Give Advice With the Imperative Mood

Learning how to give advice in Spanish is an essential skill, especially for everyday communication. One of the most direct and practical ways to do this is by using the imperative mood. The imperative allows you to tell someone what to do, encourage them, or offer suggestions in a clear and natural way.

1. What Is the Imperative Mood?

The imperative mood in Spanish is used to give advice, instructions, and commands. While commands can sound strong in English, in Spanish they are often neutral or even friendly. Mastering this structure will help you communicate naturally in everyday situations.

2. Affirmative Commands (Tú Form)

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For affirmative tú commands, Spanish usually uses the third-person singular form of the present tense.

Examples:

• Habla más despacio. — Speak more slowly.
• Come más verduras. — Eat more vegetables.
• Descansa un rato. — Rest for a moment.

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These forms are common when giving friendly or casual advice.

3. Negative Commands (Tú Form)

Negative tú commands use the present subjunctive. This means -ar verbs end in -es, and -er/-ir verbs end in -as.

Examples:

• No hables tan rápido. — Don’t speak so fast.
• No comas tanta azúcar. — Don’t eat so much sugar.
• No escribas en la mesa. — Don’t write on the table.

Negative commands are especially useful for advising someone against a behavior.

4. Commands for Formal Advice (Usted Form)

The usted form is used to give polite or formal advice. It also uses the present subjunctive for both affirmative and negative commands.

Examples:

• Hable más claro, por favor. — Speak more clearly, please.
• No tome tanto café. — Don’t drink so much coffee.
• Descanse un poco. — Rest a little.

5. Commands for Groups (Ustedes and Vosotros)

When talking to more than one person, you use ustedes in Latin America and ustedes/vosotros in Spain.

Ustedes (affirmative and negative use the subjunctive):

• Escriban la tarea. — Write the homework.
• No lleguen tarde. — Don’t arrive late.

Vosotros (mainly used in Spain):

• Affirmative: replace the final -r of the infinitive with -d.
  • Estudiad conmigo. — Study with me.
  • Escuchad la canción. — Listen to the song.
• Negative: use the subjunctive.
  • No estudiéis ahora. — Don’t study now.
  • No escuchéis eso. — Don’t listen to that.

6. Make Your Advice Sound Natural

To soften the tone and make commands feel friendly, Spanish speakers often add polite expressions such as por favor, un momento, or un poco.

Examples:

• Por favor, descansa un poco. — Please rest a little.
• Habla un momento conmigo. — Talk with me for a moment.