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Quick Grammar Reference
P o r t u g u e s e O n l i n e

>>Verbs > Imperative

The imperative mood is simply used to give a command. In the English phrase read this!, the verb read is in the imperative. 

To form the imperative, you will take the infinitive without its -ar, -er, or -ir ending (its "stem") and add the following endings. See the section on subject pronouns for more information on the pronouns listed in the left column.

Since commands are directed to someone else, you cannot command the I, he, she, or they forms. In Portugal, you will use the tu form of the command given above, except when the verb is negated. In this case, you will have não fales don't speak, não vendas don't sell, and não partas don't leave. In Brazil, the tu commands are actually used in the conversational language, but it is common to use the same form in the negative and the affirmative (you will hear fala! speak! and both não fala! and não fales! for don't speak!).

There are a number of irregular verbs in the imperative. They always share their stem with the first person ("I") form of the present indicative. The tu form of the imperative corresponds to the third person singular ("he", "she") form of the present indicative. For example, the irregular verb fazer to make, to do has the present indicative forms faço I do and faz he does, so you can command with faz! do! (the tu form) beside faça! do! (the você form), façamos! let's do! (the nós form), and façam! do! (the vocês form). The negative tu command is always similar to the other forms (não faças! don't do! and not não fazas).

Keep in mind that you will not use a subject pronoun or a noun with the imperative. Fale! alone means speak! You may not choose to use pronouns or nouns for emphasis or clarification.