matar Affirmative Imperative Conjugation
matar — to kill
The affirmative imperative of matar is: mata (tú), mate (usted), matemos (nosotros), matad (vosotros), maten (ustedes).
matar Affirmative Imperative Forms
When to Use the Affirmative Imperative
Use the imperative to give direct orders, like telling someone to kill a bug or to 'kill' the engine of a car.
Notes on matar in the Affirmative Imperative
Matar is regular in the imperative. The tú form matches the present indicative third person.
Example Sentences
¡Mata esa mosca, por favor!
Kill that fly, please!
tú
Mate las luces antes de salir.
Kill (turn off) the lights before leaving.
usted
Matemos el tiempo viendo una película.
Let's kill time watching a movie.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'mate' for the tú command.
Correct: mata
Why: Mate is the formal (usted) command; mata is the informal (tú) command.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: mato
The present tense of matar is regular: mato, matas, mata, matamos, matáis, matan.
Preterite
yo: maté
The preterite of matar is regular: maté, mataste, mató, matamos, matasteis, mataron.
Imperfect
yo: mataba
The imperfect of matar follows the regular -aba pattern: mataba, matabas, mataba, matábamos, matabais, mataban.
Future
yo: mataré
The future of matar is regular: matar + é, ás, á, emos, éis, án.
Conditional
yo: mataría
The conditional of matar is regular: mataría, matarías, mataría, mataríamos, mataríais, matarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: mate
The present subjunctive of matar uses -e endings: mate, mates, mate, matemos, matéis, maten.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: matara
The imperfect subjunctive of matar is matara, mataras, matara, matáramos, matarais, mataran.
Negative Imperative
yo: no mates
The negative imperative of matar uses the present subjunctive: no mates, no mate, no matemos, no matéis, no maten.