Essential Spanish for teachers and babysitters: 67 tú commands in Spanish
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More infoIf you ever need to direct people effectively, it’s imperative to know how to give good instructions. This is especially true when the instructions are in another language and aimed at children. So, if what you need is a perfectly practical list of tú commands in Spanish, you’ve come to the right place.
In this post you will find 67 tú commands in affirmative and negative forms that are useful in different contexts such as school, home, and when going out. These are all suitable for addressing a single person in an informal context, so ideal for a teacher or babysitter addressing a child.
Our focus here is specifically on providing useful tú commands in Spanish, with tons of practical vocabulary. If you want more of a grammatical approach, we recommend our dedicated post on how to form Spanish commands using the imperative mood.
Let’s get going!
At School – En la Escuela
We know that school is great, but it can also be a difficult place to be a teacher if communication is not on point. So, if you are struggling with getting your ideas across in Spanish or if you simply need some Spanish for teachers, this list of affirmative and negative tú commands is sure to help.
Affirmative tú commands in Spanish
| English commands for school | Spanish commands for school |
| Sit down. | Siéntate. |
| Get up. | Levántate. |
| Put your books away. | Guarda tus libros. |
| Read carefully. | Lee con atención. |
| Pay attention. | Presta atención. |
| Listen carefully. | Escucha con atención. |
| Go to the principal’s office. | Ve a la oficina del director. |
| Wait for your parents | Espera a tus padres. |
| Complete the exercises in the book. | Completa los ejercicios del libro. |
| Escribe tu nombre | Write your name down. |
| Keep your desk clean. | Mantén tu escritorio ordenado. |
| Be quiet. | Haz silencio. |
| Open your book to page 3. | Abre tu libro en la página 3. |
| Exit the classroom in order. | Sal del salón en orden. |
| Stay in line. | Quédate en la fila. |
| Come to the front of the class. | Pasa al frente de la clase. |
| Finish your homework. | Termina tu tarea. |
| Raise your hand to speak. | Levanta la mano para hablar. |
| Wait for your turn. | Espera tu turno. |
| Sharpen your pencil. | Sácale punta al lápiz. |
| Take out the colored pencils. | Saca los lápices de colores. |
Negative tú commands
| English commands for school | Spanish commands for school |
| Don’t eat during class. | No comas en clase. |
| Don’t wander around school. | No te pasees por la escuela. |
| Don’t take your classmates’ supplies without permission. | No tomes los útiles de tus compañeros sin permiso. |
| Don’t talk in class. | No hables en clase. |
| Don’t interrupt others when they speak. | No interrumpas a otros cuando hablan. |
| Don’t bite your pencil. | No muerdas el lápiz. |
| Don’t push the other kids. | No empujes a los demás niños. |
| Don’t bring valuable or dangerous things to class. | No traigas objetos peligrosos o de valor a clase. |
At Home – En Casa
Whether you want to teach your children Spanish using instructions, or you are a babysitter who needs Spanish for children, this section has just what you need to communicate using specific tú commands in Spanish. As in the previous section, we show you the affirmative and negative form of these Spanish verbs in the imperative form.
And finally, once you’ve got the kids calmed down and ready for bed, you may be interested in these popular nursery rhymes in Spanish!
Affirmative tú commands
| English commands at home | Spanish commands at home |
| Wash your dish. | Lava tu plato. |
| Pick up your toys. | Recoge tus juguetes. |
| Do your homework. | Haz tu tarea. |
| Be nice to your siblings. | Sé bueno con tus hermanos. |
| Brush your teeth. | Cepíllate los dientes. |
| Wash your hands before you eat. | Lávate las manos antes de comer. |
| Finish your food. | Termina tu comida. |
| Help me with the chores. | Ayúdame con los quehaceres. |
| Clean your room. | Limpia tu habitación. |
| Walk the dog. | Pasea al perro. |
| Share your toys. | Comparte tus juguetes. |
| Put your shoes on. | Ponte los zapatos. |
| Go to sleep. | Ve a dormir. |
| Rest well. | Descansa bien. |
| Say ‘please’. | Di “por favor”. |
| Say ‘thank you’. | Di “gracias”. |
Negative tú commands
| English commands at home | Spanish commands at home |
| Don’t play with the ball indoors. | No juegues adentro con la pelota. |
| Don’t stay up late. | No te quedes despierto hasta tarde. |
| Don’t say bad words. | No digas malas palabras. |
| Don’t yell. | No grites. |
| Don’t chew with your mouth open. | No mastiques con la boca abierta. |
| Don’t go outside. | No vayas afuera. |
| Don’t play with your food. | No juegues con la comida. |
| Don’t eat too many sweets. | No comas demasiados dulces. |
| Don’t watch too much TV. | No veas demasiada televisión. |
Going out – Afuera
There is no doubt that when you are out with children, you can never be too cautious. Away from home there are many unexpected situations that can arise, so if your work or daily life includes Spanish-speaking children, you need to check this list of tú commands to use outside.
Affirmative tú commands
| English commands while out | Spanish commands while out |
| Walk on the sidewalk. | Camina por la acera. |
| Give me your hand. | Dame tu mano. |
| Stay by my side. | Quédate junto a mí. |
| Wait for me. | Espérame. |
| Be patient. | Sé paciente. |
| Wait in the car. | Espera en el carro. |
| Look both ways before crossing. | Mira a ambos lados antes de cruzar. |
| Look ahead when you walk. | Mira al frente cuando caminas. |
Negative tú commands
| English commands while out | Spanish commands while out |
| Don’t receive anything from strangers. | No recibas nada de extraños. |
| Don’t run. | No corras. |
| Don’t touch that. | No toques eso. |
| Don’t sit on the ground. | No te sientes en el suelo. |
| Don’t stray from the group. | No te apartes del grupo. |
Conclusion
Today we covered a good variety of tú commands in Spanish. 67, to be exact! You now have a very useful list of phrases to use whenever you have a Spanish-speaking kid to deal with. Good job! Let’s do a review, shall we?
The Spanish tú commands we covered in this post are intended for contexts in which it’s necessary to communicate with children in Spanish. We divided them into three main groups: at school, at home, and when going out. For each category, we looked at both the affirmative and negative form to cover all the necessary vocabulary.
We know how important it is to give clear instructions, so we’ve got you covered!
So, if you are a teacher or a babysitter, or if you simply found this list useful, feel free to bookmark this page so you can come back to it whenever you need to. We hope you liked this post and that you’ll share it with those who need it. See you next time! ¡Cuídate! – Take care!
