Are ‘Negative Commands’ related to imperative commands?
Imperative commands are spoken when we want to order, request, or tell someone what to do. Negative commands in Spanish are the same as imperative commands but with a negation.
Negative commands are used to order someone not to do a certain thing.
‘Stop arguing with your parents’(Deja de discutir con tus padres)
Do not park your car in front of the hospital. (No estaciones tu auto frente al hospital)
Let’s not giggle in class.(No nos riamos en clase.)
To learn more about the negative commands in Spanish, we need to learn the imperative and the subjunctive commands.
Let’s learn how to say ‘No’ or precisely how to say a negative command in Spanish. For this, you will love to learn negative Spanish Commands from Netflix and YouTube videos with the Jolii language learning app. Oh, that is immersive yet engaging.
What Are Negative Commands in Spanish?
Negative commands are used to ask someone not to do something or to prohibit an action. In English, these are formed simply by using don’t + verb (e.g., don’t run). However, in Spanish, forming negative commands is more complex, as they require the use of the subjunctive mood.
General Rule to Create Negative Commands in Spanish
A fundamental prerequisite for learning negative commands is mastering the conjugations of the present subjunctive. If you haven’t learned it yet, here’s a step-by-step guide to help you. Steps 1 to 3 will show you how to form the present subjunctive, and step 4 will guide you in creating negative commands.
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STEP 1: Start with the Yo form in the present indicative tense.
Example:
STEP 2: Remove the final -o from the yo form.
Example:
STEP 3: Add subjunctive endings.
| Subject | -ar Verbs Ending | Example (-ar) | -er/-ir Verbs Ending | Example (-er/-ir) | |
| Yo | -e | hable | -a | coma | escriba |
| Tú | -es | hables | -as | comas | escribas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | -e | hable | -a | coma | escriba |
| Nosotros | -emos | hablemos | -amos | comamos | escribamos |
| Vosotros | -éis | habléis | -áis | comáis | escribáis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | -en | hablen | -an | coman | escriban |
Mnemonic Tip for the Subjunctive
Don’t be discouraged by so many new endings! Except for yo (which matches él), subjunctive endings are the same as indicative but with flipped vowels: -ar verbs take e endings, and -er/-ir verbs take a endings. Now it looks easier, right?
| Mood | Tú (hablar) | Él/Ella (comer) | Ellos (escribir) |
| Indicative | tú hablas | él come | ellos escriben |
| Subjunctive | tú hables | él coma | ellos escriban |
STEP 4: Add “No” in Front to Form Negative Imperative Commands
Now that you have obtained the full conjugation of the present subjunctive, you can create prohibitions or commands in informal and formal situations. The structure is simple: no + verb in the present subjunctive for the forms tú, usted, nosotros, vosotros, and ustedes.
| Subject | -ar Verbs | Example (-ar) | -er/-ir Verbs Ending | Example (-er/-ir) |
| Tú | -es | No hables (Don’t talk) | -as | No comas (Don’t eat) |
| Usted | -e | No hable (Don’t talk) | -a | No coma (Don’t eat) |
| Nosotros | -emos | No hablemos (Let’s not talk) | -amos | No comamos (Let’s not eat) |
| Vosotros | -éis | No habléis (Don’t talk, plural informal) | -áis | No comáis (Don’t eat, plural informal) |
| Ustedes | -en | No hablen (Don’t talk, plural formal) | -an | No coman (Don’t eat, plural formal) |
Please note that the personal pronouns are not typically included in imperative sentences.
Negative Commands with Different Subjects
Negative Command with Tú
The negative tú command is used in informal situations, such as talking to friends or family members or people of similar age.
| Verb | Example in Spanish | English Translation |
| Llamar | No llames ahora. | Don’t call now. |
| Beber | No bebas tanto café. | Don’t drink so much coffee. |
| Abrir | No abras la ventana. | Don’t open the window. |
Negative Commands with Usted
The negative usted command is used in more formal situations, such as when speaking with an older person or with a stranger.
| Verb | Example in Spanish | English Translation |
| Llegar | No llegue tarde. | Don’t arrive late. |
| Leer | No lea este libro todavía. | Don’t read this book yet. |
| Subir | No suba por las escaleras. | Don’t go up the stairs. |
Negative Commands with Nosotros
The negative nosotros command is used to include yourself and others in a prohibition, essentially saying, “Let’s not do this.” If you are interested in learning the complete list of nosotros commands, check out our article about nosotros commands in Spanish.
| Verb | Example in Spanish | English Translation |
| Caminar | No caminemos tan rápido. | Let’s not walk so fast. |
| Cantar | No cantemos esa canción. | Let’s not sing that song. |
| Estudiar | No estudiemos toda la noche. | Let’s not study all night. |
Negative Commands with Vosotros
Vosotros is used in informal situations when addressing several people. It is primarily used in mainland Spain, as it is uncommon in Latin America and other Spanish-speaking regions.
| Verb | Example in Spanish | English Translation |
| Pensar | No penséis en eso ahora. | Don’t think about that now. |
| Comer | No comáis dulces antes de cenar. | Don’t eat sweets before dinner. |
| Escribir | No escribáis en el libro. | Don’t write in the book. |
Negative Commands with Ustedes
The negative ustedes command is used when addressing a group of people in formal situations in mainland Spain and in all situations in the rest of the Spanish-speaking world.
| Verb | Example in Spanish | English Translation |
| Entrar | No entren sin permiso. | Don’t enter without permission. |
| Hablar | No hablen tan fuerte. | Don’t speak so loudly. |
| Estudiar | No estudien toda la noche. | Don’t study all night. |
Irregular Negative Imperative Forms
Some verbs are irregular in their subjunctive and therefore also their negative imperative forms. However, there are two kinds of irregularities: some verbs have irregular stems, whereas others are irregular because of their irregular yo forms in the present indicative, which carry over to the subjunctive.
Verbs with Irregular Subjunctive Stems
| Verb | Irregular Stem | Tú Form | Example Sentence | Translation |
| Ir | vay- | No vayas | No vayas al parque. | Don’t go to the park. |
| Ser | se- | No seas | No seas impaciente. | Don’t be impatient. |
| Estar | est- | No estés | No estés triste. | Don’t be sad. |
| Saber | sep- | No sepas | No sepas todo de antemano. | Don’t know everything in advance. |
| Dar | d- | No des | No des dinero a extraños. | Don’t give money to strangers. |
Verbs with Irregular Yo Forms
| Verb | Yo Form | Tú Form | Example Sentence | Translation |
| Tener | tengo | No tengas | No tengas miedo. | Don’t be afraid. |
| Venir | vengo | No vengas | No vengas tarde. | Don’t come late. |
| Hacer | hago | No hagas | No hagas ruido. | Don’t make noise. |
| Poner | pongo | No pongas | No pongas tus cosas aquí. | Don’t put your things here. |
| Salir | salgo | No salgas | No salgas sin permiso. | Don’t leave without permission. |
Pronoun Placement in Spanish Negative Imperative
In imperative commands, the pronouns are placed at the end of the verb. In Negative commands, the pronoun is placed before the verb.
It maintains the correct Spanish grammatical structure.
Structure Of Pronouns In Negative Command
No + verb + pronouns(s)
E.g. ‘No lo hagas’ (Don’t do it)
Conclusion
By now, you have learned the negative commands in Spanish and the easy way to make one. If you want to learn from native speakers, you can download the Jolii app for your benefit.
Jolii lets you import videos from Netflix and YouTube to learn negative commands in Spanish in an immersive way. You can learn the negative commands from your favorite videos. Enjoy and learn Spanish the easiest way.
