LESSON NOTES

Verb Conjugation #8
Present Commands

CONTENTS

Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

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VOCABULARY

Spanish English Class Gender

dar to give verb

ver to see verb

oír to hear verb

prestar to lend, to borrow verb

mensaje message noun masculine

olvidar to forget verb

carta card, letter noun feminine

mandato command noun masculine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Yo le doy ayuda con su tarea. Siempre nos vemos.

"I give him help with his homework." "We always see each other."

En la montaña, tú puedes oír muchos sonidos Muchos años atras, esta tienda solía prestar
interesantes. videos.

"In the mountain, you can hear a lot of "Many years ago, this shop used to lend videos."
interesting sounds."

¿Me prestas tu computadora? ¿Me prestan cinco dólares, por favor?

"Will you lend me your computer?" "Would ya'll lend me five dollars please?"

Deje su mensaje después de oir la señal. ¿A qué hora me enviaste el mensaje de texto?

"Please leave your message after the tone." "What time did you send me the text message?"

He olvidado el paraguas en casa. ¿Nos escribes pronto, si?

"I've left my umbrella at home." "Write to us soon ok?"

No me gusta obedecer los mandatos.

"I don't like to obey orders."

GRAMMAR

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In this series we took a closer look at how to use the verbs "dar" (to give), "ver" (to see), and "oír" (to
hear) in the Present Tense of the Indicative Mood. We begin with the verb "dar" (to give). Now the
interesting thing about this verb is that it's stem is simply the letter "D", and that in the first person
singular, it has that "O-Y" ending, which we also saw with "estar" (estoy), with "ser" (soy) and with "ir"
(voy). You should also note that there are no accents on the verb "dar" in this tense and mood. Instead
of the using the imperative mood by saying "déme un café" (give me a coffee), we use the Present Tense
of the Indicative Mood and say "Usted me da un café" (give me a coffee). Note that the meaning
expressed is the same, but the manner in which the order is conveyed is slightly less formal and
demanding. It is more of a polite request rather than a straight order. Alright, on to the conjugation:

Infinitive: dar (to give)

yo doy nosotros damos

(I give) (we give)

tú das vosotros dais

(you give) (you all give)

él da ellos dan
(he gives) (they give)

ella da ellas dan

(she gives) (they give *feminine)

usted da ustedes dan

(you give *formal) (you all give)

With the irregular verb "ver", we see something similar to what we saw with "dar". With "ver", the stem
is simply a "V", and the first person singular has an interesting form. Here we see the ending "-E-O".
Again, with the verb "ver" in this tense and mood, there are no accents on any of the forms. Review the
table below:

Infinitive: ver (to see)

yo veo nosotros vemos

(I see) (we see)

tú ves vosotros veis

(you see) (you all see)

él ve ellos ven
(he sees) (they see)

ella ve ellas ven

(she sees) (they see *feminine)

usted ve ustedes ven

(you see *formal) (you all see)

Finally, we have the verb "oír" (to hear). This verb is irregular and follows a distinct pattern in
conjugation. It may seem difficult to recognize irregular verbs such as "oír" (to hear) at first, and it
certainly is challenging to master the conjugation. However, with a little practice and patience it can be
done.

Infinitive: oír (to hear)

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yo oigo nosotros oímos
(I hear) (we hear)

tú oyes vosotros oís

(you hear) (you all hear)

él oye ellos oyen

(he hears) (they hear)

ella oye ellas oyen

(she hears) (they hear *feminine)

usted oye ustedes oyen

(you hear *formal) (you all hear)

CULTURAL INSIGHT
While you will be understood and most people will not take any offense if you use the Imperative form
to request something, it is a sign of advanced understanding of the language to use more informal
commands such as the Present Tense of the Indicative Mood. It adds a new dimension to your speaking
abilities, and many locals will appreciate the phrasing. Think of it this way: Suppose you are a waiter and
two foreigners who speak English order hamburgers in your restaurant. The first person says, "give me
a hamburger", and the second person orders by saying "would you give me a hamburger?". Notice that
the meaning is exactly the same, but the second person orders their food in a more polite and informal
manner. It is the same for us in a Spanish setting. Just remember that little things like the use of the
Present Tense of the Indicative Mood can make a big difference in the way you are understood and in
your overall enjoyment of the language.

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