acatar Affirmative Imperative Conjugation
acatar — to obey
Use 'acata' (tú) and 'acate' (usted) for direct commands to obey.
acatar Affirmative Imperative Forms
When to Use the Affirmative Imperative
The imperative is used for direct commands. For 'acatar', it means you're telling someone to obey or comply with something specific right now.
Notes on acatar in the Affirmative Imperative
The imperative of 'acatar' is regular for the -ar verbs in its affirmative forms, following the pattern of the present subjunctive for usted/ustedes and nosotros, and a distinct pattern for tú and vosotros.
Example Sentences
¡Acata las reglas del juego!
Obey the rules of the game!
tú
Señor director, acate la decisión del comité.
Mr. Director, obey the committee's decision.
usted
¡Acaten las indicaciones del guía!
Obey the guide's instructions!
ustedes
Acate mi consejo, por favor.
Obey my advice, please.
usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'acata' for usted instead of 'acate'.
Correct: Use 'acate' for the formal usted command.
Why: The tú imperative form (acata) is different from the usted imperative form (acate).
Mistake: Confusing affirmative and negative commands.
Correct: Negative commands use the subjunctive (e.g., 'no acates').
Why: Spanish uses a different structure for negative commands, always involving the present subjunctive.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: acato
Use 'acato' (yo) and 'acata' (él/ella/usted) for current or habitual obedience.
Preterite
yo: acaté
Use 'acaté' (yo) and 'acató' (él/ella/usted) for completed actions of obeying in the past.
Imperfect
yo: acataba
Use 'acataba' (él/ella/usted) and 'acataban' (ellos/ellas/ustedes) for past habitual or ongoing obedience.
Future
yo: acataré
Use 'acataré' (yo) and 'acatará' (él/ella/usted) for future obedience or probability.
Conditional
yo: acataría
Use 'acataría' (yo) and 'acataría' (él/ella/usted) for hypothetical obedience ('would obey').
Present Subjunctive
yo: acate
Use 'acate' (él/ella/usted) or 'acates' (tú) after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: acatara
Use 'acatara' or 'acataras' etc. for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Negative Imperative
yo: no acates
Use 'no acates' (tú) and 'no acate' (usted) for negative commands to obey.