Giving Orders

Giving Orders

Understanding Spanish Commands

• Understand the imperative form of the verb, used for commands or instructions when giving orders in Spanish.

Rules for Forming the Imperative

• Forming the imperative varies depending on whether the verb ends in -ar, -er, or -ir.
• AR verbs: drop the -ar and add -a for “you” singular, -ad for “you” plural, -amos for “we”.
• ER and IR verbs: drop the -er or -ir and add -e for “you” singular, -ed for “you” plural, and -amos for “we”.
• Examples of imperatives: Hablar becomes habla (talk), Comer becomes come (eat), Vivir becomes vive (live).

Negative Commands in Spanish

• Different imperative form for negative commands. Conjugate the verb in the present subjunctive for negatives.

Respectful Commands

• When giving commands to someone you respect or is a stranger, use the formal “usted” form for “you”.

Imperative with Reflexive Verbs

• Imperative of Reflexive verbs follows a specific pattern. Attach the reflexive pronoun (like ‘se’) to the end of the command.
• Example: lavarse (to wash oneself) – lávate (‘wash yourself’).

Irregular Verbs in the Imperative

• Irregular verbs have unique forms in the imperative, such as “ir” (to go), “ser” (to be), and “tener” (to have). These should be memorized individually.

Practice Vulnerability

• Commands in Spanish reflect who is being told to do something, with different forms for familiar or formal situations and for positive or negative commands. Practice making commands for different persons and situations to get used to using the Spanish imperative.