01 · The everyday tú command
Habla más despacio.
Speak more slowly.
Regular affirmative tú commands are just the present-tense él/ella form — no new conjugation to learn, only a new use for one you already know.
andbefluent.com/spanish/commander
Commander
Command with pronouns attached, soften an order politely, switch to usted — out loud.
With commands, the pronoun rule is a clean two-way split: in affirmative commands the pronouns attach to the end of the verb, and you add a written accent to keep the original stress — dámelo, cuéntamelo todo, póntelo ya. In negative commands they detach and move before the verb: no me lo des, no te lo pongas. The command forms themselves: affirmative tú is the third-person present (habla, come, abre, plus the eight irregulars haz, ve, ten, sé, pon, sal, di, ven), while negatives and all usted commands ride the subjunctive — no hables, firme aquí, no se preocupe.
Below: the commands you'll actually use, a Mexico-vs-Argentina table (voseo changes these forms), the classic slip-ups — and a way to practise giving instructions out loud, no conjugation drills, no worksheets.
The warm-up pack
Giving an instruction in Spanish is one word doing two jobs — and that word changes shape depending on who you're talking to.
01 · The everyday tú command
Habla más despacio.
Speak more slowly.
Regular affirmative tú commands are just the present-tense él/ella form — no new conjugation to learn, only a new use for one you already know.
02 · One of the eight irregulars
Haz la tarea.
Do the homework.
Haz doesn't follow the pattern above. There are eight of these irregular tú commands and they're worth learning as a short list, not one at a time.
03 · Another irregular, same family
Ven aquí.
Come here.
Ven is on that same short irregular list, alongside haz, ten, pon, sé, sal, di and ve. Say them enough and they stop feeling like exceptions.
04 · Don't say it like you would say it
No hables tan rápido.
Don't speak so fast.
This is the part that surprises people: the negative tú command isn't the affirmative with no in front. It's a different form entirely — no hables, not no habla.
05 · The reassurance command
No tengas miedo.
Don't be afraid.
Same negative pattern as above, and one of the gentlest things you can say to someone — commands aren't always orders.
06 · Switch to usted
Hable más alto, por favor.
Speak louder, please.
With someone you don't know well, the command changes again — hable, not habla. It's the same subjunctive-shaped form the negative tú uses, just for a different person.
07 · The warm formal welcome
Pase adelante.
Come on in.
This is what you'll hear the moment you walk into a shop, an office, someone's home. It sounds formal on paper and warm out loud.
08 · Where it counts — signatures
Firme aquí.
Sign here.
Same usted pattern, doing real work — banks, forms, deliveries. Recognizing this shape means you won't freeze when someone hands you a pen.
09 · Attach it, accent it
Dámelo ahora.
Give it to me now.
In an affirmative command, the pronoun sticks onto the end of the verb, and you add a written accent to keep the stress in the right place: dámelo, not damelo.
10 · Detach it in the negative
No me lo digas.
Don't tell me.
Flip to negative and the pronoun jumps back in front of the verb, no longer attached. Same idea, opposite direction — that's the whole rule.
11 · Two commands, back to back
Ven conmigo al mercado y ayúdame con las bolsas.
Come with me to the market and help me with the bags.
Two commands back to back, the way they actually come out in conversation — not a worksheet, just someone asking for help.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/commanderRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina (vos) |
|---|---|---|
| speak more slowly | habla más despacio | hablá más despacio |
| eat the fruit | come la fruta | comé la fruta |
| do the homework | haz la tarea | hacé la tarea |
| tell me the truth | dime la verdad | decime la verdad |
| come here | ven aquí | vení acá |
Watch out
The part no drill site can do
Carla
Your grammar teacher for this pack
There are no drills here — you give real instructions and Carla follows them (or pushes back). She has you walk her through a quick recipe with ustedes commands — mezclen, calienten, no dejen — then flips roles and makes you soften a blunt order into a polite ask: ¿Podrías…?, ¿Me pasas…?. And when the pronouns tangle, she runs the pairs with you out loud until they land: dámelo / no me lo des, póntelo / no te lo pongas.
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 5 lessons and Commander is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
Eight short ones: haz, ve, ten, sé, pon, sal, di, ven. In real sentences: haz la tarea, ven aquí, pon la mesa, dime la verdad, ten paciencia.
Switch to the present subjunctive: no hables tan rápido, no vayas sola, no tengas miedo; with usted, no se preocupe. Any pronouns move in front of the verb: no me lo digas.
Attached to the end of affirmative commands, with a written accent to keep the stress: dámelo, cuéntamelo, póntelo. In negative commands they go before the verb: no me lo des, no te lo pongas.
Use the subjunctive form: hable más alto, por favor; pase adelante; firme aquí; espere un momento. In Mexico you'll hear the extra-warm pásele, señora.
Voseo commands stress the final syllable: hablá más despacio, comé la fruta, hacé la tarea, decime la verdad, vení acá. The negatives ride the subjunctive too: no hablés tan rápido.