Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn how to form negative commands in Spanish with irregular verbs. This lesson explains the structure of the negative imperative using the present subjunctive, especially for verbs like "dar" and "ir". Understand important conjugation patterns and exceptions to confidently give negative instructions in Spanish.
  1. Use the word no before the verb.
  2. For irregular "-ar" verbs, change the ending to "-e". For example: "pienso" => "no pienses (tú)".
  3. For irregular verbs ending in "-er" and "-ir", change the ending to "-a". For example: "pongo" => "no pongas (tú)".
PronombreVerbos acabados en -arVerbos acabados en -er/-ir
Tú + forma del verbo al presente del subjuntivo 

-es

¡No des! (DAR)

-as

¡no vayas! (IR)

Vosotros/-as + forma del verbo al presente del subjuntivo 

-éis

¡No deis! (DAR)

-áis

¡no vayáis! (IR)

Exceptions!

  1. Irregular verbs like ser and ir do not follow the regular conjugation rules.

Exercise 1: El imperativo negativo: los verbos irregulares

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

tengáis, hagas, vayas, vayáis, digas, seáis, seas

1.
Hacer (Tú): Es importante que no ... ese error otra vez.
(Do (You): It is important that you do not make that mistake again.)
2.
Ser (Vosotros): ¡No ... tímidos y pedid ayuda!
(You (plural): Don't be shy and ask for help!)
3.
Ir (Tú): ¡No ... a hacer una llamada con otro teléfono!
(You: Don't make a call with another phone!)
4.
Decir (Tú): Por favor, no ... nada al nuevo compañero.
(Say (You): Please, do not say anything to the new colleague.)
5.
Ser (Vosotros): ¡No ... tan confiados!
(Don’t be so confident!)
6.
Sentirse (Vosotros): Chicos, no ... miedo de participar.
(Feel (You all): Guys, don't be afraid to participate.)
7.
Ser (Tú): Por favor, no ... tan negativo en el equipo.
(Be (You): Please, don't be so negative in the team.)
8.
Ir (Vosotros):¡No ... solos al evento de equipo!
(Go (You all): Don't go alone to the team event!)

Understanding the Negative Imperative: Irregular Verbs

The negative imperative is used in Spanish to give commands or instructions telling someone NOT to do something. This lesson focuses on how to form these negative commands with irregular verbs, which often do not follow the usual conjugation patterns.

Basic Structure

To create a negative command, place the word "no" before the verb conjugated in the present subjunctive mood. For example, to tell someone "Don’t go," you say "¡no vayas!"

Conjugation Patterns for Negative Commands

  • Verbs ending in -ar: Change the ending to -es for form and -éis for vosotros/as. Example: ¡No des! from the verb dar.
  • Verbs ending in -er and -ir: Change the ending to -as (tú) and -áis (vosotros/as). Example: ¡No vayas! from the verb ir.

Irregular Verbs

Some verbs, such as ser and ir, have irregular negative imperatives that do not follow the standard rules. For example, "Don’t be" is ¡No seas! and "Don’t go" is ¡No vayas!

Comparing to English

In English, negative commands usually use "don’t" plus the base verb, like "don’t go" or "don’t give." Spanish uses specific verb endings and the subjunctive mood to express these formal negative orders, which is quite different from English structure.

Useful Phrases

  • Don’t give (tú): ¡No des!
  • Don’t go (tú): ¡No vayas!
  • Don’t give (vosotros/as): ¡No deis!
  • Don’t go (vosotros/as): ¡No vayáis!

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