How to Give Commands in Spanish Using Vos

Let’s continue talking about how to give commands using “vos” in the Spanish language. In a previous lesson, I showed you how to use the command form or the imperative form of “vos”. I also mentioned that after hours and hours of research I couldn’t find a single website that gave the rules and exceptions for how to give commands in Spanish using “vos”.

And I also mentioned that the rules I am sharing with you are what I have learned from personal experience. And that after asking several university friends in Medellin, who have studied several foreign languages, none could articulate the grammatical rules of giving commands with “vos” because “vos” is not taught in schools other than how-to-speak-slang is teach at school.

It is something that you simply learn to use correctly since you are a child just by being born in a country or region where “vos” is used.

So the only way I was able to identify the grammatical rules (and exceptions to the rules) for giving orders with “vos” was by spending months and months in Medellin, Colombia, and always preparing myself with a “pen and notebook in my pocket” . (pen and notebook in his pocket) and listening to the paisas (the ‘people’ or people of Medellín), and asking them innumerable questions

What:

How do you give commands with the verbs “compete”, “boil”, “groan”, “prefer”, “die”, “suggest” and other verbs that change the stem until I identified a pattern? And that “pattern” is what I call the grammatical rules, and exceptions to the rules, of giving commands with “vos.”

But before I give you some examples of how to give commands with vos using stem-changing “ir” verbs and “irregular” verbs, I want to remind you of the two rules I gave in my last email about using “vos” with commands:

Rule Number One: The imperative of vos never has changes in the stems of the verbs unless they are verbs with changed stems and “ir” in the negative. That is, the imperative of “vos” never has changes in the stem of a verb unless the verb is a verb that changes the stem “ir” AND you are using it negatively.

Record Number Two. The negative is the same as the negative of tú but with an accent on the last syllable. That is, the negative is the same as the negative of “tú” but with an accent on the last syllable. But don’t forget the exception to this “rule” or rule that I listed under “Rule Number One” which concerns negative commands that use “go” verbs that change the stem.

So now let me show you how to use “vos” with “ir” verbs that change the stem. If you have a copy of Verbarrator software, then you already know that in the present tense, stem-changing verbs ending in “ir” are grouped into one of three patterns based on the stem vowel change:

ea that is to say

Where are you

and you

But that is NOT the same change that occurs with “ir” verbs that change the stem when commands are given with “vos”, in the negative.

When giving negative commands with “vos”, stem-changing “ir” verbs make these changes:

or all of you

and you

Let me give you some examples of “vos” commands using stem-changing “ir” verbs:

compete – I competed (compete) – you don’t compete (don’t compete)

boil – boil (boil) – don’t boil (don’t boil)

moan – moan (moan) – don’t moan (don’t moan)

to prefer – I preferred (to prefer) – you will not prefer (not to prefer)

to die – I died (to die) – you will not die (not to die)

suggest – I suggested (suggest) – you will not suggest (not suggest)

Now let me give you some examples of “vos” commands using irregular verbs:

be – be (be) – seas (not be)

say – say (say) – don’t say (don’t say)

have – have (have) – don’t have (not have)

So that’s what I’ve found out about giving commands with “vos” with stem-changing “ir” verbs and irregular verbs. Like I said, you won’t find this in a Spanish grammar book on any website. It is what I have discovered after months and months of analysis and deduction, taking many notes and asking many questions.