Affirmative Commands
To tell one friend to do something, take the ti present form and drop the -s: falas → Fala! To tell a group, change the infinitive's -r to -de: falar → Falade!
How It Works
Commands to ti. Start from the present tense of ti and remove the final -s:
- falas → fala (speak)
- comes → come (eat)
- abres → abre (open)
Commands to vós. Replace the final -r of the infinitive with -de. This works for almost every verb, regular or not:
- falar → falade
- comer → comede
- abrir → abride
Only ti and vós. The imperative proper exists only for these two informal persons. To give a polite command to vostede or vostedes, Galician uses the present subjunctive (Pase, Pasen); see formal commands. A command with non also uses the subjunctive (Non fales), never the forms on this page; see negative commands.
Sound note. In -er and -ir verbs, the stressed vowel of the ti command is closed, the same as in the subjunctive, so come ti and colle ti do not sound exactly like el come and el colle, although they are spelled the same. A few -ir verbs also change their vowel, for example seguir → sigue and servir → sirve.
Irregular verbs. Common verbs such as dicir, facer, vir and ir have short ti commands (di, fai, ven, vai); see irregular commands. Pronouns join the end of an affirmative command (Dime, Levántate); see commands with pronouns.
Examples (6)
- Fala máis amodo, por favor.
Speak more slowly, please.
Word by Word: Speak more slowly, please.
- Pecha a porta, que vai frío.
Close the door, it is cold.
Word by Word: Close the door, that goes cold.
- Abre a xanela un pouco.
Open the window a little.
Word by Word: Open the window a little.
- Pasade, pasade!
Come in, come in! (to several people)
Word by Word: Pass, pass!
Pasade is the vós command of pasar: pasar → pasa + de.
- Escoitade isto!
Listen to this! (to several people)
Word by Word: Listen this!
- Collede os abrigos, que imos saír.
Get your coats, all of you, we are going out.
Word by Word: Take the coats, that we-go to-leave.
Common Mistakes
Using the infinitive as a command to a group.
Rapaces, calar!Rapaces, calade!The command to vós ends in -de. An infinitive used as a command is informal Spanish-style speech, not the standard imperative.
Using the affirmative imperative after non.
Non fala tan alto!Non fales tan alto!Negative commands always use the subjunctive: non fales, non comas. The imperative forms fala and falade are only for affirmative commands.
Keeping the final -s of the present tense when you mean a plain command.
Comes a sopa!Come a sopa!Comes a sopa is a statement: you eat the soup, or you are eating it. To tell someone to eat it, drop the -s: Come a sopa!
How It Connects
Learn This First
Affirmative commands have special forms for ti and vós.
Related Patterns
- Irregular Commands
Short irregular ti commands such as di, fai, ven and vai.
Level 2 - Commands With vostedeFormal Commands with Vostede
Polite commands, which borrow present subjunctive forms.
Level 2 - Negative Commands
Commands with non, which use the subjunctive instead of these forms.
Level 3 - Commands With Pronouns
How pronouns attach to the end of an affirmative command.
Level 3 - Present of -ar VerbsPresent Tense of -ar Verbs
The ti present form (falas) is the starting point for the ti command (fala).
Level 1
Practice Affirmative Commands in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Galician lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
