Question

select the correct answer.
which command form best completes this sentence?

juan, debes limpiar la mesa. ¡no ______ las servilletas aquí!
a. pones
b. pongas
c. ponga
d. pon

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the sentence structure. The sentence is a negative command (¡No...!) addressed to Juan (informal "tú" form in Spanish commands). For the verb "poner" (to put), the informal negative command (tú) is formed with "no + subjunctive of poner for tú". But wait, actually, in familiar commands (tú), the negative command uses the subjunctive, but "poner" has an irregular negative command? Wait, no—wait, the positive tú command for "poner" is "pon" (imperative), and the negative tú command is "no pongas". Wait, let's check:

• "pones" is the present indicative tú (you put), not command.
• "pongas" is the subjunctive tú form, used in negative commands for tú (informal).
• "ponga" is subjunctive usted (formal) or él/ella, not tú.
• "pon" is the positive tú imperative (Do put...), but here it's negative: "No pongas..."

Wait, the sentence is "Juan, debes limpiar la mesa. ¡No ______ las servilletas aquí!". So we need the negative command for tú (since Juan is being addressed informally, as "debes" is tú form). The negative tú command for "poner" is "no pongas". Wait, but let's confirm:

Imperative (command) forms:

• Tú positive: pon (¡Pon las servilletas!)
• Tú negative: no pongas (¡No pongas las servilletas!)
• Usted positive: ponga (¡Ponga las servilletas!)
• Usted negative: no ponga (¡No ponga las servilletas!)

So in this case, since it's addressed to Juan (tú form, informal), the negative command is "no pongas". Wait, but let's check the options again. Wait, maybe I made a mistake. Wait, the sentence: "debes" is tú (you must), so the context is informal. So the negative command for tú (Juan) is "no pongas". So option B is "pongas".

Wait, but let's check the options:

A. pones (indicative, wrong)

B. pongas (subjunctive tú, negative command, correct)

C. ponga (subjunctive usted, wrong)

D. pon (positive imperative tú, but the sentence is negative: "No pon..."? Wait, no—"No pon" would be incorrect because the positive imperative is "pon", negative is "no pongas". Wait, maybe I confused. Let's recall:

For regular verbs, negative tú commands use the subjunctive. For "poner", the subjunctive tú is "pongas". So "No pongas" is correct. So the answer is B? Wait, but wait, maybe the question is using the informal command. Wait, let's check with an example: "¡No pongas la mesa sucia!" (Don't make the table dirty—using poner? No, "poner" is to put. So "¡No pongas las servilletas aquí!" (Don't put the napkins here!). So "pongas" is the correct subjunctive tú form for the negative command.

Wait, but let's check the options again. The options are A. pones, B. pongas, C. ponga, D. pon.

So the correct answer is B. pongas? Wait, no—wait, maybe I messed up. Wait, the positive tú command is "pon", negative is "no pongas". So yes, B is correct.

Answer:

B. pongas