Grammar patterns · GCSE Spanish

Imperative

GCSE Spanish imperative: tú, usted, nosotros, vosotros commands, -ar/-er/-ir patterns, negatives, and polite use in role-play.

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THE MEMORY HOOK
Tú affirmative drops -s on -ar: ¡habla! Usted uses subjunctive form: hable. Vosotros: hablad.

The important bits

What you need to know

  1. 1

    Imperative for orders, advice, directions — role-play and classroom instructions.

  2. 2

    Tú affirmative -ar: habla (from hablas without s). -er/-ir: come, escribe.

  3. 3

    Vosotros: hablad, comed, escribid — standard plural informal command.

  4. 4

    Usted/ustedes: subjunctive forms — hable, hablemos, hablen; coma, coman.

  5. 5

    Nosotros: hablemos, comamos — let’s…

  6. 6

    Negative tú: no hables, no comas — subjunctive forms.

  7. 7

    Irregulars: di, haz, ve, sal, ten, pon, ven; sé (usted), sed (vosotros from ser).

  8. 8

    Polite: Por favor, escuche. Tome la primera calle a la derecha.

Example sentences worth reusing

Short evidence. Real method.

“¡Escuchad, por favor! Repetid después de mí. No habléis en inglés.”
Classroom vosotros imperatives

Vosotros commands; negative uses subjunctive habléis.

Go deeper

Tú, vosotros, usted commands

Tú positive -ar drops -s: habla, estudia, mira. -Er/-ir: come, abre, escribe. Vosotros add -d: hablad, comed. Usted uses present subjunctive: hable, coma, viva. Role-play to stranger: use usted forms with por favor. Directions: Siga recto, gire a la izquierda, tome la segunda calle.

Go deeper

Negative imperative

No + subjunctive: no hables, no comas, no escribas. Usted: no hable. Vosotros negative: no habléis. Reflexive affirmative: siéntate, levantaos; negative: no te sientes. GCSE often tests recognition; one correct usted command in speaking is valuable.

Go deeper

Imperative in exams

Health bullet: Come fruta. Haz ejercicio. No fumes. Recipe or instructions in reading. Speaking: give advice with usted or tú matching card. Do not use yo form as command.

WORKED EXAMPLE

See the idea in action

Para estar sano, comed verdura y haced deporte. No comáis demasiado azúcar. Bebed agua. Vosotros imperatives for class advice — or use usted forms for formal role-play.

Exam technique

Turn knowledge into marks

Tú -ar: drop -s. Usted: subjunctive. Negative always subjunctive.

Common mistakes

Do not give these marks away

  1. 01

    ¡Hablas! as command — should be ¡habla!

  2. 02

    Usted habla for command — should be hable.

  3. 03

    Negative no habla — should be no hables.

QUICK RETRIEVAL

What is the tú affirmative imperative of hablar?

Ahabla

Bhablas

Chablad

Show the answer

habla. -Ar drops -s. Hablas is present. Hablad is vosotros.

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Quick questions

If this is the bit you searched

Tú or usted in role-play?

Stranger/adult service = usted (hable). Peer = tú (habla) or vosotros (hablad) for group.

Why subjunctive for negative?

Spanish convention — no hables uses subjunctive form.