I can tell someone not to do something and give gentle advice: no fumes, no te preocupes, ¿por qué no descansas? — and I won't say “no fumas” for a negative command.
How to say “don't”
Negative commands and gentle advice
A negative command (imperativo negativo) is not “no + command”: it has its own form. English just adds “Don't”; Spanish changes the verb too.
The model for tú (first table): -ar verbs take -es, and -er and -ir verbs take -as. hablar → no hables; comer → no comas; escribir → no escribas. The endings seem to swap places.
The eight irregular verbs make the command and the negative command from DIFFERENT stems, so learn the pairs whole (second table): haz ↔ no hagas, ve ↔ no vayas, ven ↔ no vengas.
In a negative command the pronoun goes BEFORE the verb as a separate word: no te levantes, no lo tomes, no me esperes. In the affirmative command it was the other way around: levántate, cómpralo.
A question gives soft advice, like English “Why don't you…?”: ¿Por qué no descansas esta tarde? After ¿Por qué no, use the ordinary present tense, not the negative command. The familiar hay que + infinitive also works: Hay que tener cuidado con el sol.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “No gritas en clase” — that means “you don't shout”; correct: No grites en clase.
• NOT “No fumar aquí” said to one person — correct: No fumes aquí.
• NOT “No te preocupas por el examen” — correct: No te preocupes por el examen.
• NOT “No preocupes te” and NOT “No preocúpate” — correct: No te preocupes.
• NOT “No vienes mañana” as a negative command — correct: No vengas mañana.
Negative tú command: the endings swap
-ar verbs get an e, and -er and -ir verbs get an a.
| Infinitive | tú command | Negative tú command |
|---|---|---|
| hablar (-ar) | habla | no hables |
| tomar (-ar) | toma | no tomes |
| mirar (-ar) | mira | no mires |
| comer (-er) | come | no comas |
| beber (-er) | bebe | no bebas |
| escribir (-ir) | escribe | no escribas |
Eight irregular verbs: command and negative command
Their command is short and irregular, and the negative command is built from a different stem — learn both forms whole; the rule doesn't work for them.
| Verb | tú command | Negative tú command |
|---|---|---|
| ir | ve | no vayas |
| ser | sé | no seas |
| hacer | haz | no hagas |
| salir | sal | no salgas |
| venir | ven | no vengas |
| poner | pon | no pongas |
| decir | di | no digas |
| tener | ten | no tengas |
Lesson notes
Negative commands and gentle advice
A negative command (imperativo negativo) is not “no + command”: it has its own form. English just adds “Don't”; Spanish changes the verb too.
The model for tú (first table): -ar verbs take -es, and -er and -ir verbs take -as. hablar → no hables; comer → no comas; escribir → no escribas. The endings seem to swap places.
The eight irregular verbs make the command and the negative command from DIFFERENT stems, so learn the pairs whole (second table): haz ↔ no hagas, ve ↔ no vayas, ven ↔ no vengas.
In a negative command the pronoun goes BEFORE the verb as a separate word: no te levantes, no lo tomes, no me esperes. In the affirmative command it was the other way around: levántate, cómpralo.
A question gives soft advice, like English “Why don't you…?”: ¿Por qué no descansas esta tarde? After ¿Por qué no, use the ordinary present tense, not the negative command. The familiar hay que + infinitive also works: Hay que tener cuidado con el sol.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “No gritas en clase” — that means “you don't shout”; correct: No grites en clase.
• NOT “No fumar aquí” said to one person — correct: No fumes aquí.
• NOT “No te preocupas por el examen” — correct: No te preocupes por el examen.
• NOT “No preocupes te” and NOT “No preocúpate” — correct: No te preocupes.
• NOT “No vienes mañana” as a negative command — correct: No vengas mañana.