Affirmative Tú Commands

Spanish has a very clever trick for these commands. You don't actually have to learn a whole new conjugation. For most verbs, you already know the form. It is the exact same as the third-person singular of the present tense. That is the él, ella, or usted form. It feels a bit like recycling. You take a form you already use and give it a new job. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. The green light means 'go ahead and use the present tense form'. It is simple, fast, and very common. You just drop the final s from the tú form. Or, more simply, just look at the él/ella form. It is like the verb is taking a little break from being complicated.

1. 1Start with your infinitive verb like cantar or beber.
2. 2Find the present tense él/ella/usted form.
3. 3For -ar verbs, the ending is -a. Example: habla.
4. 4For -er and -ir verbs, the ending is -e. Example: come or escribe.
5. 5Watch out for the 'Dirty Dozen'—the irregulars. There are eight common ones you must memorize. A famous mnemonic is 'Vin Diesel has ten weapons'. It sounds like Ven Di Sal Haz Ten Ve Pon Sé.
6. 6Ven (venir)
7. 7Di (decir)
8. 8Sal (salir)
9. 9Haz (hacer)
10. 10Ten (tener)
11. 11Ve (ir)
12. 12Pon (poner)
13. 13Sé (ser)

Use this when you are talking to someone you know well. This includes your friends, your siblings, or your classmates. It is perfect for real-world scenarios like ordering a quick coffee with a friend. Use it when giving directions to a lost tourist who looks your age. Use it when following a recipe: ¡Corta las cebollas! (Cut the onions!). It is also the standard way to talk to children or pets. If you are telling your cat to get off the table, use tú. It makes the language feel alive and personal. It is not just for orders; it is for helpful suggestions too. 'Try this cake!' is a command in Spanish: ¡Prueba este pastel!.

Do not use these commands with people you don't know. Avoid them with your boss or your professors. In a job interview, this grammar is a huge red flag. It can sound way too bossy or disrespectful in formal settings. For those situations, you need the usted command. Also, do not use this for negative commands. Saying 'Don't eat' is totally different from 'Eat'. We only use this pattern when we want someone to actually do something. If you use it with a stranger, they might think you are a bit rude. It is like wearing pajamas to a wedding—comfortable, but not the right time.

The biggest mistake is adding an s at the end. People want to say ¡Hablas! because they see the word tú. But ¡Hablas! means 'You speak'. ¡Habla! means 'Speak!'. Another mistake is using the infinitive. In English, we say 'To eat' and 'Eat!'. In Spanish, comer is just the name of the action. You cannot just shout the infinitive at someone. Well, you can, but you will sound like a Tarzan movie. Also, watch out for ir and ver. The command for ir (to go) is ve. The command for ver (to see) is also ve in some contexts, but usually mira. Don't let the irregulars trip you up. Practice them until they feel like second nature.

Compare tú commands to usted commands. For tú, we use habla. For usted, we use hable. Notice the vowel swap? That little change makes a big difference in politeness. Also, compare it to the present tense. Tú comes is a statement of fact. ¡Come! is an instruction. It is all about the intent. In English, we don't change the verb at all. We just use the base form. Spanish gives you more flavor. It tells the listener exactly what the social dynamic is. It is like a secret handshake between friends.