Commands are very often expressed using imperative forms:
¡Cállate! Be quiet!
¡Limpiad eso! Clean that!
In the negative, the imperative is the same as the subjunctive form:
¡No toques eso! Don’t touch that!
¡No lleguéis tarde! Don’t be late!
The person addressed can be expressed by a noun preceding or fol- lowing the command.
No toquéis nada, chicos. Don’t touch anything, boys.
Chicos, no hagáis eso. Boys, don’t do that.
The Spanish equivalent of you (tú, usted, etc.) is used in imperatives when the speaker wants to be rude or needs to make a distinction between people—that is, to specify the person addressed. It can precede or follow the command:
¡Tú, ven aquí! You come here!
¡Cierra la puerta, tú! You close the door!
An imperative like Cierra tú (Close) is slightly different from Cierra, tú or
of the subject pronoun can express rudeness or distinguish between people (depending on the context and the tone of voice), or it can simply be an emphatic or very polite way of speaking, especially when usted is used. The second case (Cierra, tú) can only express rudeness or make a distinction. In sentences with a comma, the subject pronoun has its own stress, while in sentences without a comma, the subject pronoun has a very weak stress.
Because the verb do in questions and negatives has no counterpart in Spanish, the use of this verb in affirmative imperatives is not translated:
Date prisa. Do hurry.
Estudia. Do study.
Because Spanish has a different form for each grammatical person, let’s 1 infinitive coincides with the first-person plural, nosotros:
¡Ataquemos! (Let’s) Attack!
Hagámoslo nosotros. Let us do it.
In this case, subject pronouns are used to distinguish among people. Vayamos nosotros (Let us go) implies that the speaker and the people addressed will go, excluding other peo- ple mentioned before or known by the group. In more casual conversation it is common to conjugate the present indicative of the verb ir a followed by the infinitive of the main verb:
Comamos. (formal) Let’s eat.
Vamos a comer. (informal) Let’s eat.
Vamos a in the example above does not translate as Let’s go; this sentence doesn’t imply movement toward a place in order to eat, just the intention of eating. More examples:
Veamos. Let’s see.
Vamos a ver. Let’s see.
Hablemos. Let’s talk.
Vamos a hablar. Let’s talk.
Let’s go translates as vamos (informal) and as vayamos (formal). The form vamos can be confusing for English speakers. A sentence like Vamos a trabajar can mean Let’s work or Let’s go to work. If you are at a certain distance from your office or place of work, Vamos a trabajar implies Let’s go to work. If you are in your office or place of work, it can only mean Let’s work. Only the form vayamos implies movement (let’s go). This means that the sentence Vayamos a tomar unas copas means Let’s go (out to) have a couple of drinks.
The structure vamos a can’t be used in the negative. If let’s not go is meant, no vaya- mos must be used:
No lo hagamos todavía. Let’s not do it yet.
No vayamos al cine. Let’s not go to the movies.
These first-person plural forms lose the final -s when the pronoun nos is attached to them. Compare:
Llevémonos unos paraguas. Let’s take some umbrellas with us.
Llevémosles al cine. Let’s take them to the movies.
If vamos a is used, the pronouns must be attached to the infinitive:
Vamos a darles una sorpresa. Let’s give them a surprise.
The use of let or have1 noun/object pronoun 1 infinitive is translated by que 1 pres- ent subjunctive 1 noun/subject pronoun:
Que terminen (ellos) sus deberes. Let/Have them finish their homework.
Que lleve Antonio las maletas. Let/Have Antonio carry the suitcases.
Spanish subject pronouns can be omitted because the verb form clearly indicates who the subject is. It is possible to place the subject pronoun or noun before the subjunctive form:
Que Juan (él) venga a las tres. Let/Have Juan come at three.
In English, constructions with be to or must are more common to express third-per- son commands than constructions with let or have. In Spanish, constructions with que are very common, but the verbs deber (must) and tener que (have to) are also frequently used.
The verb haber de (be to) is confined to formal language, in both languages:
Deben terminar esto antes del lunes. They must finish this before Monday.
Ella ha de saber esto. She is to know this.
Ellos tienen que lavar el auto. They must wash the car.
No tener que can be ambiguous, since it can also express lack of obligation. When in doubt, use deber or haber de in the negative:
No tienen que saber esto. They aren’t to/mustn’t know this.
No deben correr por los pasillos. They mustn’t run through the halls.
Ella no ha de leer esta carta. She isn’t to read this letter.
Spanish has first-person imperative forms in the singular (vaya yo, coma yo, etc.).
As in English, it is possible to express co mmands in Spanish using the future tense:
Los estudiantes se acostarán a las diez. The students will go to bed at ten.
Estudiarás de cinco a nueve. You will study from five to nine.
No jugarás con el ordenador. You will not play with the computer.
Since Spanish has no modal verbs, it is not possible to make a distinction between future sentences with shall and future sentences with will. In English, shall is often used in written language to state norms and rules. The future tense in Spanish can be used in both written and spoken language in expressing commands:
Written: No matarás. You shall not kill.
Spoken: Hoy no tomarás postre. You won’t have dessert today.
As explained, the verbs deber, tener que, and haber de are often used in commands:
Usted tiene que terminar esto mañana. You have to finish this tomorrow.
Tienes que cuidar a tu hermano. You have to look after your brother.
Has de limpiar esto antes de acostarte. You are to clean this before going to bed.
Tener que in the negative can be ambiguous, but it is often used in commands. Its meaning depends on the tone of voice:
¡No tienes que empujar a tu hermano! You mustn’t push your brother!
The present tense of the verb poder (can, be able to) can also express a command. In these examples, it means not allowed to:
Usted no puede fumar aquí. You can’t smoke here.
Ella no puede venir mañana. She can’t come tomorrow.
Instead of poder, estar permitido (be allowed to) is very common, especially in for- mal language. This verb uses indirect objects, like the verb gustar:
No te está permitido jugar aquí. You are not allowed to play here.
The verb permitir (permit, allow) can also express commands formally. In this case, this verb needs the reflexive pronoun se and the indirect object pronouns. If the subject is mentioned, it is always preceded by the preposition a:
A usted no se le permite usar esto. You are not allowed to use this.
Prohibitions in English are sometimes expressed in written instructions by may not.
In Spanish, the verbs poder, permitir, and estar permitido are common with this use:
A los estudiantes no les está permitido Students may not assemble in the hall reunirse en el vestíbulo después de after ten o’clock.
las diez.
A los estudiantes no se les permite fumar Students are not allowed to smoke in the
en los dormitorios. bedrooms.
The person expressing the command may want to sound either rude or straightfor- ward. In that case, the verbs querer (want), permitir, and consentir (allow, permit) are often used, followed by que and subjunctive forms:
No quiero que (usted) mencione eso. I don’t want you to mention that.
No te consiento/permito que llegues tarde. I don’t allow you to be late.
The reflexive pronoun se is very often used in writing (notices, rules, laws, etc.) or when a speaker wants to express a command without indicating who the command comes from. It is also used to avoid mentioning the person addressed:
No se puede aparcar aquí. You/One can’t park here.
No se deben usar libros en el examen. Books mustn’t/can’t be used in the exam.
No se permiten perros. Dogs are not allowed.
No se permite hablar durante el examen. Speaking is not allowed during the exam.
The grammatical number of the verb that goes with se depends on the noun that accom- panies it. That is, the verb agrees in number (singular or plural) with the noun. Compare:
No se permite el libro de texto. The textbook is not allowed.
No se permiten libros de texto. Textbooks are not allowed.
To avoid the use of se twice, the second se 1 verb is replaced by an infinitive. This means that instead of saying No se permite que se fume aquí (which is possible, but not advis- able), Spanish speakers prefer No se permite fumar aquí.