Proclisis with Negative Imperatives

Level 4

Negative commands use present subjunctive with weak pronouns before the verb.

How It Works

Contrast fes-ho with no ho facis and vine with no vinguis. The negative instruction uses a subjunctive form rather than merely adding no to the affirmative command. Any weak-pronoun cluster appears between no and the verb.

The same principle applies to plural addressees: feu-ho becomes no ho feu. Some affirmative and negative forms happen to look alike, but their pronoun placement still changes.

Do not leave a pronoun attached after a negative imperative. With lexical pronominal verbs, keep every required element in its normal preverb position: no te'n vagis includes both the reflexive te and en belonging to anar-se'n.

Examples (3)

  1. No ho facis.

    Do not do it.

  2. No me’l donis encara.

    Do not give it to me yet.

  3. No te'n vagis.

    Do not leave.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the affirmative command and attached pronoun after no.

    No fes-ho.
    No ho facis.

    A negative tu command uses present subjunctive facis and places ho before the verb.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Proclisis with Negative ImperativesLevel 4

Learn This First

Recognize the negative-command form before placing a combined clitic group. Place no before the complete clitic group in a negative command.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.