Commands - Mandates

Formal Commands - Usted

Usted and ustedes are the formal "you". This pronoun is used when speaking to someone you are not familiar with or to a superior.

The old joke goes: "Practice. practice, practice" or how one gets to Carnegie Hall. It is also how one learns Spanish commands. Here, of course, "practice" is pronounced "practicay" in Spanish. The "e" becomes a long "a". This is the formal command.

The formal commands are formed:

    Start with the yo form of the present indicative.
    Drop the -o ending.
    Add the following endings:

-ar verbs:
-e (for Ud.), -en (for Uds.)


-er and -ir verbs:
-a (for Ud.), -an (for Uds.)


Facil, until you get to irregular commands, then it requires memorization.

Irregular Commands - Ud.

dar
dé Ud.
den Uds.
estar
esté Ud.
estén Uds.
ir
vaya Ud.
vayan Uds.
ser
sea Ud.
sean Uds.
saber
sepa Ud.
sepan Uds.

Informal Commands - Tu

For friends, use the "tu" pronoun.

Affirmative informal (tú) commands are formed like the present  Ud. form:

(hablar - ar + a = habla)
(comer - er + e = come)
(escribir - ir + e = escribe)

(practicar -ar +a =practica)

  Negative informal commands use the tú form of the present plus s.

(no hablar - ar + a = no hablas)
(no comer - er + e = no comes)
(no escribir - ir + e = no escribes)

pero

(no + practicar = no practiques)

 Habla, no hablas, escribe, no escribes. Practique, no practiques, en tiempo es fácil.