Informal Commands in Spanish: ¡Aprende a Dar Órdenes!

In Spanish, commands are used to tell someone to do something. There are two main types of commands: formal and informal. Formal commands are used when speaking to someone you don’t know well or someone older than you. Informal commands are used when speaking to someone you know well, like a friend or family member.

Forming Informal Commands

To form an informal command, you simply use the **tú** form of the verb in the present tense. For example, to tell someone to eat, you would say “come” (eat). To tell someone to drink, you would say “bebe” (drink).

Irregular Affirmative Commands

Some verbs have irregular affirmative commands. These verbs are usually irregular in other tenses as well. Here are some common irregular affirmative commands:

Verb	Affirmative Command (Tú)
ser (to be)	sé
ir (to go)	ve
hacer (to do)	haz
decir (to say)	di
poner (to put)	pon
salir (to leave)	sal

Pronoun Placement with Informal Affirmative Commands

When using a pronoun with an informal affirmative command, the pronoun goes **after** the verb. For example, to tell someone to eat it, you would say “cómelo” (eat it). To tell someone to drink it, you would say “bébelo” (drink it).

Examples of Informal Commands

Here are some examples of informal commands in Spanish:

• ¡Come! (Eat!)
• ¡Bebe! (Drink!)
• ¡Habla! (Speak!)
• ¡Escucha! (Listen!)
• ¡Lee! (Read!)
• ¡Escribe! (Write!)
• ¡Mira! (Look!)
• ¡Ve! (Go!)
• ¡Haz! (Do!)
• ¡Di! (Say!)

Practice Time!

Now it’s your turn to practice using informal commands. Try to form the following commands in Spanish:

1. Tell someone to study.
2. Tell someone to dance.
3. Tell someone to sing.
4. Tell someone to open the door.
5. Tell someone to close the window.

¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)