Commands With Pronouns

Level 3

Positive commands take the pronoun after the verb, written as one word: Levántate (get up), Dime (tell me). Negative commands put it before: Non te levantes.

How It Works

Positive commands: attach the pronoun

  • ti: Senta → Séntate; Di → Dime
  • vostede: Sente → Séntese
  • vós: Sentade → Sentádevos
  • vostedes: Senten → Séntense
  • nós: Sentemos → Sentémonos (the -s drops before nos)

Written accents. The stress does not move, but the word gets longer. When the stressed syllable ends up third from the end, write an accent: levántate, cómprao, lavádevos. Short forms need none: dime, faino. Verbs with a diacritic accent keep it: dá → dáme, dálle.

The pronoun o, a after a command. After a vowel it stays o/a: cólleo (take it), cómprao (buy it). After a diphthong it becomes no, na: fai + o = faino (do it). With the nós form, the -s drops and o becomes lo: collamos + o = collámolo (let's take it).

The vós form keeps -de. Unlike Spanish, Galician does not drop the d: Lavádevos as mans, Collédeo (take it, all of you). Do not use the infinitive as a command.

Negative commands: pronoun first. Non te levantes, Non o toques, Non me digas. The verb is in the subjunctive. See negative commands.

Two pronouns combine and attach together: Dámo (give it to me). See combined pronouns.

Examples (6)

  1. Levántate, que xa son as oito.

    Get up, it is already eight o'clock.

    Word by Word: Get-up-yourself, that already are the eight.

    Levanta + te becomes levántate, with an accent because the stress is now third from the end.

  2. Dime a verdade.

    Tell me the truth.

    Di + me needs no accent.

  3. Séntese aquí, por favor.

    Please sit here.

    The formal vostede command sente + se becomes séntese.

  4. Lavádevos as mans antes de comer.

    Wash your hands before eating, all of you.

    The vós command keeps its -de before vos.

  5. Ese libro é moi bo: cómprao!

    That book is really good: buy it!

    Compra + o becomes cómprao.

  6. Non te levantes aínda, quédate un pouco máis.

    Do not get up yet; stay a little longer.

    The negative command puts te first; the positive one attaches it (quédate).

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the written accent when a pronoun is attached.

    Levantate, que é tarde.
    Levántate, que é tarde.

    The combined word is stressed on the third syllable from the end, so it needs an accent.

  • Using the infinitive as a vós command.

    Sentarvos, por favor.
    Sentádevos, por favor.

    The vós command is sentade; attach vos and keep the -de: sentádevos.

  • Attaching the pronoun in a negative command.

    Non levántate aínda.
    Non te levantes aínda.

    Negative commands use the subjunctive, with the pronoun before the verb.

How It Connects

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

Commands With PronounsLevel 3

Learn This First

Affirmative commands attach pronouns, while negative commands place them before the verb.