hablen/coman/escriban

Ustedes Commands

Level 3

Ustedes commands tell a group what to do or not to do. Their social formality depends on regional usage and context.

How It Works

Ustedes commands address a group. Ustedes serves both familiar and formal plural address in Latin America; in much of Spain vosotros is familiar and ustedes more formal. You use them to give orders, instructions, or advice to a group of two or more people you would address as 'ustedes'.

Formation Rule:
A useful shortcut for many verbs follows the present-subjunctive pattern:

1. Start with the yo form of the verb in the present tense (e.g., hablo, tengo, digo).
2. Drop the final -o.
3. Add the 'opposite' plural ending: -en for -ar verbs, and -an for -er and -ir verbs.

  • -AR verbs: hablar → hablo → habl- → hablen
  • -ER verbs: comer → como → com- → coman
  • -IR verbs: escribir → escribo → escrib- → escriban

This rule also works for most irregular verbs that have an irregular 'yo' form, like tener (tengo → tengan) or poner (pongo → pongan).

Key Irregular Verbs:
A few verbs have unique command forms that you must memorize:

  • Ser: sean (Sean amables. - Be kind.)
  • Ir: vayan (Vayan a la página diez. - Go to page ten.)
  • Saber: sepan (Sepan que el examen es mañana. - Know that the exam is tomorrow.)
  • Estar: estén (Estén listos a las ocho. - Be ready at eight.)
  • Dar: den (Den las gracias a su anfitrión. - Give thanks to your host.)

Negative Commands:
To make a command negative, simply add no before the verb. The verb form itself does not change.

  • Affirmative: Hablen. (Speak.)
  • Negative: No hablen. (Don't speak.)

Pronoun Placement:

  • For affirmative commands, pronouns are attached to the end of the verb. An accent mark is often needed to maintain the original stress: Siéntense (Sit down), Díganmelo (Tell it to me).
  • For negative commands, pronouns are placed before the verb: No se sienten (Don't sit down), No me lo digan (Don't tell it to me).

Preserve spelling and stem changes: buscar → busquen, llegar → lleguen, empezar → empiecen and pedir → pidan. Hablen can be a command or a form inside a subjunctive clause; context identifies its function.

Examples (6)

  1. Señores, por favor, hablen más despacio.

    Gentlemen, please, speak more slowly.

    Word by Word: Gentlemen, please, speak more slowly.

  2. Estudiantes, coman algo antes del examen.

    Students, eat something before the exam.

    Word by Word: Students, eat something before of the exam.

  3. Abran sus libros en la página veinte.

    Open your books to page twenty.

    Word by Word: Open your books on the page twenty.

  4. No pongan los codos sobre la mesa.

    Don't put your elbows on the table.

    Word by Word: Not put the elbows on the table.

    This is a negative command using the irregular verb 'poner' (pongo -> pongan).

  5. Si no entienden, levanten la mano.

    If you don't understand, raise your hand.

    Word by Word: If not understand, raise the hand.

    'Levanten' is the command form of the -ar verb 'levantar', used here to tell the group to raise their hands.

  6. Vayan con cuidado, el suelo está mojado.

    Go carefully, the floor is wet.

    Word by Word: Go with care, the floor is wet.

    'Vayan' is the irregular command form of the verb 'ir'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the indicative form instead of the command (subjunctive) form.

    Ustedes abren la puerta.
    Abran la puerta, por favor.

    Ustedes abren la puerta is an indicative sentence; it can be a statement or function pragmatically as an instruction. Abran is the explicit ustedes command form intended in this lesson. The first sentence is not ungrammatical.

  • Placing pronouns incorrectly with negative commands.

    No díganme la respuesta.
    No me digan la respuesta.

    With negative commands, object pronouns must always be placed before the verb. They cannot be attached to the end.