Inklingo
A person looking at a mountain peak with a backpack, ready to start their climb.

pretender Negative Imperative Conjugation

pretenderto intend

B1regular -er★★★★★
Quick answer:

Negative commands for pretender use the present subjunctive: no pretendas (tú), no pretenda (usted), no pretendamos (nosotros), no pretendáis (vosotros), no pretendan (ustedes).

pretender Negative Imperative Forms

no pretendas
ustedno pretenda
nosotrosno pretendamos
vosotrosno pretendáis
ustedesno pretendan

When to Use the Negative Imperative

Use negative commands to tell someone not to do something. For 'pretender', it means telling someone not to intend or try to do something.

Notes on pretender in the Negative Imperative

Negative commands in Spanish always use the present subjunctive. The forms of 'pretender' here are regular present subjunctive forms.

Example Sentences

  • No pretendas que me vas a engañar.

    Don't pretend you're going to fool me.

  • No pretenda saber más que yo.

    Don't pretend to know more than I do.

    usted

  • No pretendamos que esto es fácil.

    Let's not pretend this is easy.

    nosotros

  • No pretendáis que no os habéis enterado.

    Don't pretend you haven't found out.

    vosotros

  • No pretendan que no ha pasado nada.

    Don't pretend nothing happened.

Common Mistakes

  • Mistake: Using the infinitive with 'no'.

    Correct: Always use the present subjunctive form after 'no' for negative commands: 'no pretendas'.

    Why: The structure for negative commands is 'no' + present subjunctive.

  • Mistake: Using the indicative instead of the subjunctive.

    Correct: Use subjunctive forms like 'pretendas', 'pretenda', etc.

    Why: Negative commands require the subjunctive mood.

Master Spanish verbs in context

Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'pretender' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.

Related Tenses