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Affirmative Imperative Form in Spanish
31.07.2026
10 minutes to read
Imperativo afirmativo is the affirmative form of the imperative mood in Spanish. It is used when we ask, advise, suggest, or tell someone to do an action: “say,” “open,” “listen,” “repeat.”
Table of contents
How to Use Imperativo Afirmativo in Spanish
In Spanish, the imperative mood is not used only for orders. In real speech, imperativo afirmativo often sounds like a simple request, a piece of advice, an invitation, or an instruction. Everything depends on the situation, intonation, and the words that stand next to the verb.
For example:
Escucha.
Listen.
Repite, por favor.
Repeat, please.
Abre el libro.
Open the book.
Ven aquí.
Come here.
Escribid la respuesta.
Write the answer.
To make the phrase sound softer, Spanish speakers often add por favor, address the person by name, or add a friendly explanation:
Habla más despacio, por favor.
Speak more slowly, please.
Ana, espera un momento.
Ana, wait a moment.
Mira este ejemplo.
Look at this example.
Imperativo afirmativo is used in different situations. The first one is requests and everyday communication:
Cierra la ventana, por favor.
Close the window, please.
Pásame el agua.
Pass me the water.
Llámame mañana.
Call me tomorrow.
The second situation is instructions. This is how teachers, coaches, parents, administrators, and task writers speak:
Lee el texto.
Read the text.
Subraya los verbos.
Underline the verbs.
Escuchad el audio.
Listen to the audio.
Completen la tabla.
Complete the table.
The third situation is advice and recommendations:
Descansa un poco.
Rest a little.
Estudia cada día.
Study every day.
Bebe más agua.
Drink more water.
Sé paciente.
Be patient.
It is important to remember that in Spanish, the command form depends on who we are addressing. For tú, one form is used; for usted, another; and for vosotros/as and ustedes, there are separate forms. That is why you cannot learn only one form and use it everywhere.
For example:
Habla.
Speak. This is an informal “you” command.
Hable.
Speak. This is a polite command to one person.
Hablad.
Speak. This is an informal plural command used in Spain.
Hablen.
Speak. This is the form for ustedes.
A separate rule is connected with pronouns. In the affirmative imperative, pronouns are attached to the end of the verb. This applies to reflexive, direct, and indirect object pronouns.
Levántate.
Get up.
Dime la verdad.
Tell me the truth.
Dímelo.
Tell me that.
Explícanos la regla.
Explain the rule to us.
When a pronoun is attached to the verb, in some forms a written accent appears. It is needed to preserve the correct pronunciation:
di + me + lo = dímelo
explica + me = explícame
cuenta + nos = cuéntanos
In the negative form, pronouns stand before the verb, but in imperativo afirmativo they are always attached after the verb. This is one of the main differences between the affirmative and negative forms.
Let’s compare:
Dímelo.
Tell me that.
No me lo digas.
Don’t tell me that.
Levántate.
Get up.
No te levantes.
Don’t get up.
For example:
Escucha.
Listen.
Repite, por favor.
Repeat, please.
Abre el libro.
Open the book.
Ven aquí.
Come here.
Escribid la respuesta.
Write the answer.
To make the phrase sound softer, Spanish speakers often add por favor, address the person by name, or add a friendly explanation:
Habla más despacio, por favor.
Speak more slowly, please.
Ana, espera un momento.
Ana, wait a moment.
Mira este ejemplo.
Look at this example.
Imperativo afirmativo is used in different situations. The first one is requests and everyday communication:
Cierra la ventana, por favor.
Close the window, please.
Pásame el agua.
Pass me the water.
Llámame mañana.
Call me tomorrow.
The second situation is instructions. This is how teachers, coaches, parents, administrators, and task writers speak:
Lee el texto.
Read the text.
Subraya los verbos.
Underline the verbs.
Escuchad el audio.
Listen to the audio.
Completen la tabla.
Complete the table.
The third situation is advice and recommendations:
Descansa un poco.
Rest a little.
Estudia cada día.
Study every day.
Bebe más agua.
Drink more water.
Sé paciente.
Be patient.
It is important to remember that in Spanish, the command form depends on who we are addressing. For tú, one form is used; for usted, another; and for vosotros/as and ustedes, there are separate forms. That is why you cannot learn only one form and use it everywhere.
For example:
Habla.
Speak. This is an informal “you” command.
Hable.
Speak. This is a polite command to one person.
Hablad.
Speak. This is an informal plural command used in Spain.
Hablen.
Speak. This is the form for ustedes.
A separate rule is connected with pronouns. In the affirmative imperative, pronouns are attached to the end of the verb. This applies to reflexive, direct, and indirect object pronouns.
Levántate.
Get up.
Dime la verdad.
Tell me the truth.
Dímelo.
Tell me that.
Explícanos la regla.
Explain the rule to us.
When a pronoun is attached to the verb, in some forms a written accent appears. It is needed to preserve the correct pronunciation:
di + me + lo = dímelo
explica + me = explícame
cuenta + nos = cuéntanos
In the negative form, pronouns stand before the verb, but in imperativo afirmativo they are always attached after the verb. This is one of the main differences between the affirmative and negative forms.
Let’s compare:
Dímelo.
Tell me that.
No me lo digas.
Don’t tell me that.
Levántate.
Get up.
No te levantes.
Don’t get up.
Verb Forms in the Affirmative Imperative
The forms of imperativo afirmativo depend on the person. With regular verbs, the pattern is quite clear. But the tú form often differs from the others, so it is better to memorize it separately.
Examples with tú:
Habla más alto.
Speak louder.
Come la sopa.
Eat the soup.
Vive el momento.
Live in the moment.
The tú form of regular verbs is similar to the third-person singular form of the present tense: él habla, él come, él vive. That is why it is easy to recognize and remember.
The usted form is used for polite address to one person:
Hable más despacio, por favor.
Speak more slowly, please.
Coma aquí, si quiere.
Eat here if you want.
Viva tranquilo.
Live calmly.
The nosotros/as form is often translated as “let’s”:
Hablemos de este tema.
Let’s talk about this topic.
Comamos juntos.
Let’s eat together.
Vivamos sin miedo.
Let’s live without fear.
The vosotros/as form is used in Spain when addressing a group of people informally. With regular verbs, it is formed simply: the -r is removed from the infinitive, giving the forms hablad, comed, vivid.
Hablad en parejas.
Speak in pairs.
Comed más despacio.
Eat more slowly.
Vivid esta experiencia.
Live this experience.
The ustedes form is used in Latin America as the main way to address a group of people. In Spain, it sounds more formal:
Hablen claro.
Speak clearly.
Coman ahora.
Eat now.
Vivan con calma.
Live calmly.
There are verbs whose tú form in the affirmative imperative is irregular. They need to be learned separately because they appear very often.
Habla más alto.
Speak louder.
Come la sopa.
Eat the soup.
Vive el momento.
Live in the moment.
The tú form of regular verbs is similar to the third-person singular form of the present tense: él habla, él come, él vive. That is why it is easy to recognize and remember.
The usted form is used for polite address to one person:
Hable más despacio, por favor.
Speak more slowly, please.
Coma aquí, si quiere.
Eat here if you want.
Viva tranquilo.
Live calmly.
The nosotros/as form is often translated as “let’s”:
Hablemos de este tema.
Let’s talk about this topic.
Comamos juntos.
Let’s eat together.
Vivamos sin miedo.
Let’s live without fear.
The vosotros/as form is used in Spain when addressing a group of people informally. With regular verbs, it is formed simply: the -r is removed from the infinitive, giving the forms hablad, comed, vivid.
Hablad en parejas.
Speak in pairs.
Comed más despacio.
Eat more slowly.
Vivid esta experiencia.
Live this experience.
The ustedes form is used in Latin America as the main way to address a group of people. In Spain, it sounds more formal:
Hablen claro.
Speak clearly.
Coman ahora.
Eat now.
Vivan con calma.
Live calmly.
There are verbs whose tú form in the affirmative imperative is irregular. They need to be learned separately because they appear very often.
Examples:
Di la verdad.
Tell the truth.
Haz los ejercicios.
Do the exercises.
Ve a casa.
Go home.
Pon el libro en la mesa.
Put the book on the table.
Sal de aquí.
Get out of here.
Sé amable.
Be kind.
Ten cuidado.
Be careful.
Ven conmigo.
Come with me.
With reflexive verbs, the pronoun is also attached to the command form:
Levántate.
Get up.
Siéntate.
Sit down.
Prepárate.
Get ready.
Relájate.
Relax.
In the nosotros/as form, when the reflexive pronoun nos is added, the final -s usually disappears:
levantemos + nos = levantémonos
sentemos + nos = sentémonos
Examples:
Levantémonos temprano.
Let’s get up early.
Sentémonos aquí.
Let’s sit here.
Imperativo afirmativo in Spanish helps you speak naturally in the most common situations: asking for something, explaining a task, giving advice, or inviting someone to act. The main thing is to consider whom you are addressing, choose the correct verb form, and remember that in an affirmative command, pronouns are attached to the verb. Then phrases like habla, escucha, ven, dime, siéntate, and hablemos will sound confident and correct.
Di la verdad.
Tell the truth.
Haz los ejercicios.
Do the exercises.
Ve a casa.
Go home.
Pon el libro en la mesa.
Put the book on the table.
Sal de aquí.
Get out of here.
Sé amable.
Be kind.
Ten cuidado.
Be careful.
Ven conmigo.
Come with me.
With reflexive verbs, the pronoun is also attached to the command form:
Levántate.
Get up.
Siéntate.
Sit down.
Prepárate.
Get ready.
Relájate.
Relax.
In the nosotros/as form, when the reflexive pronoun nos is added, the final -s usually disappears:
levantemos + nos = levantémonos
sentemos + nos = sentémonos
Examples:
Levantémonos temprano.
Let’s get up early.
Sentémonos aquí.
Let’s sit here.
Imperativo afirmativo in Spanish helps you speak naturally in the most common situations: asking for something, explaining a task, giving advice, or inviting someone to act. The main thing is to consider whom you are addressing, choose the correct verb form, and remember that in an affirmative command, pronouns are attached to the verb. Then phrases like habla, escucha, ven, dime, siéntate, and hablemos will sound confident and correct.
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