A2 · Elementary

The negative imperative

Learn how to tell someone NOT to do something in Spanish, using 'no' + subjunctive.

What is the negative imperative?

To tell someone not to do something, Spanish does not use the same form as an affirmative command. Instead you use no + the present subjunctive form.

This applies to all persons: tú, usted, nosotros, vosotros and ustedes.

Examples

No hables tan rápido.Don't speak so fast.
No comas tanto chocolate.Don't eat so much chocolate.
No abras la ventana.Don't open the window.

Formation: no + present subjunctive

-ar verbs take the -er verb endings in the subjunctive (-e, -es, -e...), while -er/-ir verbs take the -ar verb endings (-a, -as, -a...). The stem is usually the same as the yo-form of the present tense.

hablarcomerescribir
túno hablesno comasno escribas
ustedno hableno comano escriba
nosotrosno hablemosno comamosno escribamos
vosotrosno habléisno comáisno escribáis
ustedesno hablenno comanno escriban

Examples

No hablemos de eso ahora.Let's not talk about that now.
No coman con las manos.Don't eat with your hands.

Position of pronouns

In an affirmative command, pronouns attach to the end of the verb (¡Dímelo!). In a negative command it's the opposite: pronouns stand separately, before the verb.

Examples

No me lo digas.Don't tell me that.
No te levantes tarde.Don't get up late.
No se lo des a ella.Don't give it to her.
No los toques.Don't touch them.

Irregular forms

Verbs that are irregular in the yo-form of the present (tener → tengo) keep that irregularity in the negative command. A small group of verbs (dar, estar, ir, saber, ser) has completely irregular subjunctive forms.

infinitivotúusted
tenerno tengasno tenga
ponerno pongasno ponga
salirno salgasno salga
hacerno hagasno haga
decirno digasno diga
irno vayasno vaya
serno seasno sea
estarno estésno esté
darno desno dé
saberno sepasno sepa

Examples

No vayas solo.Don't go alone.
No seas tan serio.Don't be so serious.
No hagas ruido.Don't make noise.

💡 Tips

💡
Remember: the affirmative uses its own imperative forms, the negative always uses the subjunctive.
💡
Pronouns: affirmative attaches them, negative puts them separately before the verb. Compare: ¡Dímelo! vs No me lo digas.
💡
The 'traitor' verbs (dar, estar, ir, saber, ser) are irregular just like in the subjunctive — learn them together.

🎯 Practise this topic with 10 interactive exercises (10)

🔧 Verbs: Imperative

Related grammar

The regular preterite (pretérito indefinido)
The past tense for completed events: regular -ar, -er and -ir forms.
The irregular preterite (pretérito indefinido)
The most common verbs are irregular in the indefinido: ser/ir, tener, hacer, decir and more.
The imperfect past (pretérito imperfecto)
The past tense for habits, descriptions and background — almost always regular.
Indefinido versus imperfecto
Two past tenses, one choice: what happened (indefinido) versus what the situation was (imperfecto)?

← The affirmative imperativeDirect object pronouns →

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