The imperativo negativo (negative commands) tells someone not to do something. It is included here because it differs slightly from the affirmative imperative, only in the tú and vosotros forms. All negative commands use the present subjunctive preceded by "no," which makes their pattern more consistent than affirmative commands. Use it for:
- Prohibitions
- Negative instructions
- Warnings
- Telling someone not to do something
- Discouraging certain actions
Regular Conjugations
| Pronoun | -AR | -ER/-IR |
|---|---|---|
| tú | no + -es | no + -as |
| vos | no + -és | no + -ás |
| vosotros | no + -éis | no + -áis |
| usted | no + -e | no + -a |
| ustedes | no + -en | no + -an |
A negative command is the subjunctive with no in front of it.
Regular -AR verb: hablar in Imperativo Negativo
-er and -ir verbs take the a endings, again after no.
Regular -ER/-IR verb: comer in Imperativo Negativo
Common Irregular Verbs
These follow their subjunctive forms, with no in front of them.
| Verb | tú | vosotros | usted | ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| decir | no digas | no digáis | no diga | no digan |
| hacer | no hagas | no hagáis | no haga | no hagan |
| ir | no vayas | no vayáis | no vaya | no vayan |
| poner | no pongas | no pongáis | no ponga | no pongan |
| salir | no salgas | no salgáis | no salga | no salgan |
| ser | no seas | no seáis | no sea | no sean |
| tener | no tengas | no tengáis | no tenga | no tengan |
| venir | no vengas | no vengáis | no venga | no vengan |
Important Notes
- All negative commands use the subjunctive form
- With reflexive verbs, the pronoun goes between "no" and the verb (no te sientes)
- The same form is used regardless of formality level for usted/ustedes
- Irregular verbs follow their subjunctive irregularities