1. An explanation of Formal Commands in Spanish
¡Hazlo!
An explanation of Formal Commands in Spanish

2. Commands in English…
… are pretty easy. You just use a base verb form (without a subject, since it’s always “you”) to tell people what they should do:
Stand up!
Sit down!
Do your homework!
Take out the garbage!
Be quiet!

3. Commands in Spanish…
… are little more complicated because we have so many ways of saying “you”:
Tú: informal, singular
Vosotros: informal, plural
Ud.: formal, singular
Uds.: formal, plural
However, we will concentrate on the formal commands only.

4. Hable despacio, por favor.
-AR verbs
Hable despacio, por favor.
The speaker is talking to one person.
Can you figure out how we got the form “hable”?
Take the “yo” form of the present: HABLO
Drop the –o: HABL-
“Hablar” is an –AR verb, so add –E to form the command: HABLE

5. Drop & Swap!

6. Repita, por favor. -ER/-IR Verbs The speaker is talking to one person.
Can you figure out how we got the form “repita”?
Take the “yo” form of the present: REPITO
Drop the –o: REPIT-
“Repetir” is an –IR verb, so add –A to form the command: REPITA

7. Drop & Swap!

8. Opposite vowels Think of the verb adding the “opposite vowel”
AR verbs add an –E.
ER & IR verbs add an –A.

9. Let’s try a couple! Comer: ¡______ Ud.! Escribir: ¡_____ Ud.!
Tomar: ¡_____ Ud.!
Beber: ¡______ Ud.!

10. More than one person? Uds…
Coman Uds. la paella.
Right!
Just add an –N to the command form when you are talking to more than one person.

11. Let’s try a few more! Comer: ¡______ Uds.! Escribir: ¡_____ Uds.!
Tomar: ¡_____ Uds.!

12. Some irregulars…¿Qué pasa?
Haga la tarea. ~hacer=to do
Hacer > yo hago > -o + -a
Tenga paciencia. ~tener=to have
Tener > yo tengo > -o + -a
Salga ahora.~ salir=to leave
Salir > yo salgo > - o + -a
Vuelva a casa.~volver=to return
Volver > yo vuelvo > -o + -a
Piense bien.~pensar=to think
Pensar > yo pienso > -o + -e
These verbs follow the same formula: start with the yo form, drop the –o, and add the opposite vowel.

13. En la cocina, use the FORMAL SINGULAR COMMAND FORMS  Usted
Cocinar- to cook, Cocine Medir-to measure, Mida
Agregar-to add, Agregue Freír-to fry, Fría
Hervir-to boil, Hierva Romper-to break, Rompa
Hornear-to bake, Hornee
Batir- to beat, Bata
Combinar-to combine/to blend, Combine
Mezclar-to mix, Mezcle
Picar-to chop, Pique
Cortar-to cut, Corte
Cubrir-to cover, Cubra

14. Ahora, traduzcan usando los mandatos formales….
1.Blend a cup of milk! = __________________________
2. Beat two eggs! = __________________________
3. Boil three cups of water! = __________________________
4. Cut the chicken! = __________________________
5. Bake the cake! = __________________________