T Commands

(Los mandatos de la forma t)

Dame la linterna,
por favor.
 T Commands
For regular affirmative commands . . .

Think like l.

The regular affirmative t command

has the same form as the l form of
the verb in the present indicative.
 T Commands
For regular affirmative commands . . .
l habla. Habla t!
He speaks. Speak!
l come. Come t!
He eats. Eat!
l escribe. Escribe t!
He writes. Write!
 T Commands
For regular negative commands . . .

Revert to the subjunctive.

The negative t command has the same form as

the t form of the verb in the present subjunctive.
 T Commands
For regular negative commands . . .
Affirmative Negative
Habla! No hables!
Speak! Dont speak!
Come! No comas!
Eat! Dont eat!
Escribe! No escribas!
Write! Dont write!
 T Commands
In Captulo 11 you learned that formal commands used the
forms of the subjunctive. The informal (t) commands, by
contrast, use the subjunctive only in their negative forms.
Notice the following chart.
Infinitive Affirmative Negative (Subjunctive)
comprar compra no compres (compres)
comer come no comas (comas)
escribir escribe no escribas (escribas)
pensar piensa no pienses (pienses)
dormir duerme no duermas (duermas)
pedir pide no pidas (pidas)
traer trae no traigas (traigas)
 T Commands
Remember . . .
Regular affirmative t commands have the same form as the
third-person singular of the present indicative.
Recicla los platos de papel. Recycle the paper plates.
Protege nuestros bosques. Protect our forests.
Negative t commands use the subjunctive.
No cortes los rboles pequeos. Dont cut down the small
trees.
No cierres la fbrica todava. Dont close the factory
yet.
Irregularities in the subjunctive will also appear in the
negative t commands.
No conduzcas tan rpido. Dont drive so fast.
No te vayas. Dont leave.
 Verbs with irregular affirmative forms
When listed in the following order, the initial letters of each verb
provide the acronym TVVDSHIPS, a useful memory device.
Verb Affirmative command Negative command

Tener ten no tengas

Venir ven no vengas
Valer val no valgas
D ecir di no digas
Salir sal no salgas
H acer haz no hagas
Ir ve no vayas
Poner pon no pongas
Ser s no seas
 Verbs with irregular affirmative forms
Some sample sentences using irregular forms:

Ten confianza. No tengas miedo.

Ven a mi oficina. No vengas tarde.
Val algo. No te valgas del dinero.
Di la verdad. No digas tonteras.
Sal inmediatamente. No salgas sin m.
Haz la inspeccin. No me hagas enojar.
Ve a la reunin. No te vayas.
Pon el libro en la mesa. No pongas esa cara.
S amable con todos. No seas grosero.
Object pronouns with t commands
As with the formal commands, attach pronouns to the end of
affirmative commands and place them in front of the
negative command. Remember to place an accent on the
next-to-last syllable of the verb in the affirmative command
form.

Recclala maana.
Recycle it tomorrow.
No le pongas la multa a la estudiante.
Dont give the fine to the student.
Object pronouns with t commands
The irregular affirmative command forms (except for s) do
not take a written accent unless more than one pronoun is
added to the end of the verb.
La mesa? S, ponla por favor.
The table? Yes, set it, please.
Dime, adnde vas?
Tell me, where are you going?
Sabes su telfono? Dmelo, por favor.
Do you know his telephone number? Tell
it to me, please.
FIN