Spanish Negative Imperative: How to Say "Don't"?
The Spanish negative imperative is used to forbid, warn or politely ask someone not to do something. It's formed with no + the present subjunctive.
- Prohibition: ¡No hables! (Don't speak!)
- Warning: ¡No corras tan rápido! (Don't run so fast!)
- Request: No te preocupes (Don't worry)
What is the Spanish negative imperative used for?
It's used to give negative commands: forbid actions, warn of danger or politely ask someone not to do something.
- ¡No grites! (Don't shout!)
- ¡No toquéis eso! (Don't touch that!)
- No se mueva, por favor. (Don't move, please.)
- No os preocupéis por mí. (Don't worry about me.)
How is the negative imperative formed?
The rule is simple: no + present subjunctive. All five persons (tú, usted, nosotros, vosotros, ustedes) come straight from the subjunctive. There is no yo form.
| Person | hablar (-ar) | comer (-er) | vivir (-ir) |
|---|---|---|---|
| tú | no hables | no comas | no vivas |
| usted | no hable | no coma | no viva |
| nosotros | no hablemos | no comamos | no vivamos |
| vosotros | no habléis | no comáis | no viváis |
| ustedes | no hablen | no coman | no vivan |
What's the difference between the affirmative and negative imperative?
In the affirmative, tú and vosotros have their own forms. In the negative, all persons use the subjunctive. Compare:
| Person | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tú (hablar) | habla | no hables |
| vosotros (hablar) | hablad | no habléis |
| tú (comer) | come | no comas |
| vosotros (vivir) | vivid | no viváis |
Watch out for ir: nosotros is vamos in the affirmative, but no vayamos in the negative (subjunctive form).
Which verbs are irregular in the negative imperative?
Since the negative imperative uses the subjunctive, the irregular verbs are the same ones that are irregular in the present subjunctive:
| Infinitive | no tú | no usted | no ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ser | no seas | no sea | no sean |
| ir | no vayas | no vaya | no vayan |
| estar | no estés | no esté | no estén |
| haber | no hayas | no haya | no hayan |
| saber | no sepas | no sepa | no sepan |
| dar | no des | no dé | no den |
| hacer | no hagas | no haga | no hagan |
| poner | no pongas | no ponga | no pongan |
| tener | no tengas | no tenga | no tengan |
| venir | no vengas | no venga | no vengan |
| decir | no digas | no diga | no digan |
| salir | no salgas | no salga | no salgan |
Spelling changes in -ar verbs
- -gar verbs: g → gu (llegar → no llegues, pagar → no pagues)
- -car verbs: c → qu (buscar → no busques, sacar → no saques)
- -zar verbs: z → c (empezar → no empieces, realizar → no realices)
Where do pronouns go with the negative imperative?
Unlike the affirmative imperative (where pronouns attach to the end of the verb: dímelo), in the negative they go before the verb and stay separate.
- ¡No me lo digas! (Don't tell me!)
- ¡No te muevas! (Don't move!)
- No se preocupen. (Don't worry.)
- No os vayáis todavía. (Don't leave yet.)
Want to practice the negative imperative? In our app you can conjugate verbs with interactive exercises and compare affirmative with negative.