Tú Commands
To tell a friend to do something, use the él/ella present form (habla, come); to tell them not to, use no + the present subjunctive (no hables, no comas).
The rule at a glance
Affirmative = él/ella form · negative = no + subjunctive
habla / no hables · come / no comas · vive / no vivas
Affirmative
come
eat
Come despacio.
Eat slowly.
Negative
no comas
don't eat
No comas tan rápido.
Don't eat so fast.
8 irregulars
ven, di, sal, haz, ten, ve, pon, sé
come, say, leave, do, have, go, put, be
Ven aquí.
Come here.
With pronouns
cómelas / no las comas
eat them / don't eat them
Dime la verdad.
Tell me the truth.
- The 8 irregulars still take no + subjunctive in the negative: ven → no vengas, haz → no hagas.
- Stem changes stay: Cierra la puerta (Close the door), Vuelve pronto (Come back soon).
- Tú is informal (friends, family, children). For strangers, older people or formal situations, use usted: hable, no hable.
Forms
Tú commands (the informal imperative, one part of the imperative mood) give direct orders, instructions or advice to someone you address as tú: friends, family, children, peers. Affirmative commands are easy to form; the challenge is 8 irregular forms to memorise. Speaking to several friends at once? Use vosotros commands.
Regular verbs
Affirmative: use the él/ella form of the present tense, which is the tú form without its final "s" (hablas → habla). Negative: put no before the tú form of the present subjunctive. Negative commands use the subjunctive for all verbs, regular and irregular, with no exceptions.
| Verb | Affirmative | Negative | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| hablar | habla | no hables | speak / don't speak |
| comer | come | no comas | eat / don't eat |
| vivir | vive | no vivas | live / don't live |
| escribir | escribe | no escribas | write / don't write |
| estudiar | estudia | no estudies | study / don't study |
| abrir | abre | no abras | open / don't open |
The 8 irregular affirmative commands
These 8 verbs don't follow the regular pattern in the affirmative. Memory tip: say ven, pon, sal, ten, di, haz, sé, ve like a chant. Their negatives are regular subjunctives.
| Verb | Would be | Irregular | Negative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| decir | di | no digas | say/tell | |
| hacer | haz | no hagas | do/make | |
| ir | ve | no vayas | go | |
| poner | pon | no pongas | put | |
| salir | sal | no salgas | leave | |
| ser | sé | no seas | be | |
| tener | ten | no tengas | have | |
| venir | ven | no vengas | come |
Sé is also "I know" (the yo form of saber; the command of saber is sabe), and ve is the command of both ir and ver; context makes it clear: Sé bueno (ser: Be good), Ve a casa (ir: Go home), Ve la película (ver: Watch the film).
Pronoun placement
Object pronouns (lo, la, me, te...) attach to the end of affirmative commands but go before negative commands. Attaching them often needs an accent to keep the original stress: habla + lo = háblalo. With two pronouns (dímelo), see double object pronouns.
The highlighted part is the pronoun.
Affirmative: Háblalo – Speak it (habla + lo)
Negative: No lo hables – Don't speak it
Affirmative: Cómelas – Eat them (come + las)
Negative: No las comas – Don't eat them
When to use it
1. Instructions and directions
Gira a la derecha – Turn right
Sigue todo recto – Go straight ahead
Cruza la calle – Cross the street
Toma el autobús – Take the bus
2. Advice and suggestions
Come más verduras – Eat more vegetables
Estudia todos los días – Study every day
Ten paciencia – Be patient (Have patience)
Sé honesto – Be honest
3. Warnings and prohibitions
Telling someone not to do something always uses no + subjunctive.
No toques eso – Don't touch that
No corras por la casa – Don't run in the house
No seas tonto – Don't be silly
No llegues tarde – Don't arrive late
4. Everyday phrases with the irregulars
Ven aquí – Come here
Dime la verdad – Tell me the truth
Haz los deberes – Do your homework
Ten cuidado – Be careful
Affirmative vs negative pairs
See how the same verb changes between affirmative and negative commands:
| Affirmative | Negative | English |
|---|---|---|
| Habla español | No hables inglés | Speak Spanish · Don't speak English |
| Ven temprano | No vengas tarde | Come early · Don't come late |
| Haz ejercicio | No hagas trampa | Do exercise · Don't cheat |
| Sé amable | No seas grosero | Be kind · Don't be rude |
| Ve a casa | No vayas solo | Go home · Don't go alone |
| Come despacio | No comas rápido | Eat slowly · Don't eat fast |
Common mistakes
Don't mix affirmative and negative forms
Not this (incorrect): No habla
But this (correct): No hables – Don't speak. Affirmative and negative commands use completely different verb forms: the negative uses the subjunctive.
Learn the 8 irregulars
Not this (incorrect): Hace los deberes
But this (correct): Haz los deberes – Do your homework. Hacer, decir, ir, poner, salir, ser, tener and venir have short irregular affirmative forms.
Stem changes still apply
Not this (incorrect): Cerra la puerta
But this (correct): Cierra la puerta – Close the door. Stem-changing verbs keep their change in commands: cerrar (e→ie) → cierra, volver (o→ue) → vuelve.
Add the accent when you attach pronouns
Not this (incorrect): Hablalo
But this (correct): Háblalo – Speak it. Attaching a pronoun adds a syllable, so an accent keeps the original stress: habla + lo = háblalo.
Use tú commands appropriately
Not this (incorrect): Ven aquí, señor
But this (correct): Venga aquí, señor – Come here, sir. Tú commands are informal. With strangers, people in authority or elderly people (unless they're family), use usted commands.
Quick check
8 questions1. What's the affirmative tú command for 'hablar' (to speak)?
Affirmative tú commands use the él/ella present tense form: habla.
2. What's the negative tú command for 'comer' (to eat)?
Negative tú commands use 'no' + present subjunctive: no comas.
3. Which is the irregular affirmative tú command for 'venir' (to come)?
'Venir' has an irregular affirmative command: ven (not the regular 'viene').
4. How do you say 'Don't speak' (negative tú command)?
For negative tú commands, use 'no' + present subjunctive: no hables.
5. What's the affirmative tú command for 'hacer' (to do/make)?
'Hacer' has an irregular affirmative command: haz.
6. Where do pronouns go with 'Tell it to me' (affirmative)?
With affirmative commands, attach pronouns to the end: Dímelo. Note the accent!
7. What's the negative tú command for 'ser' (to be)?
The negative command is 'no seas' (using the subjunctive).
8. How do you say 'Go to the doctor' (tú command with 'ir')?
The irregular command for 'ir' is 've': Ve al médico.
Test your knowledge of tú commands: