vigilar Affirmative Imperative Conjugation
vigilar — to guard
Use 'vigila' for tú, 'vigile' for usted/ustedes, and 'vigilen' for ustedes/ellos/ellas commands.
vigilar Affirmative Imperative Forms
When to Use the Affirmative Imperative
The imperative is for giving direct commands. Use 'vigila' when telling one person you know well (tú) to guard something, and 'vigile' or 'vigilen' for more formal commands or when addressing multiple people.
Notes on vigilar in the Affirmative Imperative
Vigilar is regular in the affirmative imperative.
Example Sentences
¡Vigila a los niños!
Guard the children!
tú
Señor, vigile la entrada.
Sir, guard the entrance.
usted
¡Vigilad vuestro equipaje!
Guard your luggage!
vosotros
Ustedes, vigilen que nadie entre.
You all, guard that no one enters.
ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the subjunctive instead of the imperative for tú.
Correct: For a direct command to tú, use 'vigila', not 'vigiles'.
Why: 'Vigiles' is the present subjunctive, used for indirect commands or wishes, not direct orders.
Mistake: Confusing usted and tú commands.
Correct: Remember 'vigila' is for tú, and 'vigile' is for usted.
Why: Spanish distinguishes between informal and formal commands based on the pronoun used.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'vigilar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: vigilo
The present tense 'vigilo/vigilan' describes actions happening now or habitual actions.
Preterite
yo: vigilé
The preterite 'vigilé/vigilaron' describes completed actions in the past.
Imperfect
yo: vigilaba
The imperfect 'vigilaba/vigilaban' describes ongoing or habitual past actions and background.
Future
yo: vigilaré
The future tense 'vigilaré/vigilarán' indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: vigilaría
The conditional 'vigilaría/vigilarían' expresses 'would' actions, polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: vigile
The present subjunctive 'vigile/vigilen' expresses wishes, doubts, emotions, and uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: vigilara
The imperfect subjunctive 'vigilara/vigilaran' is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Negative Imperative
yo: no vigiles
Use 'no vigiles' for tú, 'no vigile' for usted, and 'no vigilen' for ustedes/ellos/ellas negative commands.