Usted and Ustedes

 Commands are formulated in something called the imperative mood.  Moods are not tenses but they do reflect the time/space properties of the verb.  Until now we’ve only used the indicative mood, which indicates plain action.  Non-indicative moods are used when verbs express theoretical or postulated action.  A commanded action such as “make your bed!” does not indicate a true action.

 There is a specific process that must be followed to place a verb in the imperative mood: 1)Conjugate for the “yo” form 2)Drop the “yo” attributes but keep spell changes  drop the /o/ ending and if present, the me reflexive pronoun  keep any stem changes such as e » ie, o » ue, e » i, g, or zc 3)Add the opposite ending  for -AR verbs: attach e or en endings  for -ER / -IR : attach a or an endings  Luckily, this is the same as for the subjunctive mood so it might already be familiar.

1) Conjugate as “yo” 2) Drop the “yo” attributes 3) Add the opposite endings HABLAR yo (1) hablo (2) habl_ (3) hable hablen Ud Uds

Yo Soy Nosotros/as Somos TúTú Eres Vosotros/as Sois Él/Ella Usted Es Ellos/Ellas Ustedes Son HABLAR: Present Tense Yo Hablo Nosotros/as Hablamos Tú Hablas Vosotros/as Habláis Él/Ella Usted Habla Ellos/Ellas Ustedes Hablan HABLAR: Formal Command Usted Hable Ustedes Hablen

1) Conjugate as “yo” 2) Drop the “yo” attributes 3) Add the opposite endings TENER (g) yo (1) tengo (2) teng_ (3) tenga tengan Ud Uds

Yo Soy Nosotros/as Somos TúTú Eres Vosotros/as Sois Él/Ella Usted Es Ellos/Ellas Ustedes Son TENER: Present Tense Yo Tengo Nosotros/as Tenemos Tú Tienes Vosotros/as Tenéis Él/Ella Usted Tiene Ellos/Ellas Ustedes Tienen TENER: Formal Command Usted Tenga Ustedes Tengan

1) Conjugate as “yo” 2) Drop the “yo” attributes 3) Add the opposite endings DORMIR (o -> ue) yo (1) duermo (2) duerm_ (3) duerma deurman Ud Uds

Yo Soy Nosotros/as Somos TúTú Eres Vosotros/as Sois Él/Ella Usted Es Ellos/Ellas Ustedes Son DORMIR: Present Tense Yo Duermo Nosotros/as Dormimos Tú Duermes Vosotros/as Dormís Él/Ella Usted Duerme Ellos/Ellas Ustedes Duermen TENER: Formal Command Usted Duerma Ustedes Duerman

 Commands very often have direct objects: ◦ Answer the phone! ◦ Answer what? -- the phone.  Commands also often use object pronouns: ◦ Answer it! (direct object pronoun) ◦ Wake (yourself) up! (reflexive pronoun)  In such cases, we have to add a fourth step

1) Conjugate as “yo” 2) Drop the “yo” attributes 3) Add the opposite endings 4) Include the pronoun* BAÑARSE yo (1) me baño (2) bañ (3) bañe bañen (4) báñese báñense If affirmative, attach the verb If negative, precede the verb Ud Uds

1) Conjugate as “yo” 2) Drop the “yo” attributes 3) Add the opposite endings 4) Include the pronoun* NO BAÑARSE yo (1) me baño (2) bañ (3) bañe bañen (4) no se bañe no se bañen If affirmative, attach If negative, precede Ud Uds

 The “yo” conjugations of verbs like ser and estar are notably different than other verbs  Consequently, these five verbs have completely irregular commands: Yo formUd commandUds command irvoyvayavayan dardoydéden sersoyseasean estarestoyestéestén sabersésepasepan

 In certain cases, we must change the spelling of the verb stem in order to preserve a consonant sound.  Think about how these –car words sound ◦ buscar /k/ (like cargo) ◦ busco /k/ (like coche) ◦ busce /s/ (like cerveza) ◦ busque/k/ (like queso) verb ends inthebecomes -carcqu -garggu -zarzc

 In certain cases, we must change the spelling of the verb stem in order to preserve a consonant sound.  Think about how these –gar words sound ◦ pagar /g/(like garaje) ◦ pago /g/(like gordo) ◦ page /x/(like gente) ◦ pague/g/(like guerra or hamburguesa) verb ends inthebecomes -carcqu -garggu -zarzc

 In certain cases, we must change the spelling of the verb stem in order to preserve a consonant sound.  Although /z/ and /c/ sound the same today, that was not the case in 16 th century Spain when the phonetic difference obliged a spelling change. As a result, no modern words are spelled e-z-e. verb ends inthebecomes -carcqu -garggu -zarzc

 When the direct object refers to a person, we distinguish it with the personal “a”  The personal “a” helps us know which person is the subject and which is the direct object  Example: Carmen ve Mario (unclear) Carmen ve a Mario (clearer)  The personal “a” goes before people and named animales (pets, etc) ◦ Veo a mis abuelos. ◦ Veo a Scooby Doo.