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Video lesson

El imperativo (tú)

Duration: 3:11 Published: 21 Jul 2017

Pilar talks with Sergey, from Russia, who is preparing for the DELE C1 exam. Her questions are full of tú imperatives: dinos, cuéntanos, explícanos.

Learn how to use the singular imperative in Spanish with this free Spanish lesson brought to you by Tilde Madrid Spanish school in Madrid

Key points

  • The affirmative tú imperative of regular verbs is the same as the third person singular of the present: cuenta, explica, habla.
  • Pronouns are attached to the end of an affirmative imperative: dinos, cuéntanos, explícanos.
  • Attaching pronouns often requires a written accent: cuenta, cuéntanos.
  • The DELE is the official diploma of Spanish as a foreign language awarded by the Instituto Cervantes; the C1 evaluates reading, listening, writing and speaking.

Frequent doubts

Which tú imperatives are irregular?

Eight common ones: di (decir), haz (hacer), ve (ir), pon (poner), sal (salir), sé (ser), ten (tener) and ven (venir).

How do I make a negative tú imperative?

With no + the present subjunctive: Cuéntanos becomes No nos cuentes. Note that the pronoun moves before the verb.

What is the DELE C1?

An official Instituto Cervantes diploma that certifies an advanced level of Spanish. It evaluates the four skills: reading, listening, writing and speaking.

Part of Spanish Sessions, the YouTube channel of the teachers at Tilde Madrid — more than 3 million views.

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