Negative commands (no hables) and vosotros commands

This lesson completes the command system. You already know affirmative tú commands (Affirmative commands with tú) and usted/ustedes commands (Commands with usted and ustedes). Now: negative commands, and vosotros commands for a group of friends in Spain.

Negative tú and vosotros: the subjunctive

To tell someone not to do something, use no + the present subjunctive (The present subjunctive: forms):

The short irregular tú commands are not used in the negative. The negative is the regular subjunctive:

• No hables tan alto.Don't speak so loudly.
• No comas tanto chocolate.Don't eat so much chocolate.
• No digas eso.Don't say that.
• No vayas sola por ese barrio.Don't walk around that neighbourhood alone.
• No toquéis los cuadros.Don't touch the paintings.

Affirmative vosotros: change -r to -d

The affirmative vosotros command is the easiest form in Spanish: take the infinitive and replace the final -r with -d. There are no irregulars.

• Hablad más bajo, por favor.Speak more quietly, please.
• Comed un poco más.Eat a little more.
• Venid a cenar el viernes.Come to dinner on Friday.

Reflexive vosotros: drop the -d before os

With reflexive verbs, the -d disappears before os: sentad + os → sentaos. With -ir verbs, write an accent on the í: vestíos, divertíos.

• Sentaos, que empezamos.Sit down, we're starting.
• Idos a casa, que es tarde.Go home, it's late.
• Divertíos mucho en la fiesta.Have lots of fun at the party.

Irse is the one exception that traditionally keeps the d: idos. In speech, iros is very common, and the Real Academia Española now considers it acceptable alongside idos.

In everyday speech in Spain you will also hear the infinitive used as a command: ¡Sentaros!, ¡Callaros! It is extremely common but is considered incorrect in careful Spanish. Write and say sentaos, callaos.

Negative reflexives and pronouns

In negative commands, pronouns go before the verb: no te preocupes, no os vayáis, no lo hagas.

• No os preocupéis por nada.Don't worry about anything.

Summary

Latin America

Vosotros commands are not used. For any group, use ustedes commands: Hablen más bajo, Siéntense, No se preocupen. In voseo regions, the affirmative vos command is hablá, comé, vení (C2).

Common mistakes

• No habla for don't speak: negative commands use the subjunctive: No hables.
• No haz eso, no di eso: no short forms in the negative: No hagas eso, no digas eso.
• Sentados, sentadnos for sit down, you all: the -d drops before os: sentaos.
• Hablar más bajo to a group of friends: in careful Spanish, use hablad.
• No sentaos: the negative is the subjunctive, with the pronoun first: No os sentéis.