Affirmative Tú Commands

Spanish: El imperativo afirmativo con tú

Level: A2 Elementary

Category: commands

Explanation

The affirmative "tú" command is used to give orders, instructions, advice, or requests informally to one person. It is the form we use with friends, family, and people we are close to. To form the regular affirmative "tú" command, we simply take the third person singular (él/ella) of the present indicative. For example: "él habla" becomes "¡Habla!", "ella come" becomes "¡Come!", and "él escribe" becomes "¡Escribe!". It is very easy because it matches a form you already know. When we use pronouns (reflexive, direct object, or indirect object) with the affirmative command, they attach to the end of the verb, forming a single word: "Levántate" (levanta + te), "Dímelo" (di + me + lo). When adding pronouns, we often need a written accent to keep the verb's original stress. There are eight very common irregular verbs that have short, irregular forms you must memorize, such as "ven" (venir), "haz" (hacer), and "di" (decir). These appear constantly in everyday Spanish.

Examples

• Habla más despacio, por favor. - Speak more slowly, please.
• Come la sopa antes de que se enfríe. - Eat the soup before it gets cold.
• Escribe tu nombre aquí, por favor. - Write your name here, please.
• Pásame el azúcar para el café. - Pass me the sugar for the coffee.
• Ven aquí, la farmacia está abierta. - Come here, the pharmacy is open.