Formal Commands — Ud. and Uds. Forms
Form formal commands by using the present subjunctive yo-form stem: hable (speak), coma (eat), viva (live), tenga (have), sea (be). Learn object pronoun placement with affirmative and negative formal commands.
A lesson of Spanish B1 — Intermediate, in Subjunctive & Commands, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to give polite, formal commands in Spanish using the usted and ustedes forms, which are built directly from the subjunctive.
Why Formal Commands Matter
In Spanish-speaking professional and social contexts, addressing someone formally (a boss, a client, an elder) requires using usted (Ud.) instead of tú. Formal commands are the imperative forms for usted and ustedes. The good news: you already know how to form them — they are identical to the present subjunctive forms for those pronouns.
Forming Formal Commands
Rule: Use the present subjunctive Ud./Uds. forms.
-AR verb: hablar (to speak)
| Pronoun | Formal Command |
|---|---|
| Ud. | hable — speak! |
| Uds. | hablen — speak! (plural) |
-ER verb: comer (to eat)
| Pronoun | Formal Command |
|---|---|
| Ud. | coma — eat! |
| Uds. | coman — eat! |
-IR verb: escribir (to write)
| Pronoun | Formal Command |
|---|---|
| Ud. | escriba — write! |
| Uds. | escriban — write! |
Common Formal Commands in Context
| Command | English | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Pase usted. | Please come in. | Inviting someone into a room |
| Tome asiento. | Take a seat. | Professional meeting |
| Firme aquí, por favor. | Sign here, please. | Administrative context |
| Espere un momento. | Wait a moment, please. | Customer service |
| , por favor. |