espantar Negative Imperative Conjugation
espantar — to scare away
No espantes, no espante, no espantemos, no espanten, no espantéis are negative commands for espantar.
espantar Negative Imperative Forms
When to Use the Negative Imperative
Use the negative imperative to tell someone *not* to do something. For 'espantar,' it's telling them not to scare something away.
Notes on espantar in the Negative Imperative
Negative commands in Spanish are formed using the present subjunctive. Since 'espantar' is regular in the present subjunctive, its negative commands are also regular.
Example Sentences
No espantes a los animales del bosque, déjalos tranquilos.
Don't scare the forest animals, leave them in peace.
tú
No espante a las abejas, son importantes para las flores.
Don't scare the bees, they are important for the flowers.
usted
No espantemos a los niños con historias de miedo.
Let's not scare the children with scary stories.
nosotros
Por favor, no espanten a los perros con ruidos fuertes.
Please, don't scare the dogs with loud noises.
ustedes
No espantéis a los gatos, solo quieren jugar.
Don't scare the cats, they just want to play.
vosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the 'no' before the subjunctive verb.
Correct: Always use 'no' followed by the present subjunctive form for negative commands.
Why: The 'no' is essential to make the command negative.
Mistake: Using the infinitive instead of the subjunctive.
Correct: For example, 'No espantar a los perros' is incorrect; it should be 'No espantes a los perros'.
Why: Negative commands require the subjunctive mood.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: espanto
Espanto, espantas, espanta, espantamos, espantáis, espantan describe current actions or habits of scaring away.
Preterite
yo: espanté
Espanté, espantaste, espantó, espantamos, espantasteis, espantaron are the completed past actions for espantar.
Imperfect
yo: espantaba
Espantaba, espantabas, espantaba, espantábamos, espantabais, espantaban describe ongoing or habitual past actions of scaring away.
Future
yo: espantaré
Espantaré, espantarás, espantará, espantaremos, espantaréis, espantarán predict future actions of scaring away.
Conditional
yo: espantaría
Espantaría, espantarías, espantaría, espantaríamos, espantaríais, espantarían express hypothetical 'would' scenarios for espantar.
Present Subjunctive
yo: espante
Espante, espantes, espantemos, espanten, espantéis are the present subjunctive forms of espantar.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: espantara
Espantara, espantaras, espantáramos, espantaran, espantarais are the imperfect subjunctive forms of espantar.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: espanta
Espanta, espante, espantemos, espanten, espantad are the imperative commands for espantar.