Affirmative Tú Commands
Learn how to form affirmative tú commands in Spanish, including regular forms, common irregular commands, pronoun placement, and clear examples.
Affirmative Tú Commands in Spanish
Affirmative tú commands are used to tell someone you know well to do something. For most verbs, use the third-person singular (él/ella/usted) form of the present tense.
Habla más despacio.
Speak more slowly.
Come algo.
Eat something.
Escribe tu nombre aquí.
Write your name here.
How to form affirmative tú commands
For regular verbs, use the él / ella / usted form of the present tense.
| Infinitive | Present form | Tú command |
|---|---|---|
| hablar | habla | ¡Habla! |
| comer | come | ¡Come! |
| escribir | escribe | ¡Escribe! |
| abrir | abre | ¡Abre! |
This also works with many verbs that are irregular in the present tense:
- pensar → piensa — Think.
- volver → vuelve — Come back / return.
- pedir → pide — Ask for / order.
- hacer → hace does not follow this rule; its command is haz.
Irregular affirmative tú commands
Eight common verbs have special affirmative tú command forms:
| Verb | Tú command | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| decir | di | say / tell |
| hacer | haz | do / make |
| ir | ve | go |
| poner | pon | put |
| salir | sal | leave / go out |
| ser | sé | be |
| tener | ten | have |
| venir | ven | come |
Examples:
Di la verdad.
Tell the truth.
Haz la tarea.
Do the homework.
Ve a casa.
Go home.
Pon el libro aquí.
Put the book here.
Ven conmigo.
Come with me.
Sé paciente.
Be patient.
Pronouns with affirmative commands
With an affirmative command, object and reflexive pronouns are attached to the end of the verb.
Dime la verdad.
Tell me the truth.
Cómelo.
Eat it.
Levántate.
Get up.
Escríbeme.
Write to me.
An accent mark is sometimes added to keep the original stress of the verb.
Compare:
- levanta → levántate
- escribe → escríbeme
When to use tú commands
Use the tú form when speaking informally to one person, for example a friend, family member, child, or someone you normally address as tú.
Escucha.
Listen.
Mira esto.
Look at this.
Espera un momento.
Wait a moment.
For formal commands, use usted or ustedes commands instead.
Common mistake
Do not normally use the infinitive as a tú command.
- ❌ Comer más.
- ✅ Come más. — Eat more.
You may sometimes see infinitives used on signs or general instructions, but when directly telling one person what to do, use the command form.
To tell someone not to do something, the form changes: see Negative Tú Commands.
Quick rule
For most affirmative tú commands, use the él / ella / usted present-tense form:
hablar → habla · comer → come · escribir → escribe
Remember the eight common irregular forms:
di, haz, ve, pon, sal, sé, ten, ven