouns, the word gets longer. Spanish keeps the original stressed syllable, so an accent mark may appear. That’s why da can become dámelo, and di can become dímelo.

Base Command	With Pronoun(s)	English Gloss
da	dame / dámelo	give (to me) / give it to me
di	dime / dímelo	tell (me) / tell it to me
pon	ponte / póntelo	put on / put it on
traiga	tráigamelo	bring it to me (formal)
siéntense	siéntense aquí	sit down here (you all)
vámonos	vámonos ya	let’s leave now
hablemos	hablemos de eso	let’s talk about that

Politeness Without Losing Clarity

Commands can sound sharp if you use them with the wrong person or without softeners. Spanish gives you simple ways to keep the message clear while easing the tone.

Small Words That Soften A Command

• por favor at the end: Cierre la puerta, por favor.
• un momento to slow the pace: Espere un momento.
• cuando puedas with tú: Llámame cuando puedas.
• si puedes with tú or usted: Ayúdeme si puede.

Useful “Let’s” Alternatives

If a direct command feels too blunt, switch to vamos a + infinitive or a nosotros command. The meaning stays clear, and it often feels more cooperative.

• Vamos a empezar. Let’s start.
• Empecemos. Let’s start.
• Vamos a ver. Let’s see.

A Mini Practice Set You Can Reuse

Take this as a quick drill. Read each line once, then swap the verb or the object. You’ll get more mileage than memorizing a long list.

Swap The Object

• Tráeme el libro. → Tráeme la llave. → Tráeme el agua.
• Pásame la sal. → Pásame el pan. → Pásame el vaso.
• Enciende la luz. → Enciende el horno. → Enciende el teléfono.

Swap The Person

• Habla conmigo. (tú) → Hable conmigo. (usted) → Hablen conmigo. (ustedes)
• Come aquí. (tú) → Coma aquí. (usted) → Coman aquí. (ustedes)

If you want to check a form, use an authority that lists the imperative paradigm and explains where the special forms sit. The RAE’s grammar pages are built for that kind of verification. RAE: “Modo imperativo” (Glosario) defines the imperative mode and its person information.