The negative imperative: irregular verbs Share Copied!
The negative imperative is used to give orders or instructions for an action not to be performed. With irregular verbs, it is important to know how they change in the conjugation.
Gramática: El imperativo negativo: los verbos irregulares
A2 Spanish Imperative negative of irregular verbs
Level: A2
Module 1: Viajar: ¡A lo desconocido! (Travelling: into the wild!)
Lesson 8: ¿Un desastre de vacaciones? (Holiday disaster?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes
Audio and video
- The negative imperative of irregular verbs is formed from the root of the verb in the first person singular of the present tense.
- For irregular verbs ending in "-ar", change the ending to "-e". For example: "pienso" => "no pienses (tú)".
- For irregular verbs in "-er" and "-ir", change the ending to "-a". For example: "pongo" => "no pongas (tú)".
- Use the word no before the verb.
| Pronombre | Verbos acabados en -ar | Verbos acabados en -er/-ir |
|---|---|---|
| Tú | -es ¡No pienses en ella! (Don’t think about her!) | -as ¡No pongas la llave aquí! (Do not put the key here!) |
| Usted | -e ¡No piense en ella! (Do not think about her!) | -a ¡No ponga la llave aquí! (Do not put the key here!) |
| Nosotros/-as | -emos ¡No pensemos en ella! (Let's not think about her!) | -amos ¡No pongamos la llave aquí! (Let's not put the key here!) |
| Vosotros/-as | -éis ¡No penséis en ella! (Don’t think about her!) | -áis ¡No pongáis la llave aquí! (Do not put the key here!) |
| Ustedes | -en ¡No piensen en perdón! (Do not think about forgiveness!) | -an ¡No pongan la llave aquí! (Do not put the key here!) |
Exceptions!
- Irregular verbs like "ser" and "ir" do not follow the normal conjugation rules.
- With some irregular verbs, the conjugation of "nosotros" and "vosotros" does not change the root.
Exercise 1: El imperativo negativo: los verbos irregulares
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
perdamos, te pierdas, vayas, ponga, os sintáis, seáis, sean, piensen
Exercise 2: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
perdamos
let's not lose
2
compruebe
Do not check
3
ponga
do not put
4
te pierdas
don't get lost
