hablá/vení/mirá/tené/decí/andá

Affirmative Vos Commands

Level 2

Affirmative vos commands are used to give direct orders, advice, or requests to a friend or family member in regions that use voseo (like Argentina, Uruguay, and parts of Central America).

How It Works

Unlike tú commands, which often have stem changes (like cierra or duerme) and irregular forms (like ven or di), vos commands mostly follow a regular pattern. You just say cerrá, dormí, vení, and decí.

Attaching Pronouns:
When you attach a single pronoun to the end of a vos command, the spoken stress stays in the same place, and for most verbs, you drop the written accent. For example: decí + me = decime, and comprá + lo = compralo. Note that the reflexive pronoun for vos is te (not os), so you will say lavate or sentate. However, if the verb ends in -ír and forms a hiatus (like reír or oír), you keep the accent to break the diphthong: reíte, oíme. For spelling purposes, the vowel sequence in forms such as construir and huir is treated as a diphthong, regardless of pronunciation, so these forms have no accent with one added pronoun: construilo, huite. With two attached pronouns, apply normal stress rules, as in comprámelo.

Exceptions & Monosyllables:
There are almost no irregulars, but the verb ir (to go) uses the command andá (borrowed from the verb andar), and its reflexive form irse becomes andate (though ite is also used in Central America and parts of Argentina). Additionally, if dropping the -r leaves a one-syllable word (like da from dar or ve from ver), no accent mark is written. Mirá is a common command for asking someone to look; its choice depends on meaning and local usage. The monosyllabic command of ser is sé (with an accent to distinguish it from the pronoun se).

Note: For negative commands, you cannot use this form. Instead, you must use negative vos commands. Additionally, remember that in negative commands, pronouns can never be attached to the end of the verb. They must go before the conjugated verb (e.g., no me digás, no te levantés).

Negative Commands Vary by Region
Negative commands use subjunctive, not affirmative hablá. Both no hablés and no hables occur with vos, depending on region and register. Do not label the unstressed ending as an error merely because the subject is vos. Present indicative forms are a separate pattern: conocer gives conocés, but its affirmative command is conocé.

Examples (5)

¡Vení acá, que te quiero mostrar algo!
Come here, I want to show you something!
Word by Word: Come here, that to you I want to show something!
The verb 'venir' is highly irregular in the 'tú' form ('ven'), but completely regular in the 'vos' form ('vení').
Decime la verdad, ¿vos sabés algo?
Tell me the truth, do you know something?
Word by Word: Tell me the truth, do you know something?
When attaching a single pronoun ('me') to the command 'decí', the written accent is dropped, resulting in 'decime'.
Cerrá la puerta cuando salgas.
Close the door when you leave.
Word by Word: Close the door when you leave.
Unlike the 'tú' command ('cierra'), the 'vos' command ('cerrá') has no stem change.
Hacé lo que quieras, pero andate con cuidado.
Do whatever you want, but go carefully.
Word by Word: Do what you want, but go yourself with care.
Shows the regular command 'hacé' (from hacer) and the irregular command 'andá' (used for the verb ir) with the reflexive pronoun 'te' attached.
Compralo si te gusta tanto.
Buy it if you like it so much.
Word by Word: Buy it if to you it pleases so much.
The command 'comprá' loses its written accent when the single pronoun 'lo' is attached.

Common Mistakes

Applying 'tú' stem changes to 'vos' commands.
¡Cierrá la puerta, por favor!
¡Cerrá la puerta, por favor!
In the regular affirmative vos pattern, cerrar gives cerrá. It does not take the tú-command diphthong from cierra; cierrá is not the target form.
Keeping the written accent when adding a single pronoun to most verbs.
¡Decíme la verdad!
¡Decime la verdad!
For most verbs, when you attach exactly one pronoun to a vos command, the word becomes a 'llana' ending in a vowel, so the written accent mark must be dropped (e.g., decí -> decime). However, be careful not to overcorrect: verbs ending in '-ír' that form a hiatus (like reír or oír) keep the accent to maintain the pronunciation (e.g., reíte, oíme).
Using the affirmative form for negative commands.
¡No hablá tan fuerte!
¡No hablés tan fuerte!
A negative command uses subjunctive rather than affirmative hablá. No hablés is a voseo form; no hables is also used with vos in some regions and registers.

How It Connects

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

hablá/vení/mirá/tené/decí/andáLevel 2Affirmative Vos Commands

Learn This First

To use the vos commands you first need to know who vos is, and to be comfortable with the vos present tense. The command comes straight from the infinitive: drop the -r and keep the stress on the last vowel, so hablar becomes hablá and venir becomes vení.

hablás/tenés/querés/podés/sosVoseo Present Tense
Familiarity with the present tense voseo forms is necessary because the affirmative commands share the same characteristic final-syllable stress and similar vowel patterns.
Level 1

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