Portuguese Imperative Explained for Requests, Advice, and Instructions

Introduction

The Portuguese imperative is the verb mood used for requests, advice, commands, and instructions. This article explains how to form and use the imperative in Brazilian Portuguese for informal and formal situations, with clear examples, common irregular verbs, negative forms, and cultural notes to help beginners and intermediate learners speak naturally and politely.

What is the imperative and when to use it?

The imperative mood expresses direct actions you want someone to take or avoid. Use it for requests, instructions, advice, suggestions, and commands. In Brazilian Portuguese, tone and verb form change depending on who you are addressing: friends, family, colleagues, or strangers.

Different levels of politeness

Portuguese distinguishes between familiar and formal forms. The familiar singular is tu in some regions and você in most of Brazil, but spoken usage varies. For plural you, Brazilians use vocês, while European Portuguese also uses vós (rare). When you want to be polite or formal, use third-person forms like o senhor and a senhora with the third-person imperative.

How to form the affirmative imperative

Forming the affirmative imperative in Brazilian Portuguese depends on the pronoun. There are three main patterns: tu, você/vocês, and nós (let’s). The imperative is directly derived from the present indicative and subjunctive forms.

Tu (familiar singular) — positive commands

For most regular verbs, the affirmative tu form is the present indicative without the final -s. Example with falar (to speak):

falar: tu falas -> fala
Fala agora.

But in many regions of Brazil, tu is less common; instead people use você forms.

Você and vocês (common spoken forms) — use the present subjunctive

For você (singular) and vocês (plural), form the affirmative imperative using the present subjunctive. This is the most common polite or neutral form in Brazil.

Example with comer (to eat):
comer: que você coma -> coma (você)
Coma antes de sair.

For plural:

comer: que vocês comam -> comam (vocês)
Comam com calma.

Nós (let’s) — suggestions and instructions including the speaker

For inclusive commands like let’s do something, use the present subjunctive for nós. The English equivalent is let’s.

Example with ir (to go):
ir: que nós vamos -> que nós vamos is present indicative, but imperative uses subjunctive: vamos or vamos embora
Vamos agora. (Let’s go.)

Note that for many verbs, Brazilian Portuguese favors the present indicative vamos for suggestions instead of the subjunctive nós form.

How to form the negative imperative

The negative imperative is simpler: use the present subjunctive forms for all persons. Add não before the verb to make a negative command or request.

Negative forms by pronoun

Examples with falar, comer, and abrir:

Tu: não fales (do not speak) — use subjunctive even if affirmative used indicative
Você: não fale (do not speak) — subjunctive
Vocês: não falem
Nós: não falemos (less common than vamos não; often usamos não vamos?) but grammatically correct

Comer: não comas, não coma, não comam, não comamos
Abrir: não abras, não abra, não abram, não abramos

Common irregular imperative verbs

Several high-frequency verbs are irregular in the imperative and must be memorized. Below are the most important ones for everyday communication.

Ser (to be)

Affirmative:
tu sê (in Portugal) or seja for você
você seja
vocês sejam
nós sejamos
Negative (all use subjunctive):
não sejas, não seja, não sejam, não sejamos

Common phrase: Seja paciente. (Be patient.)

Estar (to be temporary)

Affirmative:
tu está (informal southern variants may use fica; but grammatically from indicative: está)
você esteja
vocês estejam
nós estejamos
Negative:
não estejas, não esteja, não estejam, não estejamos

Example: Esteja pronto às 9h. (Be ready at 9 a.m.)

Ir (to go)

Affirmative:
tu vai / vai (colloquial) or vai tu (region dependent) but traditionally: tu vai is colloquial; formal uses vá
você vá
vocês vão / vão or vão vocês but subjunctive: vocês vão (colloquial) / vocês vão/ vám? Standard: vocês vão is present indicative; polite imperative uses vão? Better to use subjunctive: vocês vão -> vocês vão vs. correc: vocês vão is present; imperative polite: vocês vão? For clear rule: use subjunctive: vá (você), vão (vocês), vamos (nós).
Negative:
não vás (rare BR), não vá, não vão, não vamos

Common: Vá com cuidado. (Go carefully.) Vamos! (Let’s go!)

Ter (to have)

Affirmative:
tu tem -> tem (colloquial) but formal subjunctive: tenha for você
você tenha
vocês tenham
nós tenhamos
Negative:
não tenhas, não tenha, não tenham, não tenhamos

Phrase: Tenha calma. (Have calm / Stay calm.)

Fazer, dizer, trazer and other irregulars

These verbs change stems in some imperative forms. Memorize key commands:

Fazer: faça (você), façam (vocês), façamos (nós)
Dizer: diga, digam, digamos
Trazer: traga, tragam, tragamos

Examples:
Faça isso agora.
Diga a verdade.
Tragam os documentos.

Pronoun placement with imperatives

Placement of object pronouns (direct and indirect) differs between affirmative and negative imperatives. This is vital for natural speech.

Affirmative imperative: enclitic placement

In affirmative commands, pronouns attach to the verb as a single word (enclisis). Use hyphenation when writing.

Examples:
Me liga depois. -> Liga-me depois. (Call me later.)
Compre-o. (Buy it.)
Traga-me os papéis. (Bring me the papers.)

Negative imperative: proclitic placement

In negative commands, pronouns come before the verb, after não. They do not attach.

Examples:
Não me ligue depois. (Do not call me later.)
Não o compre. (Do not buy it.)
Não me traga mais nada. (Do not bring me anything else.)

Regional and spoken variations

In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, people often use pronoun placement differently: me liga, me chama, traz pra mim, or me traz instead of the formal enclitic forms. This is natural and common in everyday conversation.

Politeness strategies and softening commands

Because direct commands can sound rude, Brazilians often soften requests using conditional-like expressions, please, or indirect questions.

Common softeners

Use por favor and expressions like poderia, pode, or você pode to make requests polite:

Por favor, pode me ajudar? (Please, can you help me?)
Poderia me dizer a hora? (Could you tell me the time?)

Using conditional and subjunctive for politeness

Use the conditional or subjunctive to sound polite: poderia (from poder) is a very natural polite opener. You can also make indirect commands:

Você poderia fechar a janela? (Could you close the window?)
Seria possível enviar o documento? (Would it be possible to send the document?)

Common mistakes and tips

Beginners often mix up tu and você forms, forget irregular stems, or misplace pronouns. Here are practical tips to avoid mistakes.

Tip 1: Learn pronoun preferences by region

In southern Brazil and some states, tu is common and uses distinctive conjugations. In most of Brazil, people use você with third-person verbs. Pay attention to local speech and adapt.

Tip 2: Master the present subjunctive

Because many imperative forms derive from the present subjunctive, learning the subjunctive will make forming imperatives easier, especially negative forms and polite commands.

Tip 3: Practice irregular verbs

Memorize imperative forms of common irregular verbs: ser, estar, ter, ir, fazer, dizer, trazer, ver, dar, pôr. Use them in short daily commands to reinforce memory.

Tip 4: Listen to native speech

Watch Brazilian videos, listen to podcasts, and pay attention to how people soften commands. Notice pronoun placement in casual speech versus formal contexts.

Usage notes and cultural context

Brazilian Portuguese tends to prefer polite or indirect forms in many social situations. In family and among friends, short, direct imperatives are common and not rude. At work, in customer service, or with strangers, people habitually use você + subjunctive or polite questions with poderia. Tone and body language are crucial: a smile or please can change an imperative from abrupt to friendly.

Examples in everyday scenarios

Asking a friend to wait:
Espera um minuto. (Wait a minute.)
Negative: Não esperes? In Brazil: Não espere um minuto. But most say Não espera? — regional variations apply.

Giving instructions at work:
Por favor, envie o relatório hoje. (Please send the report today.)
Formal command: Envie o relatório hoje.

Making a polite request in a store:
Você poderia me ajudar com isso? (Could you help me with this?)

Quick reference: imperative forms for regular verbs

Below is a concise pattern for regular verbs in each conjugation (-ar, -er, -ir).

-ar verbs (e.g., falar)

Affirmative:
tu fala (informal, derived from indicative) / você fale (subjunctive equivalent)
vocês falem
nós falemos or vamos falar (common)
Negative:
não fales (tu), não fale (você), não falem (vocês), não falemos (nós)

-er verbs (e.g., comer)

Affirmative:
tu come -> fala-like pattern: come (colloquial) but standard imperative for você: coma
vocês comam
nós comamos
Negative:
não comas, não coma, não comam, não comamos

-ir verbs (e.g., abrir)

Affirmative:
tu abre (colloquial) or abre for colloquial tu, você abra
vocês abram
nós abramos or vamos abrir
Negative:
não abras, não abra, não abram, não abramos

Conclusion

The Portuguese imperative is essential for making requests, giving advice, and issuing instructions. Learn the patterns: affirmative tu (informal), subjunctive-based você/vocês, and negative forms using the subjunctive. Practice irregular verbs, watch pronoun placement differences between affirmative and negative commands, and adapt your tone for politeness. With exposure to real Brazilian speech and these clear rules, you will become confident using the imperative in everyday situations.