Commands with pronouns: dímelo, no me lo digas

Commands often carry object pronouns: Tell me it. Give it to her. Don't tell me. The rules combine what you know about pronouns (Two pronouns together: me lo, se lo, Where pronouns go: before the verb, or attached) with the command forms (Commands with usted and ustedes, Negative commands (no hables) and vosotros commands).

The two rules

1. Affirmative command: pronouns are attached to the end of the verb, as one word.
2. Negative command: pronouns go before the verb, as separate words.

The order is always the same: indirect (or reflexive) before direct, me lo, te la, nos los, se lo. And le / les become se before lo, la, los, las.

• Dímelo ahora.Tell me now.
• No me lo digas.Don't tell me.
• Dáselo a tu hermana.Give it to your sister.
• No se lo enseñes todavía.Don't show it to him yet.
• Póntelo, que hace frío.Put it on, it's cold.
• No te lo pongas, está sucio.Don't put it on, it's dirty.

The written accent

When you attach pronouns, the stress stays where it was in the verb, so you often need a written accent (Word stress, written accents, ¿ and ¡). A simple test: if the stress now falls three or more syllables from the end, write the accent.

• Explícamelo otra vez, por favor.Explain it to me again, please.
• Hazlo ya.Do it now.
• Tráiganoslo mañana, por favor.Bring it to us tomorrow, please.

Vosotros: the d and the accent

Affirmative vosotros commands keep the -d before every pronoun except os: decídmelo, dádselo, but sentaos, poneos.

• Decídselo vosotros.You tell him.

In the negative, everything goes in front: no me lo digáis, no os lo pongáis.

Let's: the nosotros command

A nosotros subjunctive can mean let's: Hablemos = Let's talk. When nos is attached, the final -s of the verb drops: sentemos + nos → sentémonos. With irse, the usual form is vámonos.

• Vámonos, que es tarde.Let's go, it's late.

Latin America

The rules are the same; ustedes forms replace vosotros: Díganmelo, No me lo digan, Siéntense. In voseo regions you'll hear decímelo (C2).

Common mistakes

• No dímelo or no me lo di: negative commands put the pronouns first and use the subjunctive: No me lo digas.
• Lo me da: indirect before direct, attached to the affirmative: Dámelo.
• Dalelo or dáleselo: le becomes se before lo: Dáselo.
• Explicamelo: three syllables or more before the stress need an accent: explícamelo.
• Sentémosnos: drop the -s before nos: sentémonos.