8.7.1

Positive Imperative

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Imperative

The imperative has five forms: Tú, Usted, Vosotros/as, Ustedes and nosotros. 'Tú' and 'vosotros/as' are informal and come across as friendlier. ‘Nosotros’ is used for ‘let’s do something’.

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AR verbs

  • The 'tú' form is the same as the 'él/ella' form of the present tense.
  • The 'vosotros' form is made by removing the 'r' from the infinitive and adding a 'd'.
  • The formal forms and nosotros come from the present subjunctive.
  • Examples:
    • Habla - singular informal (tú).
    • Hablad - plural informal (vosotros/as).
    • Hable - singular formal (usted).
    • Hablemos - plural formal (nosotros).
    • Hablen - plural formal (ustedes).
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ER verbs

  • The 'tú' form is the same as the 'él/ella' form of the present tense.
  • The 'vosotros' form is made by removing the 'r' from the infinitive and adding a 'd'.
  • The formal forms and nosotros come from the present subjunctive.
  • Examples:
    • Aprende - singular informal (tú).
    • Aprended - plural informal (vosotros/as).
    • Aprenda - singular formal (usted).
    • Aprendamos - plural formal (nosotros).
    • Aprendan - plural formal (ustedes).
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IR verbs

  • The 'tú' form is the same as the 'él/ella' form of the present tense.
  • The 'vosotros' form is made by removing the 'r' the infinitive and adding a 'd'.
  • The formal forms and nosotros come from the present subjunctive.
  • Examples:
    • Vive - singular informal (tú).
    • Vivad - plural informal (vosotros/as).
    • Viva - singular formal (usted).
    • Vivamos - plural formal (nosotros).
    • Vivan - plural formal (ustedes).
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Irregular IR verb example - Pedir

  • The 'tú' form is the same as the 'él/ella' form of the present tense.
  • The 'vosotros' form is made by removing the 'r' the infinitive and adding a 'd'.
  • The formal forms and nosotros come from the present subjunctive.
  • Pedir is an irregular verb. The él/ella form of the present tense is pide.
  • Examples:
    • Pide - singular informal (tú).
    • Pedid - plural informal (vosotros/as).
    • Pida - singular formal (usted).
    • Pidamos - plural formal (nosotros).
    • Pidan - plural formal (ustedes).

Imperative

The imperative is used to give commands or orders.

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Forms

  • The imperative has four forms:
    • Tú, Usted, Vosotros/as, Ustedes.
  • The 'tú' and 'vosotros/as forms are used informally.
  • The informal terms come across as friendlier and often don't have exclamation marks.
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Forming the imperative

  • The 'tú' form is the same as the 'él/ella' form of the present tense.
    • E.g. ¡Aprende español!
      • Learn Spanish! (you singular).
  • The 'vosotros' form is formed by taking the infinitive, removing the 'r' and adding a 'd'.
    • E.g. ¡Aprended español!
      • Learn Spanish! (you plural).
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An example

  • The conjugation for 'hablar' (to speak) in the imperative is:
    • Habla - singular informal (tú).
    • Hablad - plural informal (vosotros/as).
    • Hable - singular formal (usted).
    • Hablen - plural formal (ustedes).
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Let's

  • You use the 'nosotros/as' form of the imperative to say 'let or let's do something'.
  • It is exactly the same as the 'nosotros' form of the present subjunctive for er, ar and ir verbs.
    • E.g. Compremos las entradas para el cine.
      • Let's buy tickets for the cinema.
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Negative imperative

  • When negative, the imperative is formed the same way as the present subjunctive.
  • E.g. the conjugation for 'hablar' (to speak) in the negative imperative is:
    • No hables - sigular informal.
    • No habléis - plural informal.
    • No hable - singular formal.
    • No hablen - plural formal.

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1The Basics

2Current & Future Study & Employment

3Identity & Culture

3.1Me, My Family & Friends

3.2Me, My Family & Friends - Translations

3.3Technology in Everyday Life

3.4Technology in Everyday Life - Translations

3.5Free Time Activities

3.6Free Time Activities - Translations

3.7Customs & Festivals in Spanish Speaking Countries

3.8Customs & Festivals - Translations

4Areas of Interest

4.1Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region

4.2Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region - Translations

4.3Social Issues

4.4Social Issues - Translations

4.5Global Issues

4.6Global Issues - Translations

4.7Travel & Tourism

4.8Travel & Tourism - Translations

5Listening Practice

6Common Tenses

7Important Verbs

8Advanced Tenses

9Extra Grammar

9.1Articles

9.2Negatives

9.3Nouns

9.4Asking Questions

9.5Adjectives

9.6Adverbs

9.7Conjunctions

9.8Pronouns

9.9By, With, From, Of

9.10Verbs

9.11Comparisons

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