Irregular Imperatives: The "Go Verbs"

Imperative expressions with Spanish "go verbs" (tener, venir, decir, hacer, poner, salir, ir, ser) are extremely common in daily conversation. ^{[cite: 1]} Learn the core commands and the most frequent daily expressions grouped by verb!

The Golden Mnemonic

These expressions are excellent for learners because they showcase the most important irregular imperative forms: ^{[cite: 1]}

"Ven Di Sal Haz Ten Ve Pon Sé" ^{[cite: 1]}

(venir, decir, salir, hacer, tener, ir, poner, ser). ^{[cite: 1]}

This is the classic list of Spanish verbos de mandato irregular. ^{[cite: 1]}

Infinitive to Tú Imperative

Infinitive	Tú Imperative
tener ^{[cite: 1]}	ten ^{[cite: 1]}
venir ^{[cite: 1]}	ven ^{[cite: 1]}
decir ^{[cite: 1]}	di ^{[cite: 1]}
hacer ^{[cite: 1]}	haz ^{[cite: 1]}
poner ^{[cite: 1]}	pon ^{[cite: 1]}
salir ^{[cite: 1]}	sal ^{[cite: 1]}
ir ^{[cite: 1]}	ve ^{[cite: 1]}
ser ^{[cite: 1]}	sé ^{[cite: 1]}

Expressions Grouped by Verb

Here are some of the most frequent expressions grouped by verb. ^{[cite: 1]}

TENER ten / no tengas ^{[cite: 1]}

Ten cuidado. → Be careful. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ten paciencia. → Be patient. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ten fe. → Have faith. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ten confianza. → Trust me. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ten calma. → Stay calm. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ten un poco de respeto. → Show some respect. ^{[cite: 1]}
No tengas miedo. → Don't be afraid. ^{[cite: 1]}
No tengas prisa. → Don't hurry. ^{[cite: 1]}
No tengas vergüenza. → Don't be shy. ^{[cite: 1]}
No tengas dudas. → Don't have any doubts. ^{[cite: 1]}

VENIR ven / no vengas ^{[cite: 1]}

Ven aquí. → Come here. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ven conmigo. → Come with me. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ven a verme. → Come see me. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ven cuando quieras. → Come whenever you want. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ven rápido. → Come quickly. ^{[cite: 1]}
No vengas tarde. → Don't come late. ^{[cite: 1]}
No vengas solo. → Don't come alone. ^{[cite: 1]}
No vengas con excusas. → Don't come with excuses. ^{[cite: 1]}
No vengas llorando. → Don't come crying. ^{[cite: 1]}
No vengas a molestarme. → Don't come bother me. ^{[cite: 1]}

DECIR di / no digas ^{[cite: 1]}

Dime la verdad. → Tell me the truth. ^{[cite: 1]}
Di algo. → Say something. ^{[cite: 1]}
Dímelo. → Tell me. ^{[cite: 1]}
Di que sí. → Say yes. ^{[cite: 1]}
Di lo que piensas. → Say what you think. ^{[cite: 1]}
No digas nada. → Don't say anything. ^{[cite: 1]}
No digas tonterías. → Don't talk nonsense. ^{[cite: 1]}
No digas mentiras. → Don't lie. ^{[cite: 1]}
No digas ni mu. → Don't say a word. ^{[cite: 1]}
No digas eso. → Don't say that. ^{[cite: 1]}

HACER haz / no hagas ^{[cite: 1]}

Hazme caso. → Listen to me. ^{[cite: 1]}
Haz lo correcto. → Do the right thing. ^{[cite: 1]}
Haz tu trabajo. → Do your job. ^{[cite: 1]}
Hazlo ahora. → Do it now. ^{[cite: 1]}
Haz lo que quieras. → Do whatever you want. ^{[cite: 1]}
No me hagas reír. → Don't make me laugh. ^{[cite: 1]}
No me hagas esperar. → Don't make me wait. ^{[cite: 1]}
No me hagas arrepentirme. → Don't make me regret it. ^{[cite: 1]}
No hagas ruido. → Don't make noise. ^{[cite: 1]}
No hagas preguntas. → Don't ask questions. ^{[cite: 1]}

PONER pon / no pongas ^{[cite: 1]}

Pon atención. → Pay attention. ^{[cite: 1]}
Pon la mesa. → Set the table. ^{[cite: 1]}
Pon música. → Put on some music. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ponlo aquí. → Put it here. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ponte cómodo. → Make yourself comfortable. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ponte de pie. → Stand up. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ponte las pilas. → Get moving / Get your act together. ^{[cite: 1]}
No me pongas nervioso. → Don't make me nervous. ^{[cite: 1]}
No me pongas esa cara. → Don't give me that look. ^{[cite: 1]}
No pongas excusas. → Don't make excuses. ^{[cite: 1]}
No lo pongas sobre la mesa. → Don't put it on the table. ^{[cite: 1]}

SALIR sal / no salgas ^{[cite: 1]}

Sal de aquí. → Get out of here. ^{[cite: 1]}
Sal conmigo. → Come out with me. ^{[cite: 1]}
Sal despacio. → Go out slowly. ^{[cite: 1]}
Sal a tomar aire. → Go get some fresh air. ^{[cite: 1]}
Sal de tu zona de confort. → Get out of your comfort zone. ^{[cite: 1]}
No salgas solo. → Don't go out alone. ^{[cite: 1]}
No salgas tan tarde. → Don't stay out so late. ^{[cite: 1]}
No salgas sin avisar. → Don't leave without telling anyone. ^{[cite: 1]}
No salgas corriendo. → Don't run off. ^{[cite: 1]}
No salgas todavía. → Don't leave yet. ^{[cite: 1]}

IR ve / no vayas ^{[cite: 1]}

Ve a casa. → Go home. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ve por él. → Go get him. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ve a dormir. → Go to sleep. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ve a descansar. → Go rest. ^{[cite: 1]}
Ve con cuidado. → Go carefully. ^{[cite: 1]}
Vete. → Go away. ^{[cite: 1]}
Vete de aquí. → Get out of here. ^{[cite: 1]}
Vete a casa. → Go home. ^{[cite: 1]}
No vayas solo. → Don't go alone. ^{[cite: 1]}
No vayas tan rápido. → Don't go so fast. ^{[cite: 1]}
No vayas por ahí. → Don't go that way. ^{[cite: 1]}
No vayas a decir nada. → Don't go and say anything. ^{[cite: 1]}

SER sé / no seas ^{[cite: 1]}

Sé paciente. → Be patient. ^{[cite: 1]}
Sé amable. → Be kind. ^{[cite: 1]}
Sé sincero. → Be honest. ^{[cite: 1]}
Sé tú mismo. → Be yourself. ^{[cite: 1]}
Sé fuerte. → Be strong. ^{[cite: 1]}
No seas tonto. → Don't be silly. ^{[cite: 1]}
No seas ridículo. → Don't be ridiculous. ^{[cite: 1]}
No seas impaciente. → Don't be impatient. ^{[cite: 1]}
No seas egoísta. → Don't be selfish. ^{[cite: 1]}
No seas tan dramático. → Don't be so dramatic. ^{[cite: 1]}

The Golden Mnemonic

Infinitive to Tú Imperative

Expressions Grouped by Verb

TENER ten / no tengas [cite: 1]

VENIR ven / no vengas [cite: 1]

DECIR di / no digas [cite: 1]

HACER haz / no hagas [cite: 1]

PONER pon / no pongas [cite: 1]

SALIR sal / no salgas [cite: 1]

IR ve / no vayas [cite: 1]

SER sé / no seas [cite: 1]

Ultra-Common Fixed Expressions