commands vs imperative

Question

I thought Inperative was the same as commands! How do they differ in usage and form?

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Ellen H.

That's a great question and it's a common point of confusion for Spanish learners! While 'imperative' often refers to the mood used for commands, the distinction can be subtle in Spanish due to the overlap with the subjunctive.
In essence:

Imperative mood: This is primarily used for direct commands to 'tú' (affirmative only), 'vosotros' (affirmative only) and 'nosotros'. For example, "habla" (speak - tú) or "hablad" (speak - vosotros).

Commands: In Spanish, commands for 'usted', 'ustedes', 'tú' (negative) and 'vosotros' (negative) are actually formed using the present subjunctive mood. For example, "no hables" (don't speak - tú) or "hable" (speak - usted).

So, you could say that all imperative forms are commands, but not all commands use the imperative mood directly. Many commands rely on the subjunctive.
Hope this helps!
Buen finde
Silvia