A request that doesn't sound like an order
The usted command is built with a twist: the vowels swap places. For -ar verbs the ending becomes -e (hablar → hable), for -er and -ir — -a (comer → coma, abrir → abra). This is the form you need with the technician, the doctor and the bank. For example: “Espere un momento, por favor” — Wait a moment, please. A rule from the Spanish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The usted command is built with a twist: the vowels swap places. For -ar verbs the ending becomes -e (hablar → hable), for -er and -ir — -a (comer → coma, abrir → abra). This is the form you need with the technician, the doctor and the bank.
For 'tú' it's simpler: take the 'he' form of the present. Espera — wait, Firma aquí — sign here. A dozen common verbs do it their own way: ven, ten, pon, haz, di, sal. English makes no distinction here — one bare 'wait!' for everyone — so this is a choice Spanish makes you notice.
Pronouns attach to the end: espéreme, explíquemelo. The word grows longer, the stress lands three syllables from the end — and an accent appears that the plain form never had.
But more important than the grammar: a bare imperative sounds abrupt in Spain, and it gets softened into a question. ¿Me puede ayudar?, ¿Podría venir mañana? — the same content, but a request rather than an order. With por favor at the end, almost anything passes.
Table
| infinitive | tú | usted |
|---|---|---|
| esperar | espera | espere |
| rellenar | rellena | rellene |
| comer | come | coma |
| abrir | abre | abra |
| venir | ven | venga |
By example
- Espere un momento, por favorWait a moment, please
- Rellene el formulario y firme abajoFill in the form and sign at the bottom
- ¿Me puede explicar esto otra vez?Could you explain this to me one more time?
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
A request that doesn't sound like an order: how does it work in Spanish?
The usted command is built with a twist: the vowels swap places. For -ar verbs the ending becomes -e (hablar → hable), for -er and -ir — -a (comer → coma, abrir → abra). This is the form you need with the technician, the doctor and the bank.
What does it look like in an example sentence Spanish?
“Espere un momento, por favor” — Wait a moment, please. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.