The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of Tocar is used to give direct orders or instructions, for example: Toca la guitarra. (Play the guitar.)

This verb follows the -car to -que spelling-changing conjugation pattern, where the ‘c’ changes to ‘qu’ before the endings are added.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Tocar (to play/touch) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish):

Tocar generally means to touch, play (an instrument), or ring (a bell), but has several different meanings in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands), some of which might surprise you.

To touch: For example, ¡Toca la mesa! (Touch the table!)

To play (an instrument): For example, ¡Toca la guitarra! (Play the guitar!)

To ring (a bell): For example, ¡Toca el timbre! (Ring the doorbell!)

To be someone’s turn: For example, ¡Toca tu turno! (It’s your turn!)

To concern or relate to: For example, ¡Toca ese tema con cuidado! (Handle that topic carefully!)

To knock or rap: For example, ¡Toca la puerta! (Knock on the door!)

Slang: To bother or annoy: For example, ¡No me toques las narices! (Don’t bother me!)

Vulgar slang: To masturbate: For example, ¡Tócate un rato! (Masturbate for a while!)

Examples

Examples of Tocar in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Toca la puerta antes de entrar! (Knock on the door before entering!)

Por favor, toquen con más suavidad. (Please play more gently.)

¡Toquemos una canción alegre! (Let’s play a happy song!)

Señor, toque el timbre para que le atiendan. (Sir, ring the bell to be assisted.)

¡Tocad la guitarra con pasión! (Play the guitar with passion!)

Antes de cruzar la calle, toca el botón para el semáforo peatonal. (Before crossing the street, press the button for the pedestrian signal.)

En el concierto, toquen sus instrumentos con energía. (At the concert, play your instruments with energy.)

Para iniciar el juego, toca dos veces en la pantalla. (To start the game, tap twice on the screen.)

Mamá, toque la campana si necesita ayuda. (Mom, ring the bell if you need help.)

Amigos, toquemos una melodía relajante. (Friends, let’s play a relaxing melody.)

Joven, toca el claxon con moderación. (Young man, honk the horn moderately.)

Músicos, toquen con alma y pasión. (Musicians, play with soul and passion.)

Niños, toquen los instrumentos con cuidado. (Children, play the instruments carefully.)

Antes de subir al avión, toca tu boleto en el lector. (Before boarding the plane, scan your ticket on the reader.)

En la fiesta, toquemos canciones que todos conozcan. (At the party, let’s play songs everyone knows.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Tocar (to play/touch) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperative mood is also known as the Command Form, Affirmative Command Mood, or Direct Command Form in English, and as Modo Imperativo, Imperativo Afirmativo, Mandatos Afirmativos, or Forma de Mandato in Spanish.