desatar Affirmative Imperative Conjugation
desatar — to untie
Use 'desata' (tú), 'desate' (usted), 'desatemos' (nosotros), 'desaten' (ustedes), and 'desatad' (vosotros) for direct commands.
desatar Affirmative Imperative Forms
When to Use the Affirmative Imperative
The imperative is for giving direct commands. You'd use it to tell someone to untie something right now, like 'Desata el perro' (Untie the dog) or 'Desaten los cordones' (Untie your shoelaces).
Notes on desatar in the Affirmative Imperative
Desatar is regular in the affirmative imperative. The forms are derived directly from the present tense, except for tú which drops the final 'r' from the infinitive and adds 'a'.
Example Sentences
¡Desata el nudo, por favor!
Untie the knot, please!
tú
Desaten las cuerdas de la tienda.
Untie the tent ropes.
ustedes
¡Desatad las velas!
Untie the sails!
vosotros
Desate la mochila para sacar el agua.
Untie the backpack to get the water out.
usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the infinitive instead of the imperative for 'tú'.
Correct: Use 'desata' not 'desatar'.
Why: The imperative changes the verb ending to give a direct command.
Mistake: Forgetting the 'vosotros' command form.
Correct: Use 'desatad' for 'vosotros'.
Why: The vosotros imperative is formed by dropping the '-r' from the infinitive and adding '-d'.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'desatar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: desato
The present tense of desatar (desato, desatas, desata, desatamos, desatáis, desatan) describes current actions, habits, or general truths.
Preterite
yo: desaté
The preterite of desatar is regular: desaté, desataste, desató, desatamos, desatasteis, desataron, used for completed past actions.
Imperfect
yo: desataba
The imperfect of desatar (desataba, desatabas, desataba, desatábamos, desatabais, desataban) describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Future
yo: desataré
The future tense of desatar (desataré, desatarás, desatará, desataremos, desataréis, desatarán) indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: desataría
The conditional of desatar (desataría, desatarías, desataría, desataríamos, desataríais, desatarían) is used for hypotheticals ('would untie') and polite requests.
Present Subjunctive
yo: desate
The present subjunctive of desatar (desate, desates, desatemos, desaten, desatéis) is used after expressions of desire, doubt, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: desatara
The imperfect subjunctive of desatar (desatara/desatase) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or to express doubt in the past.
Negative Imperative
yo: no desates
Use 'no desates' (tú), 'no desate' (usted), 'no desatemos' (nosotros), 'no desaten' (ustedes), and 'no desatéis' (vosotros) for negative commands.