Introduction

reconciliar means “to reconcile”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to reconcile” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows reconciliar 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 reconcilio a los amigos por la mañana.” — “I reconcile the friends.”

reconciliar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how reconciliar 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 reconcilio a los amigos cada día.” — “I reconcile the friends.”
  2. “Tú reconcilias a los amigos cada día.” — “you reconcile the friends.”
  3. “Él reconcilia a los amigos siempre.” — “He reconciles the friends.”
  4. “Nosotros reconciliamos a los amigos todos los días.” — “We reconcile the friends.”

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 reconcilié a los amigos ayer.” — “I reconciled the friends.” (preterite) 6. “Él reconcilió a los amigos ayer.” — “He reconciled the friends.” (preterite) 7. “Yo reconciliaba a los amigos cuando era joven.” — “I used to reconcile the friends.” (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 reconciliaremos a los amigos mañana.” — “We will reconcile the friends.” (future) 9. “Tú has reconciliado a los amigos hoy.” — “you have reconciled the friends.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo reconcilie a los amigos.” — “I hope that I reconcile the friends.” (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 reconciliáis a los amigos cada semana.” — “You reconcile the friends.” 12. “Ellos reconcilian a los amigos normalmente.” — “They reconcile the friends.”

reconciliar 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 reconciliar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue at work during a coffee break

Marta: “¿Tú reconcilias a los amigos?” — Do you reconcile the friends?

Carlos: “Sí, yo reconcilio a los amigos cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I reconcile the friends every day. It is part of my routine.

Marta: “¿Y ayer? ¿También reconcilias a los amigos?” — And yesterday? Did you reconcile the friends too?

Carlos: “Sí, ayer yo reconcilié a los amigos. Mañana nosotros reconciliaremos a los amigos otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I reconciled the friends. Tomorrow we will reconcile the friends again.

A short paragraph

Él reconcilia a los amigos cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how reconciliar 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 reconcilio a los amigos — 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 reconciliar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is reconcilié, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — reconcilie — 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 reconciliar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For reconciliar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: reconciliamos. 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 reconciliado a los amigos. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy reconciliado is not the present perfect of reconciliar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing reconciliar with recuperar

reconciliar 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 reconciliar — reconcile — the sentence needs reconciliar; 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 reconcilie a los amigos. Using the indicative — Espero que yo reconcilio — is one of the most frequent learner errors with reconciliar. 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 reconciliar in the present?

  • A. reconcilias
  • B. reconcilia
  • C. reconciliamos
  • D. reconcilio

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

  • A. reconciliamos
  • B. reconciliaste
  • C. reconcilié
  • D. reconcilió

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

  • A. reconciliabas
  • B. reconciliábamos
  • C. reconciliabais
  • D. reconciliaba

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

  • A. reconciliará
  • B. reconciliaremos
  • C. reconciliaré
  • D. reconciliarás

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

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

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

  • A. reconcilie
  • B. reconcilien
  • C. reconcilie
  • D. reconcilies

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

  • A. reconciliaste
  • B. reconcilió
  • C. reconciliamos
  • D. reconcilié

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

  • A. reconciliábamos
  • B. reconciliabas
  • C. reconciliaba
  • D. reconciliaba

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

  • A. reconciliaré
  • B. reconciliarás
  • C. reconciliaremos
  • D. reconciliará

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

  • A. reconciliaría
  • B. reconciliaríamos
  • C. reconciliaría
  • D. reconciliarías

Answer key

  1. reconcilio — The present table gives yo = reconcilio.
  2. reconciliaste — The preterite table gives tu = reconciliaste.
  3. reconciliaba — The imperfect table gives el = reconciliaba.
  4. reconciliaremos — The future table gives nosotros = reconciliaremos.
  5. habéis reconciliado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis reconciliado.
  6. reconcilien — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = reconcilien.
  7. reconcilié — The preterite table gives yo = reconcilié.
  8. reconciliabas — The imperfect table gives tu = reconciliabas.
  9. reconciliará — The future table gives el = reconciliará.
  10. reconciliaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = reconciliaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use reconciliar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo reconcilio a los amigos.” — “I reconcile the friends.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form reconcilio first, then the preterite yo form reconcilié and the participle reconciliado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund reconciliando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is reconciliar reflexive?

No — reconciliar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo reconcilio a los amigos. 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 reconciliar?

On the main conjugation page for reconciliar, 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