Basic invitations and shared action | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Vamos ahora.

   Let us go now.

   Vamos

   let’s go

   ahora

   now

   More detail

   Vamos comes from ir (“to go”). In this utterance, the first-person plural form is used as a shared exhortation: “let’s go.” It presents the speaker and at least one other person as going together; it is not the singular command ve (“go!”). A reusable pattern is Vamos + place/time expression, for example: Vamos al parque. — “Let’s go to the park.” Ahora is an adverb meaning “now,” placing the proposed action at the present time. It can also move in the sentence without changing its basic meaning: Ahora vamos. — “Now we’re going” or, in a suitable exhortative context, “Let’s go now.” Together, Vamos ahora means “Let’s go now”: vamos expresses the shared proposal to go, and ahora specifies that it should happen at this time.

2. Comamos juntos.

   Let us eat together.

   Comamos

   let’s eat

   juntos

   together

   More detail

   Comamos is the first-person plural form of comer (“to eat”). In this sentence, it is the present subjunctive used as an affirmative exhortation: the speaker proposes that the speaker and at least one other person eat. This is the Spanish “let’s …” pattern: Comamos, “Let’s eat.” Compare the indicative comemos, “we eat” or “we are eating,” which normally states information rather than making this proposal. juntos means “together.” It is the plural masculine form of the adjective junto, and it describes the group understood as the subject of comamos. Spanish uses juntas when the relevant group is entirely feminine; juntos is the form used here, without the sentence identifying the participants individually. Together, Comamos juntos. means “Let us eat together.” The first-person plural exhortation supplies the proposal to eat, and juntos adds that the participants should do so together.

3. Empecemos ahora.

   Let us start now.

   Empecemos

   Let’s start

   ahora

   now

   More detail

   Empecemos comes from empezar, “to start/begin.” In this sentence, its first-person plural form is used as an affirmative exhortation: “let’s start.” It includes the speaker and one or more other people, without stating who else they are. The form is the present subjunctive of empezar; in this nosotros form, the usual stem change seen in other present-tense forms is not shown, and the spelling uses c before e: empecemos. This pattern is reusable with other first-person plural exhortations: Comamos = “Let’s eat” and Paremos = “Let’s stop.” These are examples from the bounded context and show the same “let’s + verb” function. Ahora means “now,” referring to the present time. It is an adverb and does not change for person or number. For example, Empezamos ahora means “We start now” as a statement, while Empecemos ahora means “Let’s start now” as an exhortation; the verb form changes the speech function. Together, Empecemos ahora means “Let us start now” or, naturally, “Let’s start now.” Empecemos gives the inclusive proposal or exhortation, and ahora specifies that the starting should happen at the present time.

4. Paremos aquí.

   Let us stop here.

   Paremos

   Let’s stop

   aquí

   here

   More detail

   Paremos comes from parar (“to stop”). Here it is the first-person plural exhortative form: the speaker includes themself and one or more other people in the proposed action, giving “let’s stop.” Compare paramos (“we stop” / “we are stopping”) as an indicative statement; paremos presents the action as a suggestion or prompt. aquí is an adverb meaning “here,” referring to the place relevant in the situation. It does not change for number or gender. For example, Quédate aquí means “Stay here.” Together, Paremos aquí means “Let us stop here” or, naturally, “Let’s stop here.”

5. Ven conmigo.

   Come with me.

   Ven

   come

   conmigo

   with me

   More detail

   Ven is the affirmative tú command of venir (“to come”). It addresses one person informally: Ven aquí. = “Come here.” This form is irregular; it is not the ordinary present-tense pattern of the verb. conmigo means “with me.” It is the fixed form of con + the stressed first-person pronoun mí; Spanish uses conmigo, not con mí. Compare contigo = “with you” when addressing one person. Together, Ven + conmigo gives Ven conmigo. = “Come with me.” The command asks one person to come, and conmigo identifies the speaker as the person accompanying them.

6. Espérame.

   Wait for me.

   Espérame

   Wait for me.

   More detail

   Espérame is an affirmative command addressed to one person using the tú form. The base verb is esperar (“to wait”); its affirmative tú command is espera. In this sentence, the direct-object pronoun me (“me”) is attached to the end: espera + me becomes espérame. The written accent keeps the verb’s original stress pattern after the pronoun is attached. Example: Espérame aquí. — “Wait for me here.” This uses the same command and attached pronoun, with aquí adding the place. Together, espérame means “Wait for me.”