1. Formal (usted/ustedes) Commands

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

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

4. Formation
1. Begin with the yo form present-tense of the verb
cantar
2. drop the “o” ending
3. Add new ending –
For Ud. Commands:
AR – e
ER/IR - a
For Uds. Commands:
AR – en
ER/IR - an
canto
cant o

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

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

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

8. Very irregular yo forms
Verb Yo form command Dar (doy) dé/den Estar (estoy) esté/estén Ir (voy) vaya/vayan Saber (sé) sepa/sepan Ser (soy) sea/sean

9. -car/-gar/-zar Ending Verbs
To maintain the same sound, these verbs undergo a spelling change
-car -que/-quen practique/practiquen
-gar -gue/-guen juegue/jueguen
-zar -ce/-cen empiece/empiecen

10. 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) *Accent on the next to last syllable of the verb*

11. Negative Reflexive 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!

12. 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!