DELE B1 Informal Commands: Practice Test & Review
Informal commands (tú commands) are how you tell a friend, a classmate, or a family member to do something. They appear throughout the DELE B1 exam — in reading passages, listening dialogues, and everyday instructions.
This page gives you a five-part practice quiz: an evaluation set to see where you stand, three practice sets to drill both affirmative and negative forms, and a challenge set to confirm mastery. If you get stuck, scroll down for the full explanation.
Ready? Start with the evaluation set below.
The Rule
Informal commands (tú commands) are how you tell someone you’re familiar with — a friend, a classmate, a family member — to do something. They’re used in everyday situations: giving directions, offering advice, making requests.
There are two forms:
- Affirmative: Habla. (Speak.)
- Negative: No hables. (Don’t speak.)
The affirmative and negative forms are built differently.
Affirmative Tú Commands
For regular verbs, the affirmative tú command is the same as the él/ella/usted form of the present tense.
| Verb type | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -AR verbs | -a | hablar → habla |
| -ER verbs | -e | comer → come |
| -IR verbs | -e | vivir → vive |
Eight Irregular Affirmative Commands
These eight verbs do not follow the regular rule. They must be memorized.
| Verb | Command | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ser | sé | be |
| ir | ve | go |
| tener | ten | have |
| venir | ven | come |
| hacer | haz | do / make |
| decir | di | say / tell |
| poner | pon | put |
| salir | sal | leave |
Negative Tú Commands
Negative commands use the subjunctive form. The pattern is:
no + verb in subjunctive (tú form)
To form the subjunctive for tú:
- Start with the yo form of the present tense.
- Drop the *-o*.
- Add the opposite ending: *-ar* verbs → *-es*, *-er*/*-ir* verbs → *-as*.
| Verb | Yo form | Subjunctive tú | Negative command |
|---|---|---|---|
| hablar | hablo | hables | no hables |
| comer | como | comas | no comas |
| vivir | vivo | vivas | no vivas |
| tener | tengo | tengas | no tengas |
| hacer | hago | hagas | no hagas |
| decir | digo | digas | no digas |
| venir | vengo | vengas | no vengas |
| poner | pongo | pongas | no pongas |
Note: The irregular affirmative commands (sé, ve, ten, ven, haz, di, pon, sal) are irregular only in the affirmative. Their negative forms follow the regular subjunctive pattern: no seas, no vayas, no tengas, no vengas, no hagas, no digas, no pongas, no salgas.
Pronouns with Commands
Pronouns behave differently with affirmative and negative commands.
| Command type | Pronoun position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Attach to the end | dime, hazlo, escúchame |
| Negative | Go before the verb | no me digas, no lo hagas |
Affirmative + pronoun = one word. When a pronoun attaches to an affirmative command, an accent is often added to preserve the original stress.
| Command | + Pronoun | Result |
|---|---|---|
| di | me | dime |
| haz | lo | hazlo |
| escucha | me | escúchame |
| da | me + lo | dámelo |
| levanta | te | levántate |
Common Mistakes
1. Using the present tense instead of the command.
✗ Tú hablas.
✓ Habla.
The affirmative command is the él/ella form, not the tú form.
2. Forgetting the irregulars.
✗ Hace la tarea.
✓ Haz la tarea.
Hacer has an irregular affirmative command: haz.
3. Using the affirmative form for negative commands.
✗ No habla.
✓ No hables.
Negative commands use the subjunctive, not the affirmative form.
4. Misplacing pronouns with negative commands.
✗ No dime.
✓ No me digas.
With negative commands, pronouns go before the verb.
Quick Decision Chart
| Ask yourself | Answer | Form |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative or negative? | Affirmative | Use él/ella present form |
| Affirmative or negative? | Negative | Use subjunctive tú form |
| Is it one of the 8 irregulars? | Yes | Use irregular form (sé, ve, ten…) |
| Does it have a pronoun? | Affirmative | Attach to end, add accent if needed |
| Does it have a pronoun? | Negative | Place before the verb |
Two Sentences That Show the Difference
Habla más despacio, por favor.
Speak more slowly, please.
- Affirmative command. Regular -ar verb. No pronoun.
No me hables así.
Don’t speak to me like that.
- Negative command. Subjunctive form. Pronoun before the verb.
