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Giving instructions: the imperative

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Use the imperative to tell someone what to do. Foundation needs the tú (one friend) form; the vosotros form is Higher.

Regular tú commands

Use the él / ella form of the present tense.
habla (speak), come (eat), escribe (write), gira (turn), toma (take), sigue (carry on).

Irregular tú commands

Learn these eight:
ser: sé, ir: ve, tener: ten, venir: ven, hacer: haz, decir: di, poner: pon, salir: sal.
¡Haz los deberes! ¡Ven aquí! ¡Ten cuidado! (Be careful!)

Higher: vosotros

Replace the final -r of the infinitive with -d: hablad, comed, escribid.
Pronouns join the end of a positive command, sometimes needing an accent: ¡Ayúdame! (Help me!)
Worked example

Translate: Do your homework! (to a friend)

  1. to a friend = tú command
  2. hacer is irregular: haz
  3. homework = los deberes

Answer: ¡Haz los deberes!

Key idea

Tú command = él form of the present (habla, come). Irregular: sé, ve, ten, ven, haz, di, pon, sal. Higher vosotros: hablad, comed.

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