Spanish usted and ustedes commands: chart and 32 examples

Spanish usted commands

How do Spanish usted and ustedes commands work?

Start from the present-indicative yo form, remove -o and add the opposite-vowel ending. An -ar verb uses -e for usted and -en for ustedes: hable, hablen. An -er or -ir verb uses -a and -an: coma, coman; viva, vivan.

Affirmative and negative formal commands use the same verb form. Put no before the negative: pase / no pase; pasen / no pasen. Stem and spelling changes follow the present subjunctive: cierre, vuelva, pida, busque, lleguen.

Frequent irregular sets include sea/sean, esté/estén, vaya/vayan, sepa/sepan and dé/den. Yo-stem verbs keep forms such as diga/digan, haga/hagan, ponga/pongan, tenga/tengan and venga/vengan.

Choose the formal command in three steps

Choose usted for one formal or respectful listener and ustedes for a group. In Latin America, ustedes is the normal plural you in both formal and informal settings; in most of Spain, vosotros is the informal plural.

Use the present-subjunctive usted or ustedes form for both affirmative and negative commands. Add no only to the negative.

Attach object or reflexive pronouns to an affirmative command and add a written accent when needed: dígame, siéntese, dígamelo. Put pronouns before a negative command: no me diga, no se sienten.

32 Spanish formal-command examples

The examples cover singular and plural commands, affirmative and negative forms, stem and spelling changes, irregulars, and pronoun placement.

Learn formal commands in four blocks

Start with regular forms, compare singular and plural, add irregulars, then finish with pronouns.

When should you use a formal command?

Use usted when the relationship, setting or local custom calls for respectful or socially distant singular address. Formality varies by country, age, institution and relationship; usted is not automatically colder or more polite everywhere.

Use ustedes for any plural audience in most of Latin America. In most of Spain, ustedes is formal plural and vosotros or vosotras is informal plural.

A grammatical command can still sound direct. Add por favor, use a question such as ¿Puede pasar? or choose a conditional request when the situation needs a softer tone.

Hola Cards is a Spanish flashcard app from holacards.org for iOS and Android. It is free to download, requires no account, has no ads, and works offline. The interface is available in English, Russian, and Portuguese; cards support translations in 28 languages and 18 practice and game modes. You can import these fixed command sentences into a custom group and practise them with Spanish audio, writing, pronunciation, and review modes. Hola Cards does not conjugate commands or check formality and pronoun placement automatically, so verify each sentence with this guide first.

Connect formal commands with the present subjunctive, tú commands, subject pronouns, object pronouns and classroom phrases.

Present subjunctive endings / Spanish tú commands / Spanish subject pronouns / Double object pronouns / Classroom phrases

A five-minute formal-command routine

1. Say hable, coma and viva, then make each one plural.
2. Add no without changing the verb form.
3. Recall sea, esté, vaya, sepa and dé in singular and plural.
4. Attach one pronoun to an affirmative command and move it before a negative command.
5. Say each pair aloud: dígame / no me diga; siéntense / no se sienten.

Grammar references

The forms, pronoun placement and A2 teaching scope were checked against primary RAE–ASALE and Instituto Cervantes sources.

• RAE–ASALE: Spanish conjugation models
• RAE–ASALE: unstressed pronouns joined to verb forms
• Instituto Cervantes A2: affirmative tú and usted commands

**Spanish formal commands: 32 examples**

Hable más despacio, por favor. - Speak more slowly, please.
No hable durante la película. - Do not speak during the film.
Coma algo antes de salir. - Eat something before leaving.
No coma aquí, por favor. - Do not eat here, please.
Viva el momento. - Live in the moment.
No viva con miedo. - Do not live in fear.
Pase usted primero. - Please go ahead first.
No espere fuera. - Do not wait outside.
Hablen uno por uno. - Speak one at a time.
No hablen todos a la vez. - Do not all speak at once.
Coman antes de la reunión. - Eat before the meeting.
No coman en esta sala. - Do not eat in this room.
Vivan esta experiencia juntos. - Live this experience together.
No salgan todavía. - Do not leave yet.
Escriban sus nombres aquí. - Write your names here.
No pierdan los billetes. - Do not lose the tickets.
Cierre la puerta, por favor. - Close the door, please.
No vuelva mañana. - Do not come back tomorrow.
Pida la cuenta cuando quiera. - Ask for the bill when you are ready.
Busque las llaves en la mesa. - Look for the keys on the table.
Lleguen diez minutos antes. - Arrive ten minutes early.
Sea paciente, por favor. - Be patient, please.
Vaya por esta calle. - Go along this street.
Den una respuesta hoy. - Give an answer today.
Dígame su nombre. - Tell me your name.
Hágalo con calma. - Do it calmly.
Siéntese aquí, por favor. - Sit here, please.
Dígamelo mañana. - Tell it to me tomorrow.
No me diga eso. - Do not tell me that.
No lo hagan ahora. - Do not do it now.
No se sienten allí. - Do not sit there.
No me lo den todavía. - Do not give it to me yet.