what is it?
The nosotros imperative is a first-person-plural command used to propose or direct a shared action — equivalent to English «let's …». It is formed with the present subjunctive nosotros form of the verb and follows the same rules for pronoun attachment as other imperative forms. A colloquial alternative using vamos a + infinitive also exists, though it is not interchangeable with the subjunctive form in every context.
when to use it
Proposing a joint action: use the nosotros subjunctive form when you want to include yourself in the command — «Empecemos», «Salgamos», «Hablemos».
Negative commands: place no before the verb and keep any pronoun between no and the verb — «No lo toquemos», «No nos sentemos aquí».
Colloquial alternative: vamos a + infinitive is common in everyday speech («Vamos a empezar»), but the one-word subjunctive form is preferred in writing and more formal registers.
Irregular: ir: the verb ir is a special case. The affirmative command is vamos (not *vayamos), and with the enclitic nos it becomes vámonos. The negative, however, uses the subjunctive: «No nos vayamos todavía».
formation
Take the present subjunctive nosotros form. For most verbs this is built by dropping the -o of the yo present indicative and adding the opposite-vowel ending: -emos for -ar verbs and -amos for -er/-ir verbs.
| infinitive | yo (indicative) | nosotros command | meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| hablar | hablo | hablemos | let's talk |
| comer | como | comamos | let's eat |
| escribir | escribo | escribamos | let's write |
| empezar | empiezo | empecemos | let's start |
| salir | salgo | salgamos | let's leave |
| venir | vengo | vengamos | let's come |
| ir (affirmative) | — | vamos | let's go |
| ir (negative) | — | no nos vayamos | let's not go |
Attaching pronouns (affirmative): enclitic pronouns are added directly to the end of the verb. When the pronoun nos is attached, the final -s of the verb form is dropped before adding nos: sentemos → sentémonos (not *sentémosnos). A written accent is added to preserve the original stress.
| base form | drop -s | add nos | result |
|---|---|---|---|
| sentemos | sentemo- | + nos | sentémonos |
| levantemos | levantemo- | + nos | levantémonos |
| vamos (ir) | vamo- | + nos | vámonos |
Pronouns in negative commands: in negative nosotros commands, pronouns are placed before the verb, after no: «No nos sentemos aquí», «No lo toquemos».
examples in context
common pitfalls
Keeping the -s before nos: a common error is to attach nos without dropping the final -s of the verb, producing *sentémosnos or *levantémosnos. The correct forms are sentémonos and levantémonos. The -s is always dropped before the enclitic nos.
Over-relying on vamos a + infinitive: while vamos a + infinitive is natural in conversation, using it exclusively means never producing the one-word subjunctive command. Forms like empecemos and salgamos are expected in writing and formal speech. Practise both registers.
Attaching the pronoun in a negative command: in negative commands, pronouns must come before the verb. Writing *no sentémonos is incorrect because it mixes the affirmative enclitic structure with the negative. The correct form is no nos sentemos.
The verb ir is the only verb where the affirmative nosotros command (vamos) differs from the present subjunctive (vayamos). Do not use *vayamos as an affirmative command, and do not use *no vamos as a negative command.
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
El wifi ya funciona, así que ___ la videoconferencia. (empezar)
Fill in the blank with the correct nosotros command form of the verb in parentheses.