Introduction

recitar means “to recite”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to recite” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows recitar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo recito el poema por la mañana.” — “I recite the poem.”

recitar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how recitar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.

In the present: everyday use

These sentences use {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Yo recito el poema cada día.” — “I recite the poem.”
  2. “Tú recitas el poema cada día.” — “you recite the poem.”
  3. “Él recita el poema siempre.” — “He recites the poem.”
  4. “Nosotros recitamos el poema todos los días.” — “We recite the poem.”

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “Yo recité el poema ayer.” — “I recited the poem.” (preterite) 6. “Él recitó el poema ayer.” — “He recited the poem.” (preterite) 7. “Yo recitaba el poema cuando era joven.” — “I used to recite the poem.” (imperfect)

Plans and things already done

These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of {verb} stays the same. 8. “Nosotros recitaremos el poema mañana.” — “We will recite the poem.” (future) 9. “Tú has recitado el poema hoy.” — “you have recited the poem.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo recite el poema.” — “I hope that I recite the poem.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “Vosotros recitáis el poema cada semana.” — “You recite the poem.” 12. “Ellos recitan el poema normalmente.” — “They recite the poem.”

recitar in context

Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how recitar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue on the phone

Lucía: “¿Tú recitas el poema?” — Do you recite the poem?

Pedro: “Sí, yo recito el poema cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I recite the poem every day. It is part of my routine.

Lucía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También recitas el poema?” — And yesterday? Did you recite the poem too?

Pedro: “Sí, ayer yo recité el poema. Mañana nosotros recitaremos el poema otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I recited the poem. Tomorrow we will recite the poem again.

A short paragraph

Él recita el poema cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how recitar works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo recito el poema — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make recitar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is recité, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — recite — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of recitar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For recitar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: recitamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he recitado el poema. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy recitado is not the present perfect of recitar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing recitar with recuperar

recitar and recuperar look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of recitar — recite — the sentence needs recitar; if it needs the meaning of recuperar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo recite el poema. Using the indicative — Espero que yo recito — is one of the most frequent learner errors with recitar. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of recitar in the present?

  • A. recitas
  • B. recita
  • C. recitamos
  • D. recito

2. What is the tu form of recitar in the preterite?

  • A. recitamos
  • B. recitaste
  • C. recité
  • D. recitó

3. What is the el form of recitar in the imperfect?

  • A. recitabas
  • B. recitábamos
  • C. recitabais
  • D. recitaba

4. What is the nosotros form of recitar in the future?

  • A. recitará
  • B. recitaremos
  • C. recitaré
  • D. recitarás

5. What is the vosotros form of recitar in the present perfect?

  • A. he recitado
  • B. has recitado
  • C. ha recitado
  • D. habéis recitado

6. What is the ellos form of recitar in the present subjunctive?

  • A. recite
  • B. reciten
  • C. recite
  • D. recites

7. What is the yo form of recitar in the preterite?

  • A. recitaste
  • B. recitó
  • C. recitamos
  • D. recité

8. What is the tu form of recitar in the imperfect?

  • A. recitábamos
  • B. recitabas
  • C. recitaba
  • D. recitaba

9. What is the el form of recitar in the future?

  • A. recitaré
  • B. recitarás
  • C. recitaremos
  • D. recitará

10. What is the nosotros form of recitar in the conditional?

  • A. recitaría
  • B. recitaríamos
  • C. recitaría
  • D. recitarías

Answer key

  1. recito — The present table gives yo = recito.
  2. recitaste — The preterite table gives tu = recitaste.
  3. recitaba — The imperfect table gives el = recitaba.
  4. recitaremos — The future table gives nosotros = recitaremos.
  5. habéis recitado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis recitado.
  6. reciten — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = reciten.
  7. recité — The preterite table gives yo = recité.
  8. recitabas — The imperfect table gives tu = recitabas.
  9. recitará — The future table gives el = recitará.
  10. recitaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = recitaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use recitar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo recito el poema.” — “I recite the poem.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of recitar to learn first?

Learn the present yo form recito first, then the preterite yo form recité and the participle recitado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund recitando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is recitar reflexive?

No — recitar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo recito el poema. Do not add me or se to it unless the sentence genuinely needs a pronoun for another reason.

Where can I see the full conjugation of recitar?

On the main conjugation page for recitar, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links