Formas informales para dar órdenes o consejos.

(Informal forms to give orders or advice.)

What are formal imperatives in Spanish?

  • Formal imperative = giving an order or polite instruction to someone you address as usted or ustedes.
  • You use it in work contexts, with clients, in emails, with strangers, older people, etc.
  • In your examples: HR, interviews, contracts → always formal.

Key idea: In Spanish, the formal imperative is built from the present subjunctive, not from the normal present.

Step 1 – From infinitive to formal imperative

For regular -ar verbs (like hablar, contratar):

  1. Take the yo form of the present indicative.
    • hablo, contrato
  2. Remove the -o.
  3. Add the subjunctive endings:
    • usted: -e
    • ustedes: -en
Infinitive Yo (present) Usted (order) Ustedes (order)
hablar hablo hable hablen
contratar contrato contrate contraten
presentar(se) presento presente(se) presenten(se)

In your unit you mostly see -ar verbs, so the pattern is stable: -e / -en for formal commands.

Step 2 – Usted vs. ustedes: who are you speaking to?

The form does not change for gender. It changes only for number (one person or several).

Who? Spanish Example order Meaning
1 person (formal) usted Hable con recursos humanos. Speak with HR. (to one person)
Several people (formal) ustedes Hablen con la jefa. Speak with the manager. (to a group)
  • Use usted when you are speaking to one candidate, client, or colleague formally.
  • Use ustedes when you are speaking to several people at the same time.

Step 3 – Typical mistakes to avoid

  • Confusing informal and formal
    • Habla con recursos humanos. → informal tú
    • Hable con recursos humanos. → formal usted
  • Choosing singular vs. plural incorrectly
    • Contrate personal para la vacante. → one person
    • Contraten personal para la vacante. → several people
  • Using past or infinitive instead of imperative
    • Hablé con recursos humanos. → past, not an order
    • Firmar aquí el contrato. → infinitive, sounds like a note, not a direct order
    • Firme aquí el contrato. → correct formal order

Reflexive verbs: where does se go?

With reflexive verbs like presentarse (to present oneself):

  • In affirmative commands, the pronoun is attached at the end of the verb.
Subject Form Example Meaning
usted presente + se Preséntese a la entrevista a las 9. Present yourself at the interview at 9.
ustedes presenten + se Preséntense con traje. Present yourselves in a suit.
  • Pronunciation: adding -se moves the stress: pre-SEN-te → pre-SÉN-te-se.
  • Wrong but common: Se presente a la entrevista. → the pronoun is before; for affirmative imperatives with usted/ustedes it must be after: Preséntese.

Politeness: soften the order

The form itself is already formal. You can make it sound more polite with small words:

  • por favor: Hable con la jefa, por favor.
  • señor / señora: Señor García, firme aquí, por favor.
  • por favor at the beginning or end, both are fine.

Mini checklist: can I form this correctly?

  1. Identify the verb (infinitive): hablar, contratar, presentarse…
  2. Decide: usted or ustedes?
    • One person → usted → ending -e.
    • Several people → ustedes → ending -en.
  3. Build the form from the yo form:
    • yo hablo → habl- → hable / hablen
    • yo contrato → contrat- → contrate / contraten
  4. If the verb is reflexive, add -se at the end:
    • presente + se → preséntese
    • presenten + se → preséntense
  5. Check meaning: Are you really giving an order/instruction? Then the form should be in this subjunctive-based pattern, not a simple present.

Self‑check: do you see the difference?

  • 1 person (formal)
    • Habla con recursos humanos. → Informal tú.
    • Hable con recursos humanos. → Correct formal usted.
  • Several people (formal)
    • Contrate personal para la vacante. → One person.
    • Contraten personal para la vacante. → Correct for a group.
  • Reflexive
    • Se presenta en la entrevista a las 9. → Statement (present), not an order.
    • Preséntese en la entrevista a las 9. → Order to one person.

If you can explain to yourself why the -e / -en ending is used and where se goes, you have understood the formal imperative with usted and ustedes.

  1. For usted, use the 3rd person singular of the subjunctive.
  2. For ustedes, use the 3rd person plural of the subjunctive.
Persona (Person)Formación (Formation)Ejemplo (Example)
Usted (You – formal, singular)HableHable con los recursos humanos. (Speak with human resources.)
Ustedes (You – formal, plural)HablenHable con la jefa antes de firmar el contrato. (Speak with the boss before signing the contract.)
Usted (You – formal, singular)ContrateContrate al candidato ideal. (Hire the ideal candidate.)
Ustedes  (You – formal, plural)ContratenContraten personal para la vacante. (Hire staff for the vacancy.)
Usted (You – formal, singular)PreséntesePreséntese en la entrevista a las 9. (Show up at the interview at 9.)
Ustedes  (You – formal, plural)PreséntensePreséntense con traje. (Show up wearing a suit.)

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. Señor García, ______ aquí el contrato, por favor.

Mr. García, ______ the contract here, please.)

2. Por favor, ______ en la recepción a las nueve en punto.

Please, ______ at reception at nine o'clock.)

3. ______ con la jefa antes de aceptar el salario.

______ with the manager before accepting the salary.)

4. Por favor, ______ personal disponible para esta vacante esta semana.

Please, ______ staff who are available for this vacancy this week.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct option to complete the sentence with the affirmative formal imperative in "usted" or "ustedes", as appropriate. Pay close attention to the correct conjugation of the present subjunctive when giving formal orders or advice.

1.
'Contrata' is in the indicative, not the formal imperative for 'usted'; the subjunctive must be used.
If the order is for one person (usted), 'contrate' must be used, not 'contraten'.
2.
'Habla' is the informal imperative for 'tú', not for 'usted'.
'Hablé' is in the past tense; it is not an imperative.

Exercise 3: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Make the sentences more formal: rewrite the sentences using the formal imperative (usted or ustedes) to give instructions or advice (e.g.: Tú hablas con recursos humanos → Hable con recursos humanos).

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints
  1. Hint Hint (usted) Tú hablas con recursos humanos mañana.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Hable con recursos humanos mañana.
    (Hable con recursos humanos mañana.)
  2. Hint Hint (usted) Tú te presentas en la entrevista a las 9.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Preséntese en la entrevista a las 9.
    (Preséntese a la entrevista a las 9.)
  3. Hint Hint (usted) Tú contratas al candidato ideal hoy mismo.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Contrate al candidato ideal hoy mismo.
    (Contrate al candidato ideal hoy mismo.)
  4. Hint Hint (ustedes) Vosotros habláis con la jefa antes de firmar el contrato.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Hablen con la jefa antes de firmar el contrato.
    (Hablen con la jefa antes de firmar el contrato.)

Exercise 4: Grammar in action

Instruction: In pairs, give formal instructions on how to prepare for the interview.

Show/Hide translation
Situation
En recursos humanos, usted orienta a dos candidatos antes de la entrevista.
(In Human Resources, you brief two candidates before their interview.)
Discuss
  • Como orientador, diga qué deben preparar los candidatos: ropa, documentos, puntualidad. (As an advisor, say what the candidates should prepare: clothing, documents, punctuality.)
  • Hablen como equipo y den órdenes a los dos candidatos sobre llegada y comportamiento. (Speak as a team and give the two candidates directions about arrival and conduct.)
Useful words and phrases
  • Preséntese a la entrevista con traje y corbata. (Attend the interview in a suit and tie.)
  • Hable con la jefa sobre el salario y los beneficios. (Speak with the manager about salary and benefits.)
  • Lleven el contrato y los requisitos a recursos humanos mañana, por favor. (Bring the contract and the required documents to Human Resources tomorrow, please.)
Use in conversation
  • Use el imperativo con usted para aconsejar a una persona. (Use the imperative with usted to advise one person.)
  • Use el imperativo con ustedes para dar instrucciones a varias personas. (Use the imperative with ustedes to give instructions to a group of people.)

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