Commands with usted and ustedes

In Affirmative commands with tú you learned commands for a friend (habla, come, ven). When you speak to someone as usted or to a group as ustedes (Tú or usted; vosotros or ustedes), the command uses the present subjunctive forms you learned in The present subjunctive: forms and Irregular present subjunctives.

Forms

• Hable más despacio, por favor.Please speak more slowly.
• Tome esta calle y gire a la derecha.Take this street and turn right.
• Espere un momento, por favor.Wait a moment, please.
• Tengan cuidado con el escalón.Be careful with the step.
• Pongan las maletas aquí.Put the suitcases here.
• Vayan a la puerta número cinco.Go to gate number five.
• Cierren los libros.Close your books.

Adding usted after the verb makes it more courteous: Pase usted.

Negative: just add no

The negative of an usted/ustedes command is the same form with no: No hable, no coman, no vayan.

Pronouns: attached when affirmative, before when negative

In an affirmative command, pronouns go on the end of the verb, and a written accent keeps the stress where it was (Word stress, written accents, ¿ and ¡). In a negative command, they go before the verb.

• Pase, por favor.Come in, please.
• Siéntese aquí, por favor.Sit here, please.
• Dígame su nombre, por favor.Tell me your name, please.
• No se preocupe, señora.Don't worry, madam.

Siéntese / No se siente; dígame / no me diga; póngalo / no lo ponga. More in Commands with pronouns: dímelo, no me lo digas.

Siéntese (sit down, from sentarse) and siéntase (feel, from sentirse: Siéntase como en casa = make yourself at home) look alike but are different verbs.

Everyday phrases

Oiga (excuse me, to get attention), Mire (look, well…), Perdone (excuse me, sorry), Disculpe. In a shop, Dígame means How can I help you?, and on the phone in Spain it means Hello?

Signs and written instructions often use the infinitive: No fumar, Empujar. In speech, use the command form.

Spain and Latin America

In Spain, ustedes is the formal plural: you'd use ustedes commands with a group of clients, but vosotros commands (Negative commands (no hables) and vosotros commands) with friends. In Latin America, ustedes is the only plural "you", so ustedes commands are used for any group, including children and friends: Niños, siéntense.

Common mistakes

• Habla más despacio to a stranger: that is the tú command. Use hable.
• Cierran la puerta as an instruction: that's the indicative (they close). The command is cierren.
• Se siente for sit down: affirmative commands attach the pronoun: siéntese.
• Sientese: once a pronoun is attached, add the accent: siéntese.
• No preocúpese: in the negative, the pronoun goes in front: No se preocupe.