The Animated Book
of SpanishGrammar Reference

Nosotros Commands: Saying “Let’s” in Spanish

Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.

Nosotros commands are how Spanish says “let's”: hablemos means “let's talk.” They're the command that includes the speaker.
Nosotros commands of hablar, comer, vivir, and ir, affirmative and negative. Shaded forms are the nosotros form of the present subjunctive.
VerbLet’sLet’s not
hablarto speakhablemosno hablemos
comerto eatcomamosno comamos
vivirto livevivamosno vivamos
irto govamosno vayamos

Shaded forms are the nosotros form of the present subjunctive. Vamos is the one exception.

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How to form nosotros commands

A nosotros command is just the nosotros form of the present subjunctive. Like the rest of the subjunctive, it comes from the yo form of the present, so irregular yo forms carry over.

Nosotros commands come from the present-tense yo form
VerbPresent (yo)Let’s
hablarhablohablemos
comercomocomamos
tenertengotengamos
hacerhagohagamos

  • Hablemos de otra cosa.

    Let’s talk about something else.

  • Comamos aquí.

    Let’s eat here.

  • Hagamos una pausa.

    Let’s take a break.

Let's not

For let's not, put no in front. The verb doesn't change.

  1. Let’s
    Salgamos esta noche.

    Let’s go out tonight.

    Let’s not
    No salgamos esta noche.

    Let’s not go out tonight.

  2. Let’s
    Esperemos aquí.

    Let’s wait here.

    Let’s not
    No esperemos más.

    Let’s not wait any longer.

  3. Let’s
    Digamos la verdad.

    Let’s tell the truth.

    Let’s not
    No digamos nada.

    Let’s not say anything.

Vamos, but no vayamos

Ir is the one exception. Let's go is vamos, the same as the present tense. Let's not go is regular: no vayamos.

  1. Let’s
    Vamos al cine.

    Let’s go to the movies.

    Let’s not
    No vayamos al cine hoy.

    Let’s not go to the movies today.

  2. Let’s
    Vamos en coche.

    Let’s go by car.

    Let’s not
    No vayamos en coche.

    Let’s not go by car.

Where pronouns go

Like other commands, pronouns attach to the end of an affirmative command and go before a negative one.

  1. Let’s: attached
    Hagámoslo.

    Let’s do it.

    Let’s not: before
    No lo hagamos.

    Let’s not do it.

  2. Let’s: attached
    Llamémosla.

    Let’s call her.

    Let’s not: before
    No la llamemos todavía.

    Let’s not call her yet.

  3. Let’s: attached
    Comprémoslos.

    Let’s buy them.

    Let’s not: before
    No los compremos.

    Let’s not buy them.

Adding a pronoun always means adding an accent, because the stress ends up three syllables from the end:

  • hagamos becomes hagámoslolet’s do it
    accent added
  • llamemos becomes llamémoslalet’s call her
    accent added
  • compremos becomes comprémosloslet’s buy them
    accent added

Dropping the ‑s before nos

With reflexive verbs, the final ‑s drops before nos. It's sentémonos, not sentémosnos.

  • sentemos becomes sentémonoslet’s sit down
    accent added
  • levantemos becomes levantémonoslet’s get up
    accent added
  • acostemos becomes acostémonoslet’s go to bed
    accent added
  • vamos becomes vámonoslet’s get going
    accent added

In the negative, nothing drops: the pronoun goes before the verb, and the ‑s stays.

  • Sentémonos aquí.

    Let’s sit here.

  • Acostémonos temprano hoy.

    Let’s go to bed early tonight.

  • No nos preocupemos por eso.

    Let’s not worry about that.

Dropping the ‑s before se

The same thing happens before se, when le or les becomes se in front of lo or la. It's digámoselo, not digámosselo.

  • digamos becomes digámoselolet’s tell him
    accent added
  • mandemos becomes mandémoselalet’s send it to her
    accent added
  • expliquemos becomes expliquémoselolet’s explain it to them
    accent added

Only nos and se make the ‑s drop. Before any other pronoun, it stays: hagámoslo, llamémosla.

Vamos a + infinitive

In everyday conversation, vamos a + infinitive is a very common way to say let's. It looks just like the near future (we're going to), and context tells you which one it is.

  1. Subjunctive
    Comamos.
    Vamos a
    Vamos a comer.

    Let’s eat.

  2. Subjunctive
    Veamos qué pasa.
    Vamos a
    Vamos a ver qué pasa.

    Let’s see what happens.

  3. Subjunctive
    Empecemos.
    Vamos a
    Vamos a empezar.

    Let’s start.

Common mistakes English speakers make

  1. Keeping the ‑s before nos

    Incorrect:Sentémosnos.
    Correct:Sentémonos.

    The ‑s of the nosotros form drops before nos.

  2. Keeping the ‑s before se

    Incorrect:Digámosselo.
    Correct:Digámoselo.

    The ‑s drops before se too, so there's only one s.

  3. Using no vamos for “let’s not go”

    Incorrect:No vamos al cine hoy.
    Correct:No vayamos al cine hoy.

    No vamos means we're not going. Let's not go is no vayamos.

  4. Forgetting the accent

    Incorrect:Hagamoslo.
    Correct:Hagámoslo.

    Adding a pronoun leaves the stress three syllables from the end, so it needs an accent.

  5. Using vayamos in conversation

    Sounds unnatural:Vayamos al cine.
    Correct:Vamos al cine.

    Vayamos isn't wrong, but it sounds formal. In conversation, let's go is vamos.

Questions about nosotros commands

How do you say "let's" in Spanish?

Use the nosotros form of the present subjunctive: Hablemos ("Let's talk"), Comamos ("Let's eat"). The one exception is ir: "let's go" is vamos. In conversation, vamos a + infinitive is also very common: Vamos a comer ("Let's eat").

What is the difference between vamos and vámonos?

Vamos means "let's go" and usually says where: Vamos a la playa ("Let's go to the beach"). Vámonos comes from irse and means "let's leave" or "let's get going": Vámonos, que es tarde ("Let's go, it's late").

Is it vamos or vayamos?

For "let's go," say vamos. Vayamos is also correct, but it's formal and mostly written, as in the set phrase Vayamos al grano ("Let's get to the point"). For "let's not go," no vayamos is the only option.

How do you say "let's not" in Spanish?

Put no before the nosotros subjunctive: No hablemos de eso ("Let's not talk about that"). Don't use no vamos a: No vamos a hablar means "We're not going to talk."

Next upSi clauses (“if” sentences)The first, second, and third conditionals: which tense goes after si.

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