Page 1 of 14
AP Spanish Language Semester 2
Independent Study: Grammatically Speaking
Study Sheet
Figure It Out!
¡Compra el libro!
¡Compre el libro!
¡Compren el libro!
¡No compres el libro!
¡No compre el libro!
¡No compren el libro!
¡Cómpramelo!
¡Cómpremelo!
¡Cómprenmelo!
¡No me lo compres!
¡No me lo compre!
¡No me lo compren!
Study the affirmative and negative command forms shown in the preceding short sentences.
Can you discover the pattern and the relationship between the various commands?
Introduction
The verb forms that we’ll discuss are commonly known as “imperative” or “command”
forms, which can make them seem a bit harsh, as if they were used only to order people
around. Actually, these forms are used both to command and to request, and they cover a
range from very polite to very emphatic, depending on how you use them.
Of course, most imperative verb forms are in the second person, since they’re generally
used to direct a command or request to the person being spoken to. So, first we'll review
the informal imperative forms used to address an individual. After a brief mention of plural
informal commands (the vosotros form), you’ll learn how to direct a command or request to
a person that you would address formally, and to a group of people.
Finally, we’ll briefly cover two special topics: first-person and third-person “imperatives,”
and soft or very polite imperatives.
Informal Imperatives
An informal imperative is a command or request that you would make to a person that
you would normally address as tú. For most verbs, the form used is identical to the thirdperson, singular, present indicative of the verb. In simpler terms, it’s the verb that you
would use after the subject él or ella in the ordinary present tense. For example:
Comer – come
Hablar – habla
Come tu ensalada antes de comer el postre.
Habla más despacio, por favor.
The following eight Spanish verbs have special “short form” irregular imperatives:
IRREGULAR INFORMAL IMPERATIVES
INFINITIVE
INFORMAL IMPERATIVE
decir
Di
hacer
Haz
ir
Ve
poner
Pon
salir
Sal
ser
Sé
venir
Ven
tener
Ten
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Page 2 of 14
AP Spanish Language Semester 2
Independent Study: Grammatically Speaking
Study Sheet
Here are some examples of these short imperatives. Remember: when imperatives have
object pronouns, and when the command is affirmative (in other words, if you’re telling
someone to do something rather than NOT to do it), the pronouns are attached to the verb.
¡Sal de aquí!
Get out of here!
¡Ponlo en la mesa!
Put it on the table.
Sé bueno y tráeme un dulce.
Be good and bring me a candy.
Dímelo cuando puedas.
Tell it to me when you can.
If the attached pronouns cause the stress to fall on the penultimate, or third-to-the-last,
syllable (as in the case of dímelo), an accent mark must be placed accordingly.
Plural Informal Commands. In Spain, special verb forms are used to give commands or
instructions to a group of people that one would normally address as vosotros. Since the
vosotros forms are not used in Latin America except in unusual circumstances (such as
religious ceremonies), we will touch on them only briefly.
The vosotros form of the imperative is created by simply replacing the –r at the end of the
infinitive with –d. If the verb is reflexive and requires the pronoun os to be attached to the
end, then the –d is also dropped. For example:
Tened misericordia de nosotros.
Lavaos las manos.
Have mercy on us.
Wash your hands. (spoken to a group)
Formal Imperatives
To give a command, request, or instruction to a person that you would normally address as
usted, use the third person, singular, present subjunctive form of the verb. In simpler
terms, use the form that you would insert in the following sentence: Yo quiero que usted . .
To give a command or request to a group of people, use the third person, plural, present
subjunctive form of the verb. In other words, use the form that you would plug into the
following sentence: Yo quiero que ustedes . . .
In Latin America, the ustedes form of the imperative is used for directing commands to all
groups, no matter what level of familiarity the speaker has with them.
As with all affirmative imperatives (telling or asking someone to do something), if the verb
requires object pronouns, these are attached to the end of the verb and an accent mark
may be required to indicate the proper stress.
Here are a few examples:
Venga hoy al mediodía.
Dígame la verdad.
Traigan a sus amigos.
Vaya a comer.
Pónganmelos allá.
Come today at noon.
Tell me the truth.
Bring your friends.
Go and eat.
Put them over there for me (you guys).
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Page 3 of 14
AP Spanish Language Semester 2
Independent Study: Grammatically Speaking
Study Sheet
Negative Imperatives
In addition to being able to tell or ask one or more people to do something, you need to be
able to tell them NOT to do it. In Spanish, going from an affirmative to a negative command
can change the verb form and word order in the sentence quite a bit.
Informal Negative Commands (tú). When you give a negative (“don’t do”) command to
someone that you would normally address as tú, you no longer use the affirmative
command forms. Instead, you must use the second person, singular, present subjunctive
form, preceded by no, of course. To put it more simply, use the form of the verb that you
would put at the end of the sentence Yo no quiero que tú . . . For example:
No tomes tanta leche.
No vayas tan rápido.
¡No me digas!
Don’t drink so much milk.
Don’t go so fast.
Don’t tell me!
Formal Negative Commands (usted, ustedes). Use the same verb forms that you would
use for an affirmative command, preceded by the word no. For example:
No coma tan tarde.
No diga esas cosas.
No haga nada.
Don’t eat so late.
Don’t say those things.
Don’t do anything.
Placement of Object Pronouns with Negative Commands. Unlike affirmative
commands, you must place direct object, indirect object, and reflexive pronouns BEFORE a
negative imperative verb rather than after it. In the following examples, each affirmative
command is followed by the equivalent negative command. Take careful note of the position
of the pronouns:
Dime cómo sucedió.
No me digas cómo sucedió.
Tell me how it happened.
Don’t tell me how it happened.
Ponlo en el estante.
No lo pongas en el estante.
Put it on the shelf.
Don’t put it on the shelf.
Lávense las manos.
No se laven las manos.
Wash your hands.
Don’t wash your hands.
Llévatelo.
No te lo lleves.
Take it with you.
Don’t take it with you.
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Page 4 of 14
AP Spanish Language Semester 2
Independent Study: Grammatically Speaking
Study Sheet
“Imperatives” in Other Persons
First Person Plural. Can you give a command to yourself? Well, not exactly. But you can
make a suggestion to a group of people in which you are included. In English, we usually
use the word “let’s” to do this:
Let’s eat now!
There are several ways to express this concept in Spanish, but one of the most common is
to use a first person plural “imperative.” To do this, just use the first person plural, present
subjunctive form of the verb:
¡Comamos ahora!
If the verb is reflexive, drop the final –s and add nos to give an affirmative command:
Esforcémonos por terminar rápido. Let’s make an effort to finish quickly.
If the verb has other object pronouns, they can also be attached to the verb in an
affirmative command:
Démosle una gran sorpresa.
Let’s give him a big surprise.
For negative first-person plural commands, any reflexive and other pronouns must go
before the verb, as with all other imperatives:
No nos perdamos.
No les hagamos esperar.
Let’s not get lost.
Let’s not make them wait.
The verb ir (and irse) is a special case. The first person imperative forms are vamos and
vámonos.
¡Vámonos de este lugar!
Let's leave this place!
Third Person. How can you express a command or request to someone that you’re not
even talking to? We do it indirectly, by expressing our desire concerning a third party to the
person that happens to be listening to us at the time. In English, we do it with expressions
such as:
Have him . . .
Tell him to . . .
Let him . . .
In Spanish, simply use the word que followed by the appropriate subjunctive form of the
verb. Any object or reflexive pronouns must go before the verb. For example:
Que empiece la fiesta.
Que no nos meta en líos.
Que vengan. No me importa.
Let the party begin!
Tell him not to get us into a mess!
Let them come! I don’t care.
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Page 5 of 14
AP Spanish Language Semester 2
Independent Study: Grammatically Speaking
Study Sheet
Softening Imperatives
English-speaking students of Spanish often try to make virtually all commands and requests
more “polite” by adding the phrase por favor. It isn’t wrong to use this phrase, but there are
other ways to make a request or a command. Here are a few:
Use a form of poder. Just as in English we use “can” and “could” to soften requests, you
can use poder in the conditional tense in Spanish to accomplish the same thing. The
command or request is rephrased as a question:
¿Podrías alcanzarme ese libro?
Could you hand me that book?
¿Podría leer ese párrafo de nuevo? Could you read that paragraph again?
Use a polite “tag.” To soften a command in English, we sometimes add a “tag” phrase at
the end, such as “would you?” or “if you don’t mind.” Similar tags exist in Spanish:
Sírveme un poco de pan, ¿quieres?
Serve me a little bread, would you?
Ayúdame a levantar esta caja, ¿puedes?
Could you help me lift this box?
Termina tu trabajo antes de regresar, ¿está bien? (or ¿OK?)
Finish your work before you come back, all right?
Use a form of querer. Instead of telling someone to do something, ask him or her if they
to do it. This is done in Spanish, of course, with the verb querer:
WANT
¿Quieres llevarle un mensaje al Sr. Gómez?
Would you mind taking a message to Mr. Gómez?
Summary
To form correct imperatives in Spanish, you must keep the following in mind:
•
Singular or plural. Are you addressing one person or more than one person?
•
Informal or formal. Are you giving the command or request to someone (or to a
group) that you normally address as tú or to one or more people that you would
address as usted?
•
Affirmative or negative. Are you telling someone to do something or not to do
something?
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Page 6 of 14
AP Spanish Language Semester 2
Independent Study: Grammatically Speaking
Study Sheet
These three variables affect the verb form chosen as well as the placement of any object
pronouns. To review, study the following imperative, which means “tell it to me” (or “don’t
tell it to me”), taken through various combinations of these variables:
Dímelo
Decídmelo
Dígamelo
Díganmelo
singular, informal, affirmative
plural, informal, affirmative (not used in Latin America)
singular, formal, affirmative
plural, formal, affirmative
No
No
No
No
singular, informal, negative
plural, informal, negative
(not used in Latin America)
singular, formal, negative
plural, formal, negative
me
me
me
me
lo
lo
lo
lo
digas
digáis
diga
digan
Imperative-like statements can be created for first person plural verbs and for third person
verbs as well. These are formed from subjunctive verbs.
Imperative forms can be softened in several ways, including the use of poder, querer, and
sentence tags.
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Page 7 of 14
AP Spanish Language Semester 2
Independent Study: Grammatically Speaking
Study Sheet
Practice Questions
A. Infinitive Substitution
Pretend you have been given a contract as a chef on national television. Use the Ud. formal
command form to give instructions to your audience. Use the model as a reference.
Modelo:
Cortar la carne en pedazos pequeños.
Corte la carne en pedazos pequeños.
1. Batir la crema.
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Hervir los huevos.
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Calentar el aceite en una sartén.
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Añadir las cebollas picadas.
_________________________________________________________________________
5. Pelar las papas y picarlas.
_________________________________________________________________________
6. Poner todo en una sartén caliente.
_________________________________________________________________________
7. Espolvorear los ingredientes con sal y pimienta.
_________________________________________________________________________
8. Cocinar a fuego mediano.
_________________________________________________________________________
9. No dejar que se peguen los ingredientes.
_________________________________________________________________________
10. Servir sobre la lechuga.
_________________________________________________________________________
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Page 8 of 14
AP Spanish Language Semester 2
Independent Study: Grammatically Speaking
Study Sheet
B. Answering Questions: Formal Commands (Ud. and Uds.)
You are a tour guide in Spain in charge of a group of American tourists. They need to
exchange money at a bank. Answer their questions using either the Ud. or Uds. command
forms. Use the model as a guide.
Modelo:
¿Debo cambiar el dinero ahora?
Sí, cámbielo ahora.
No, no lo cambie ahora.
1. ¿Debo llenar el formulario? (Sí)
_________________________________________________________________________
2. ¿Tengo que firmarlo? (Sí)
_________________________________________________________________________
3. ¿Debo cobrar los cheques de viajero? (No)
_________________________________________________________________________
4. ¿Debemos cambiar cheques de viajero o efectivo? (efectivo)
_________________________________________________________________________
5. ¿Podemos acercarnos a la ventanilla? (Sí)
_________________________________________________________________________
6. ¿Debemos abrir una cuenta de ahorros? (No)
_________________________________________________________________________
7. ¿Debemos cambiar todo nuestro dinero o sólo un poco? (un poco)
_________________________________________________________________________
C. Formal Sentences
Your new job is director of personnel training. Use the Uds. command form to instruct your
new group of trainees as to what they need to do. Refer to the model as a guide.
Modelo:
Llegan a las ocho y media cada día.
Lleguen a las ocho y media cada día.
1. Traer el cuaderno de entrenamiento.
_________________________________________________________________________
2. No olvidarse la calculadora.
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Aprender el programa de computadora.
_________________________________________________________________________
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Page 9 of 14
AP Spanish Language Semester 2
Independent Study: Grammatically Speaking
Study Sheet
4. Seguir las instrucciones del supervisor.
_________________________________________________________________________
5. Hacer preguntas a menudo.
_________________________________________________________________________
6. Estudiar el manual de la empresa cada noche.
_________________________________________________________________________
7. Encontrarse en el salón de conferencias a las nueve.
_________________________________________________________________________
8. Entrar los datos en la computadora con cuidado.
_________________________________________________________________________
D. Forming Sentences: Nosotros Commands
Let’s pretend you and your friends are vacationing in Spain. Use the nosotros command
forms to suggest things to see and do while on vacation. Refer to the model as a guide.
Modelo:
Viajar a Galicia.
Viajemos a Galicia.
1. Ver la catedral de Compostela.
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Ir de compras en el Rastro.
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Hacer una excursión a las cuevas de Altamira.
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Broncearse en la Costa del Sol.
_________________________________________________________________________
5. Visitar la Alhambra en Granada.
_________________________________________________________________________
6. Conocer el Palacio Real en Madrid.
_________________________________________________________________________
7. Tomar el autobús al Valle de los Caídos.
_________________________________________________________________________
8. Conocer la ciudad de Toledo.
_________________________________________________________________________
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Page 10 of 14
AP Spanish Language Semester 2
Independent Study: Grammatically Speaking
Study Sheet
9. Dar un paseo por las Ramblas en Barcelona.
_________________________________________________________________________
10. Sacar fotos de la Mesquita de Córdoba.
_________________________________________________________________________
E. Writing Command Forms: Nosotros Commands
Your best friend tells you what he/she would like to do or wants to do today. Use the
nosotros command forms to indicate you are in agreement. Write the suggestions in both
acceptable forms shown in the model.
Modelo:
Quiero comprarle un estereo a Juan.
Comprémoselo.
Vamos a comprárselo.
1. Quiero comprar entradas al concierto de Shakira.
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Me gustaría darle una novela romántica a Josefina.
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Quiero ir al cine esta noche.
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Quisiera jugar fútbol en el parque.
_________________________________________________________________________
5. Sería bonito darse un paseo por la plaza.
_________________________________________________________________________
6. Me encantaría broncearnos en la playa.
_________________________________________________________________________
7. Quiero comer paella en un restaurante elegante.
_________________________________________________________________________
8. Me gustaría pintar el paisaje de las montañas.
_________________________________________________________________________
9. Quisiera escuchar música por la tarde.
_________________________________________________________________________
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Page 11 of 14
AP Spanish Language Semester 2
Independent Study: Grammatically Speaking
Study Sheet
F. Forming Sentences: Vosotros Commands
You and your friends in Sevilla, Spain are planning a Christmas Party. Use the vosotros
command forms to tell the other people what they need to do and not do. Refer to the
model as a guide.
Modelo:
Preparar la paella/no cocinar el pescado todavía.
Preparad la paella pero no cocinéis el pescado todavía.
1. sacar las tapas / no preparar el jamón serrano todavía.
_________________________________________________________________________
2. poner la mesa / no colocar las flores todavía.
_________________________________________________________________________
3. colgar los adornos / no ponerlos en la puerta todavía.
_________________________________________________________________________
4. escoger los villancicos favoritos / no poner música de “rock”.
_________________________________________________________________________
5. salir a comprar queso, aceitunas y sardinas / no ir todavía.
_________________________________________________________________________
6. abrir la sangría / no cortar las naranjas todavía.
_________________________________________________________________________
G. Translation: Tú Command Forms
Translate the following phrases into Spanish using the tú command forms.
1. Behave yourself.
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Take a bath.
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Sit down here.
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Be patient.
_________________________________________________________________________
5. Go to bed at 10:00 p.m.
_________________________________________________________________________
6. Don’t drink too much caffeine.
_________________________________________________________________________
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Page 12 of 14
AP Spanish Language Semester 2
Independent Study: Grammatically Speaking
Study Sheet
7. Be good.
_________________________________________________________________________
8. Get up early.
_________________________________________________________________________
9. Play the piano.
_________________________________________________________________________
10. Take out the garbage.
_________________________________________________________________________
H. Answering Questions: Negative Tú Commands
Answer the following questions using the negative tú command forms. Remember the
indirect and direct object pronouns in the negative form. Refer to the model as a guide.
Modelo:
¿Quieres que yo te traiga los refrescos?
No, no me los traigas.
1. ¿Debo enseñarte la canción a ti?
_________________________________________________________________________
2. ¿Quieres que yo te ponga la chaqueta y las botas?
_________________________________________________________________________
3. ¿Quieres que te lea el cuento de los “Tres Chanchitos”?
_________________________________________________________________________
4. ¿Quieres que yo te apague el televisor?
_________________________________________________________________________
5. ¿Quieres que yo te mienta?
_________________________________________________________________________
6. ¿Debo cambiarte el aceite en el motor?
_________________________________________________________________________
7. ¿Prefieres que te explique la gramática otra vez?
_________________________________________________________________________
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Page 13 of 14
AP Spanish Language Semester 2
Independent Study: Grammatically Speaking
Study Sheet
I. Sentence Reduction: Indirect Commands
Pretend you and your friends have assignments and projects to do in your chemistry class.
Tell what you want the others to do based on the information given in the sentences below.
Refer to the model as a guide.
Modelo:
No quiero hacer el experimento. (los otros)
Que lo hagan los otros.
1. No tengo el deseo de estudiar estas teorías. (Daniel)
_________________________________________________________________________
2. No quiero escribir un ensayo. (Alicia)
_________________________________________________________________________
3. No tengo ganas de hacer los gráficos. (José)
_________________________________________________________________________
4. No me gusta preparar los experimentos en el laboratorio. (Teresa y Elisa)
_________________________________________________________________________
5. No quiero dibujar las tablas de los resultados. (Tomás)
_________________________________________________________________________
6. No quiero sacar apuntes del capítulo 5. (Raúl)
_________________________________________________________________________
7. No quiero limpiar los tubos de vidrio. (Elena y Juan)
_________________________________________________________________________
J. Writing Exercises
Write 12 original commands on the lines below. Create 3 with the tú form, 3 using the Ud.
form, 3 with the Uds. form, and 3 with nosotros.
1. ______________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________________
6. ______________________________________________________________________
7. ______________________________________________________________________
8. ______________________________________________________________________
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Page 14 of 14
AP Spanish Language Semester 2
Independent Study: Grammatically Speaking
Study Sheet
9. ______________________________________________________________________
10. _____________________________________________________________________
11. _____________________________________________________________________
12. _____________________________________________________________________
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