Instructions and Commands

Imperative Mood of Spanish Verbs

The imperative mood is a verb form used to give instructions, directions and commands. In Spanish there is a polite form and a familiar form of the imperative mood, as well as a singular and plural form. If in doubt, always use the polite forms of the imperative.

Polite Form of the Imperative

Use the polite form of the imperative for people you don't know or when you want to show respect. If in doubt, this is the form to use. To create a negative polite command, use no before the imperative.

The following table shows how to form the polite imperative for Spanish verbs.

Examples

Escriba en el libro.	Write in the book. (To one person)
No escriba en el libro.	Don't write in the book. (To one person)
Escriban en los libros.	Write in your books. (To more than one person)
No escriban en los libros.	Don't write in the books. (To more than one person)
Contesta las preguntas.	Answer the questions. (To one person)
No contesta las preguntas.	Don't answer the questions. (To one person)
Contestan las preguntas.	Answer the questions. (To more than one person)
Hable con el doctor.	Talk to the doctor. (To one person)

Familiar Form of the Imperative

The familiar form of the imperative is used with friends and family.

The following table shows how to form the familiar imperative for Spanish Verbs.

The negative form of the familiar imperative is shown in the following table.

Note: In Latin America the polite plural form is also used in informal situations.

Examples:

Escribe en el libro.	Write in the book. (To one person)
No escribas en el libro.	Don't write in the book. (To one person)
Escribid en los libros.	Write in your books. (To more than one person)
No escribáis en los libros.	Don't write in the books. (To more than one person)
Contesta las preguntas.	Answer the questions. (To one person)
No contestes las preguntas.	Don't answer the questions. (To one person)
Contestad las preguntas.	Answer the questions. (To more than one person)
Habla con el doctor.	Talk to the doctor. (To one person)

Irregular Imperatives

This section shows some of the verbs that have irregular imperative forms. These verbs are very common, so it is worthwhile to memorize them.

Polite Imperative

The following table shows the polite imperative forms of several irregular verbs.

Familiar Imperative

Several common verbs have irregular familiar imperative forms.