01 · A simple ask, to a friend
Habla más despacio.
Speak more slowly.
The plain tú command — your default with friends, family, anyone your age or younger.
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Diplomatic Bag
Commands that land — pronouns attached, stress kept, register matched — said out loud.
Affirmative commands carry their pronouns attached: dímelo otra vez — and once a clitic is attached, a written accent keeps the stress where it was (dime → dímelo). Negative commands put them before the verb and switch to the subjunctive: no me lo digas ahora — it's no pongas, never no pon. The order is fixed, indirect before direct, and le/les becomes se before lo/la: no se lo digas, dáselo. And when a bare command would sting, soften it instead of changing the verb: ¿podrías repetírmelo?, ¿le importaría esperar?.
Below: commands across every register, where the pronouns go, what Argentina does differently — and a way to practise it all out loud in a real exchange, no flashcards, no conjugation drills.
The warm-up pack
Every register of 'do this' — friend, boss, stranger — and exactly where the pronouns land.
01 · A simple ask, to a friend
Habla más despacio.
Speak more slowly.
The plain tú command — your default with friends, family, anyone your age or younger.
02 · Calling someone over
Ven aquí un momento.
Come here for a moment.
Ven, not "viene" — one of eight irregular tú commands worth just memorizing outright.
03 · Welcoming someone formally
Pase adelante, por favor.
Come in, please.
Usted commands borrow the subjunctive form — this is what you'd say to a client, a doctor, anyone you don't know well.
04 · Offering a seat
Tome asiento.
Have a seat.
Same usted pattern as the last card — swap the verb, keep the shape.
05 · Asking someone to lower their voice
No hables tan fuerte.
Don't speak so loudly.
Negative commands always flip to the subjunctive — it's "no hables," never "no habla."
06 · A formal goodbye request
No se vaya sin avisarme.
Don't leave without telling me.
Same negative-subjunctive rule, just dressed up for usted.
07 · Attaching the pronoun
Dímelo otra vez.
Tell it to me again.
Affirmative commands carry their pronouns stuck on the end, and once one's attached, an accent keeps the stress where it was.
08 · The formal version, longer
Explíquemelo, por favor.
Explain it to me, please.
Same attaching rule, just with usted and two clitics stacked — indirect object always comes before direct.
09 · Reversing it
No me lo digas ahora.
Don't tell it to me now.
Negate the command and the pronouns jump in front of the verb instead — same words, opposite order.
10 · How Argentina says it
Vení un momentito.
Come here for a moment.
Vos shifts the stress to the last syllable and drops the final d — recognize it even if you don't use it yourself.
11 · Asking instead of ordering
¿Le importaría esperar?
Would you mind waiting?
When a bare command would sound too blunt, this is what you reach for instead — same request, softer landing.
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Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/diplomatic-bagRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Most of Latin America | Argentina & Uruguay |
|---|---|---|
| come here | ven aquí | vení |
| tell me | dime | decime |
| do it | haz | hacelo |
| speak | habla | hablá |
Watch out
The part no drill site can do
Carla
Your grammar teacher for this pack
No conjugation tables to fill in — in the Diplomatic Bag lessons you give real instructions out loud, and Carla keeps changing who's listening. To a friend it's dime; to a client it's dígame. She has you attach the pronouns at speed — dímelo otra vez — then flip the same command negative without dropping a beat: no me lo digas ahora. And when a direct order would sound abrupt, you soften it live — ¿podrías repetírmelo?, ¿le importaría esperar? — until the register switch starts happening by itself.
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 6 lessons and Diplomatic Bag is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
Attaching clitics adds syllables, so a written accent marks where the stress stays: dímelo, tráemela, explíquemelo. Writing 'dimelo' or 'traemela' without the accent is one of the most common slips.
Le/les always becomes se before lo/la/los/las: no se lo digas, dáselo. 'No le lo digas' is never grammatical.
Every negative command uses no + the present subjunctive: no pongas, no hagas — never 'no pon' or 'no haz'. The pronouns move in front of the verb too: póntelo becomes no te lo pongas.
The stress shifts to the last syllable and the final -d disappears: hablá, vení, decime, hacelo. In casual speech vos negatives often borrow tú forms (no hables), though the academic norm is no hablés.
Use an indirect request instead of the imperative: ¿podrías repetírmelo?, ¿le importaría esperar?, or the question frame ¿me pasas la sal?. With usted, adding por favor or si es tan amable is expected, not optional.