cuidar Negative Imperative Conjugation
cuidar — to take care of
The negative imperative of cuidar uses 'no' plus the present subjunctive: no cuides, no cuide.
cuidar Negative Imperative Forms
When to Use the Negative Imperative
Use this to tell someone NOT to worry about something or to stop them from looking after something incorrectly.
Notes on cuidar in the Negative Imperative
Cuidar is regular; all negative commands are identical to the present subjunctive forms.
Example Sentences
No cuides mi coche, ya está limpio.
Don't worry about my car, it's already clean.
tú
No cuiden a ese perro, muerde.
Don't look after that dog, it bites.
ustedes
No cuidéis las flores hoy, va a llover.
Don't take care of the flowers today, it's going to rain.
vosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: no cuida
Correct: no cuides
Why: Negative 'tú' commands must use the 's' ending from the subjunctive, not the 'a' from the indicative.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: cuido
The present tense of cuidar is regular: cuido, cuidas, cuida, cuidamos, cuidáis, cuidan.
Preterite
yo: cuidé
Cuidar is regular in the preterite: cuidé, cuidaste, cuidó, cuidamos, cuidasteis, cuidaron.
Imperfect
yo: cuidaba
The imperfect of cuidar follows the regular -aba pattern: cuidaba, cuidabas, cuidaba, cuidábamos.
Future
yo: cuidaré
The future of cuidar uses the infinitive plus standard endings: cuidaré, cuidarás, cuidará.
Conditional
yo: cuidaría
The conditional of cuidar is regular: cuidaría, cuidarías, cuidaría, cuidaríamos, cuidaríais, cuidarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: cuide
The present subjunctive of cuidar uses -e endings: cuide, cuides, cuide, cuidemos, cuidéis, cuiden.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cuidara
The imperfect subjunctive of cuidar uses the preterite stem: cuidara, cuidaras, cuidara, cuidáramos.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: cuida
The imperative of cuidar provides direct commands: cuida (tú), cuidad (vosotros), cuide (usted).