Formal (usted/ustedes) Commands

English Connection In English, we form commands by removing the subject “you” Statement: You eat vegetables. Command: Eat the vegetables.

Use Usted Commands: To tell someone respectfully to do something. To tell someone respectfully to not do something. If the subject is plural, use Ustedes commands.

Formation of Usted/Ustedes Commands Begin with the yo form present-tense of the verb cantar drop the “o” ending Then, for Usted commands, add an –e ending for –ar verbs and an –a ending for –er or –ir ending verbs. For Ustedes commands add an –en for –ar verbs and an –an for –er or –ir ending verbs. canto cant o

Cantar Usted- ¡Cante! = Sing! (Speaking to one person) Ustedes- ¡Canten! = Sing! (to more than one person) To make the command negative, just put “no” in front of the command form. Usted- ¡No cante! = Don’t sing! Ustedes-¡No canten! = Don’t sing!

-er/-ir ending verbs vend o Vender Venda Vendan No venda No vendan *Regular –ir ending verbs will end this same way. vivir viv viva/vivan vend o o

Irregular yo forms Salir Salga Salgan No salga No salgan *Notice the importance of beginning with the YO form stem. Salg o

Very irregular yo forms Some verbs have very irregular yo forms and are therefore irregular in the command form…you have to MEMORIZE these irregulars! Usted/Uds. Verb Yo form command Dar (doy) dé/den Estar (estoy) esté/estén Ir (voy) vaya/vayan Saber (sé) sepa/sepan Ser (soy) sea/sean

-car/-gar/-zar Ending Verbs In order to retain the same sound, -car, -gar, and –zar ending verbs have a spelling change in the formal command forms. -car -que/-quen practique/practiquen -gar -gue/-guen juegue/jueguen -zar -ce/-cen empiece/empiecen

Commands with Pronouns Reflexive Verbs and Affirmative Commands Attach the reflexive pronoun to the end of the affirmative command. For a formal command, the reflexive pronoun will always be “se”. Examples: ¡Váyase! – Go away! (1 person) ¡Duérmanse! – Go to sleep! (all of you) Don’t forget the accent mark!

Negative Commands Place the reflexive pronoun (se) in front of the command. Examples: ¡No se vaya! – Don’t go! ¡No se duerman! – Don’t fall asleep!

Commands with Object Pronouns If a direct or indirect object pronoun is used with a command, use the same placement procedures as with reflexive commands. Examples: ¡Déme el dinero! – Give me the money! ¡Dígannos la verdad! – Tell us the truth! ¡No lo ponga aquí! – Don’t put it here!

Práctica Change the following verbs to commands. Bailar(Ud.) Dance! Hacer la (Uds.) Do it! Comprar les (Ud.) Don’t buy for them! Mirarse (Uds.) Look at yourselves! Repetir (Ud.) Repeat! Abrir los (Uds.) Don’t open them! Comer lo (Ud.)- Don’t eat it!

Respuestas Baile Háganla No les compre Mírense Repita No los abran No lo coma