Commands With Pronouns

Overview

Lesson 6 of 9 in the unit “Spanish Tenses and Commands.” Students review affirmative and negative commands for tú, usted, ustedes, and nosotros, then place direct, indirect, and reflexive pronouns correctly. Through gesture-based practice and role-play, students build confidence giving and understanding practical Spanish instructions.

Learning intentions

• Students will identify affirmative and negative command forms for tú, usted, ustedes, and nosotros.
• Students will attach pronouns to affirmative commands and place them before negative commands.
• Students will use commands with object and reflexive pronouns in classroom and everyday contexts.
• Students will give and understand Spanish commands with pronouns.
• Students will reflect on accuracy, clarity, and audience when communicating.

Success criteria

• I can form affirmative and negative commands for four command types.
• I can place object and reflexive pronouns correctly.
• I can include an accent mark when attaching pronouns changes the stress.
• I can give, follow, and clarify commands in a short role-play.

Curriculum links

• IB language acquisition: interactive communication for real purposes, including exchanging instructions and responding appropriately.
• IB language acquisition: accurate use of grammar and conventions to communicate meaning.
• IB approaches to learning: communication, self-management, and reflection.
• IB learner profile: communicator, risk-taker, and reflective learner.
• MYP-style conceptual learning: communication, perspective, and audience; students adapt language to formal, informal, singular, and plural contexts.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes — Hook and retrieval

Open with the command hook and retrieval slides. Display the question: “How can one small pronoun change who is responsible for an action?” Say and demonstrate commands such as Levántate, No te levantes, and Siéntense. Students respond physically, then identify the command type and pronoun position.

2. 5–13 minutes — Explicit teaching and guided noticing

Use the command rules and examples to review the patterns:

• Affirmative tú: informal stem form, such as habla; irregular forms include di, haz, and ven.
• Formal and plural commands: present subjunctive forms, such as hable, hablen, and hablemos.
• Negative commands: no plus the present subjunctive, such as no hables and no se sienten.
• Affirmative commands attach pronouns: siéntate, míralo, dígame.
• Negative commands place pronouns before the verb: no te sientes, no lo mire.

Students annotate two examples and explain why an accent appears in siéntate or dígamelo.

3. 13–21 minutes — Supported form practice

Distribute the commands and pronouns practice worksheet. Students complete the first section independently, converting prompts into affirmative and negative commands. They then compare answers with a partner, checking command type, pronoun placement, and accents. Use one form per line and allow students to follow the conjugation chart on the worksheet.

4. 21–29 minutes — Gesture-based command circle

Use the command circle instructions. Arrange students in two groups of four. One student draws or receives a command prompt, gives the command to a classmate, and the classmate performs it or responds appropriately. Require a mixture of tú, usted, ustedes, and nosotros forms, including at least two pronoun combinations. Pause after selected examples for the group to explain the grammar.

5. 29–39 minutes — Role-play: instruction situations

Pair students and assign each pair a situation: helping someone prepare for a trip, directing a cooking activity, giving gym or rehearsal instructions, or explaining how to use an app. Each student must give at least four commands, including one affirmative tú, one negative command, one formal or plural command, and one command with an object or reflexive pronoun. Partners switch roles and may ask ¿Puedes repetir? or ¿Qué significa…?

6. 39–45 minutes — Performance check and reflection

Return to the plenary and self-check slide. Invite two pairs to perform one exchange. Students complete the final worksheet check: write one command for each of two different audiences and explain pronoun placement in one example. Collect responses as an exit assessment and ask students to finish with: “I can give and understand commands with pronouns when…”

Resources

• the command hook, teaching, activity, and plenary deck
• the commands and pronouns practice worksheet
• Whiteboard or projector
• Spanish-English dictionaries or approved digital dictionaries
• Command prompt cards prepared by the teacher
• Highlighters or colored pencils for marking verbs and pronouns
• Conjugation reference charts
• Timer
• Optional mini whiteboards

Assessment

• Monitor worksheet responses for accurate command formation, pronoun position, and accent use.
• During the role-play, record whether each student gives and understands the required command types.
• Use the final written responses and reflection to identify misconceptions for the next lesson, especially confusion between affirmative attachment and negative placement.

Differentiation

• Provide gesture-based modeling, command cards, color-coded verb/pronoun examples, and separate practice by command type before mixing forms.
• Offer dyslexia-friendly formatting: one form per line, clear sans-serif text, increased spacing, syllable support, highlighted stress, and an audio or teacher-read version of instructions.
• Allow students who need support to use a conjugation chart, rehearse with a partner, and select from sentence frames such as No ___ ___ or ___ + pronoun.
• Extend advanced learners by requiring varied pronoun combinations, irregular affirmative tú commands, accent justification, and an instruction guide in Spanish for a real audience.