B1 · The imperative
The negative imperative
The polarity changes the form for a friend and leaves it alone for a stranger.
At a glance
- Remember
- With não the form changes.
- Form
- (tu) não fales!don’t speak!
- Signal words
- não fales
- não comas
- não faças
- não te
- Trap
- Wrong:Não fala tão alto!Right:Não fales tão alto!
Your turn
5 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
Now write it yourself4 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Portuguese. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) stem (irregular) tense marker person ending negation
| don’t speak! | (tu) não fales! |
| don’t speak! (formal) | (você) não fale! |
| let’s not speak! | (nós) não falemos! |
| don’t speak!, plural and formal | (vós) não faleis! |
| don’t speak! (plural) | (vocês) não falem! |
| don’t do it! | (tu) não faças! |
| don’t do it! (formal) | (você) não faça! |
| let’s not do it! | (nós) não façamos! |
| don’t do it!, plural and formal | (vós) não façais! |
| don’t do it! (plural) | (vocês) não façam! |
| speak! → don't speak! | fala! → não fales! |
| eat! → don't eat! | come! → não comas! |
| leave! → don't leave! | parte! → não partas! |
| say! → don't say! | diz! → não digas! |
| do! → don't do! | faz! → não faças! |
| tell me! → don't tell me! | diz-me! → não me digas! |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
In the negative the subjunctive stands.
Não fales tão alto.Don't speak so loudly.
The subjunctive comes from the « I » form.
Não faças isso.Don't do that.
-ar takes -e, -er and -ir take -a.
Não comas tão depressa.Don't eat so fast.
The pronoun moves forward.
Não te preocupes.Don't worry.
Example sentences
Não te esqueças das chaves.Don't forget the keys.
Não digas nada a ninguém.Don't tell anyone.
Não vás sozinha à noite.Don't go out alone at night.
Não me chames antes das oito.Don't call me before eight.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The reflex is to put não in front of the affirmative form, exactly as « don't » goes in front of the English verb and changes nothing. Não fala! is not a negative order to a friend: it is the statement « he does not speak ». In Brazil it is heard colloquially as an order; in Portugal it is not. What was meant is não fales.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
The affirmative form only works affirmatively. With não the present subjunctive stands: fala! becomes não fales!, come! becomes não comas!
Notice which half of the system this touches. The polite form does not budge: fale and não fale are the same word, because it was already a subjunctive. So the language asks you to learn a second form for the person you are closest to and nothing at all for the person you are most careful with — which is the opposite of what a learner expects, and worth knowing before the first mistake rather than after it.
The subjunctive is built from the « I » form of the present: drop the -o and add -e for -arverbs-afor the others Falo → fale, como → coma. That is why the irregular verbs come out right here: their « I » form is irregular and the subjunctive inherits it. Faço → não faças, digo → não digas.
And the pronoun moves forward with the não: não me digas! instead of diz-me!
How well do you know this topic?
This is filled in automatically after you practise. You can change it here at any time.
Next on the path: 88 · Guessing with deverBack to the learning path
The verbs on this page, in every form: fazer · dizer · ir · falar · comer · chamar · esquecer