DELE A2 Spanish Affirmative Tú Commands: Practice Test & Review
Affirmative tú commands are how you tell a friend, a family member, or a peer to do something. They are one of the most frequent structures in everyday Spanish, and they appear in every section of the DELE A2 exam — especially in instructions and dialogues. If you can’t remember “haz” or “pon“, or you don’t know where to attach the pronoun, you’ll lose points.
This page gives you a five-part practice quiz: an evaluation set to see where you stand, three practice sets to drill the 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.
Grammar Guide
The Rule
Affirmative tú commands tell a friend, family member, or peer to do something. They are formed from the third-person singular present tense for regular verbs: hablar → habla, comer → come, escribir → escribe.
Eight common verbs have irregular affirmative tú commands. You have to memorize them.
Regular Forms
| Verb | Present tense (él) | Affirmative tú command | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| hablar | habla | habla | speak |
| comer | come | come | eat |
| escribir | escribe | escribe | write |
| estudiar | estudia | estudia | study |
| limpiar | limpia | limpia | clean |
| resolver | resuelve | resuelve | resolve |
| vivir | vive | vive | live |
For regular verbs, the affirmative tú command is identical to the él/ella/usted form of the present tense.
The Eight Irregular Affirmative Tú Commands
| Verb | Command | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| hacer | haz | do / make |
| poner | pon | put |
| salir | sal | leave |
| venir | ven | come |
| tener | ten | have |
| decir | di | say |
| ir | ve | go |
| ser | sé | be |
These eight verbs must be memorized. They do not follow the regular pattern.
Note: sé carries an accent to distinguish it from the reflexive pronoun se.
Pronoun Attachment
With affirmative commands, object and reflexive pronouns attach to the end of the command, forming one word.
| Command | Pronoun | Result | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| haz | la (la tarea) | hazla | do it |
| compra | lo (el pan) | cómpralo | buy it |
| di | me + la | dímela | tell it to me |
| pon | los (los libros) | ponlos | put them |
| levanta | te | levántate | get up |
| da | me + lo | dámelo | give it to me |
| sienta | te | siéntate | sit down |
When attaching a pronoun would shift the stress, an accent is added: compra → cómpralo, levanta → levántate, sienta → siéntate.
Accent Rules
| Command | With pronoun | Accent added? |
|---|---|---|
| haz | hazlo | No (short word) |
| pon | ponlos | No |
| di | dímelo | Yes (on di) |
| da | dámelo | Yes (on da) |
| compra | cómpralo | Yes (on com) |
| levanta | levántate | Yes (on van) |
| sienta | siéntate | Yes (on sien) |
| sal | salte | No |
The accent appears when the attached pronoun would otherwise change the stress of the original command.
Affirmative vs. Negative Tú Commands
| Verb | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| hablar | habla | no hables |
| comer | come | no comas |
| hacer | haz | no hagas |
| ir | ve | no vayas |
| ser | sé | no seas |
| venir | ven | no vengas |
Affirmative commands have irregular forms. Negative commands use the present subjunctive and follow a regular pattern.
Pronoun placement flips: affirmative commands attach the pronoun, negative commands put it before the verb.
Hazlo → No lo hagas.
Dímelo → No me lo digas.
Common Mistakes
- Using the regular form for an irregular verb.
✗ Hace la tarea.
✓ Haz la tarea.
Hacer has the irregular affirmative command haz. - Forgetting the accent on sé.
✗ Se amable.
✓ Sé amable.
Sé (be) carries an accent to distinguish it from the reflexive pronoun se. - Placing the pronoun before the command.
✗ Lo haz.
✓ Hazlo.
Affirmative commands attach the pronoun to the end. - Forgetting the accent when attaching a pronoun.
✗ Compralo.
✓ Cómpralo.
The accent keeps the original stress of the command.
Quick Decision Chart
| Ask yourself | Answer | Form |
|---|---|---|
| Is the verb one of the eight irregulars? | Yes | Use the irregular form |
| Is the verb regular? | Yes | Third-person present tense form |
| Is there a pronoun? | Yes | Attach it to the end |
| Does attaching shift the stress? | Yes | Add an accent |
| Is the command negative? | Yes | Use the subjunctive and place the pronoun before |
| Is the verb ser? | Yes | sé (with accent) |
Two Sentences That Show the Difference
Habla más despacio.
Speak more slowly.
- Regular affirmative tú command (hablar → habla).
Haz la tarea.
Do the homework.
- Irregular affirmative tú command (hacer → haz).
Hazla.
Do it.
- Pronoun attached to the irregular command.
No la hagas.
Don’t do it.
- Negative command uses the subjunctive and places the pronoun before.
Levántate temprano.
Get up early.
- Reflexive pronoun attached to the command, with an accent on the á.
