Are there unconventional ways to make commands in Spanish?

Question

1. the story Paco el chato.

A la salida me esperas en la puerta.

To me it seems as if Paco's grandmother is commanding him to wait on her. Yet, the common form "espérame" wasn't used.

This reminds me of the way we use the future tense to give commands in english.

2. While speaking to a language exchange partner I asked about the feminine form of the word "ratonzote" and she responded:

... podría ser Ratonzota, pero no confundir con Ratota.

Here she used the command used for the general public instead of the tú command " no confundas"

These uses seem strange to me an I can´t make sense of it.

Answer 1

Yes, the present indicative is often used to give orders in informal settings.

You can also use the future indicative. Just like in English:

A la salida me esperarás en la puerta.

This is much more formal. In fact, it sounds harsher than the imperative would.

The infinitive can also be used to express impersonal rules, especially in signs or labels (e.g. "no fumar", "conservar en lugar fresco y seco"). Apart from signs, it can also be used to give orders to multiple people in informal settings ("chicos, no pegarse"), although this usage is discouraged. However, I'd say "no confundir con" is a set phrase, similar to "not to be confused with" in English.

a + infinitive is another informal way to give orders: "A callar".