Frequency of nosotros commands/vamos a

Question

It seems like in the interactions I have, when someone is making a suggestion that we all do something, they tend to use "Vamos a + inf" instead of a nosotros command. This is primarily with the people I work with, so I was curious as to how often the actual nosotros command is used in spoken Spanish? Thanks!

Answer 1

Hi Phil, interesting question.

Over here in Spain we very seldom use it...and I would venture a guess: overseas even less as they usually use the polite form of speech, even with friends and family.

haced, comed...it is just not done.

Actually, most people make a mistake with this command and use the infinitive instead, thinking that that's the way to do it.

. . . venture a guess. - AnnRon, Jun 29, 2017

thanks ann, I appreciate all corrections! :) - 006595c6, Jun 29, 2017

Answer 2

Vamos a + inf is not a suggestion

First, let me say that there is a 'nuance' in Spanish that English speakers easily miss when talking about doing something in the future. If a person says "iremos" we obviously don't know when, but even if they say "mañana iremos", we know that they're saying sometime tomorrow we'll go, but, there's an element of doubt. They may or may not go, it could depend on this or that, whatever. However, if this person were to say "mañana vamos a ir", it's more in the sense of a stated fact, come hell or high water, tomorrow, we're going.

There is little or NO doubt in "vamos a" but there lots of wiggle room in "iremos"

Then, I probably misunderstood your point

Answer 3

We use much more "vamos a plus infinitive" than the nosotros imperative.

Vamos a comer more than comamos.
Vamos a saltar more than saltemos.

etc.

Pero ¿cuál de las expresiones da más el sentido de "imperativo"? "vamos a comer tacos, o "comamos tacos." - Daniela2041, Jun 29, 2017

Answer 4

There is little or NO doubt in "vamos a" but there lots of wiggle room in "iremos"

HI Jack, but that is not what she Polenta is saying.

vamos a comer...anda!

Let's eat!

The "correct" imperative would not be iremos but "vayamos a " comer...which is very seldom use as I said before.

Answer 5

It depends on the verb. Among Californians de "ascendencia mexicana" Verbs like "sentarse" when the English would be "let's sit down here" would be said in one of two ways. (The "vamos"+ infinitive is not incorrect but not the usual way.)

(1) "Sentémonos aquí," or

(2) as a polite question: "¿Nos sentamos aquí?."

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Another example. "Hagamos la tarea" (Lets's do the homework assignment)

In class when I tell my students "Let's speak only Spanish now." I'll use "Ahora hablemos solamente español. But it I want to say "We are going to speak only Spanish now." Then it's "Ahora vamos a hablar español solamente."