Saying don't: no hables, no comáis, no venga — the forms that differ from the affirmative
Can tell someone not to do something, at both formal and informal register
Подивіться на ці приклади. Чи можете ви помітити граматичну закономірність?
No te preocupes, ya llamo yo a la comunidad.
Don't worry, I'll call the residents' association myself.
No hagáis ruido después de las once: los vecinos de abajo se quejan.
Don't make noise after eleven: the neighbours downstairs complain.
No cojas el AVE de las siete, sale más caro; coge el de las nueve.
Don't take the seven o'clock AVE, it's more expensive; take the nine o'clock one.
Зверніть увагу на виділені частини. Що у них спільного?
Here is a trap that surprises everyone: a negative command in Spanish is not the positive one with no in front. English just adds "don't" - "speak", "don't speak" - but Spanish switches to a different set of forms: habla but no hables; ven but no vengas.
| Person | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tú | habla / come / ven | no hables / no comas / no vengas |
| usted | hable / coma / venga | no hable / no coma / no venga |
| vosotros | hablad / comed / venid | no habléis / no comáis / no vengáis |
| ustedes | hablen / coman / vengan | no hablen / no coman / no vengan |
Usted and ustedes do not change: just add no. Tú and vosotros do. All the negative forms come from the recipe you already know for usted: the yo form of the present minus -o, plus the "opposite" vowel - -ar verbs take e, -er/-ir verbs take a. Then add the person's ending: -es for tú, -éis / -áis for vosotros.
So the irregular yo forms carry over again: hago → no hagas, pongo → no pongas, salgo → no salgáis, digo → no digas. And the five verbs that break the recipe break it here too: no seas, no vayas, no sepas, no des, no estés. ¡No seas así! - Don't be like that!
A flat negative command can sound harsher in Spanish than "don't" does in English, and in daily life people cushion it: Mejor no cojas ese autobús, tarda media hora más. - Better not take that bus, it takes half an hour longer. No te preocupes, ya lo arreglo yo. - Don't worry, I'll sort it out. No te preocupes is probably the negative command you will hear and say most often in Spain, along with no pasa nada as the reply to an apology.
In a museum or on the metro you will read No fumar, No pisar el césped (Keep off the grass), No tocar: the infinitive, not the imperative, because a sign is not addressed to anyone in particular. Official notices may also use se: Se prohíbe fumar.
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Вправи для практикиNo te preocupes, ya llamo yo a la comunidad.
Don't worry, I'll call the residents' association myself.
Preocuparse → no te preocupes. The reflexive pronoun goes before the verb in the negative, never attached.
No hagáis ruido después de las once: los vecinos de abajo se quejan.
Don't make noise after eleven: the neighbours downstairs complain.
Vosotros negative: hacer → hago → no hagáis. The affirmative would be 'haced', a completely different form.
No cojas el AVE de las siete, sale más caro; coge el de las nueve.
Don't take the seven o'clock AVE, it's more expensive; take the nine o'clock one.
The same verb in both forms in one sentence: no cojas (negative) versus coge (affirmative). Nothing about them looks alike.
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