10.7.2

Negative Imperative

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Negative Imperative

When negative, the imperative is formed the same way as the present subjunctive.

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AR verbs

  • No hables - sigular informal.
  • No habléis - plural informal.
  • No hable - singular formal.
  • No hablen - plural formal.
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ER verbs

  • No corras - sigular informal.
  • No corráis - plural informal.
  • No corra - singular formal.
  • No corran - plural formal.
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IR verbs

  • No subas - sigular informal.
  • No subáis - plural informal.
  • No suba - singular formal.
  • No suban - plural formal.

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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10Advanced Tenses

11Extra Grammar

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