Today we are going to study the Spanish commands with pronouns. More specifically the placement of the pronoun with commands, because this will depend if the sentence is affirmative o negative. Let’s see how they work.
Pronouns with affirmative commands in Spanish
In affirmative commands, i.e. when telling someone to do something, personal pronouns are attached to the end of the verb:
- Háblale (Speak to him).
- Dime (Tell me).
- Hazlo tu mismo (Do it yourself).
And when os is attached to the vosotros form, you drop the final –d. You also add an accent for –ir verbs:
Sentad – Sentaos (Sit down).
Dormid – Dormíos (S
Notice that an accent has to be added, sometimes to keep the strong consonant in the right place.
Negative commands with pronouns
- To tell someone not to do something, you put the subject pronouns before the negative imperative to emphasis.
Tú no abras la ventana. (Don’t open the window).
Usted no espere aquí. (Don’t wait here).
Ustedes no olviden llamarnos (Don’t forget to call us!).
Object pronouns come also before the verb in the negative imperative, compare:
No me hables. (Don’t speak to me).
Háblame. (Speak to me).
No nos escribas. (Don’t write to us).
Escríbenos. (Write to us).
Pronouns with imperatives examples
Many everyday expressions are imperatives:
¿Diga?/¿Dígame? (Hello, Speak to me – on the phone).
¡No me digas! (You don’t say!).
Oigame (Lisen to me).
Discúlpeme (Excuse me).
Póngame una cerveza, por favor. (Give me a beer, please)
¡Vaya casa! (What a house!).
Imperative and the pronouns exercises
Practice how to use the object pronouns with commands with the exercise below. Remember you can contact your tutor with any question you have about the imperative and the pronouns. Don’t you have a Spanish personal tutor yet?
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