Recordar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

recordar — to remember — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Recordar means to remember and to remind: recuerdo su nombre, me recuerda a mi abuela. It is an o → ue stem-changing verb (recuerdo, recuerdas, recuerda). Recordar que is to remember that; recordar a alguien de algo is to remind someone of something. On this page you will find recordar in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself.

Example sentences with recordar

In the present tense

  • “Yo recuerdo su nombre perfectamente.” — “I remember his name perfectly.”
  • “Ella recuerda a su abuela cada día.” — “She remembers her grandmother every day.”
  • “Nosotros recordamos el viaje con cariño.” — “We remember the trip fondly.”
  • “Ellos recuerdan las reglas del juego.” — “They remember the rules of the game.”
  • “¿Tú recuerdas dónde dejaste las llaves?” — “Do you remember where you left the keys?”
  • “Vosotros recordáis la lección de ayer.” — “You remember yesterday’s lesson.”

In the preterite

  • “Ayer yo recordé su cumpleaños a tiempo.” — “Yesterday I remembered his birthday in time.”
  • “Ella recordó la contraseña por fin.” — “She finally remembered the password.”
  • “Nosotros recordamos la historia del abuelo.” — “We remembered grandfather’s story.”
  • “Ellos recordaron el aniversario este año.” — “They remembered the anniversary this year.”
  • “¿Tú recordaste mi nombre?” — “Did you remember my name?”
  • “El niño recordó la canción de memoria.” — “The child remembered the song by heart.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “De niño, yo recordaba su nombre perfectamente.” — “As a child, I used to remember his name perfectly.”
  • “Mañana, yo recordaré su nombre perfectamente.” — “Tomorrow, I will remember his name perfectly.”
  • “Si pudiera, yo recordaría su nombre perfectamente.” — “If I could, I would remember his name perfectly.”
  • “Yo he recordado su nombre perfectamente.” — “I have remembered his name perfectly.”

Recordar in context

Cada día, yo recuerdo su nombre perfectamente. Mi amigo también recuerda su nombre perfectamente cuando tiene tiempo. Después, yo recuerdo su nombre de nuevo por la tarde. Es una parte normal de mi rutina, y por eso el presente de recordar es la primera forma que conviene aprender.

Ayer, yo recordé su nombre perfectamente. Mi amigo recordó su nombre perfectamente también, y por la noche yo recordé su nombre otra vez. Fue un día normal, pero es justo en días así cuando el pretérito de recordar aparece una y otra vez: una acción terminada, un momento concreto, y la historia sigue.

Common mistakes with recordar

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo recordo su nombre.

Right: Yo recuerdo su nombre.

Recordar changes o to ue: recuerdo, not recordo.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Recordar de su nombre — wrong preposition.

Right: Yo recuerdo su nombre.

To remember something is recordar algo, with no preposition; acordarse de is the reflexive alternative.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Using the plain stem instead of the changed stem.

Right: Use the changed stem in the stressed forms: recuerdo.

The o → ue stem change applies to recordar in the present — the yo form is recuerdo, not the infinitive stem.

Mistake 4

Wrong: Treating recordar as a regular verb.

Right: Learn the irregular forms: present recuerdo, preterite recordé.

recordar is irregular — its present and preterite do not follow the regular endings, so they have to be memorised as a set.

Quiz: recordar in everyday use

Ten questions on recordar across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of recordar in the present tense?

  • A) recuerdo
  • B) recuerdas
  • C) recuerda
  • D) recordamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is recuerdo.

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of recordar in the present tense?

  • A) recuerdo
  • B) recuerdas
  • C) recordamos
  • D) recuerda

Answer: D — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is recuerda.

3. What is the yo form of recordar in the preterite?

  • A) recordó
  • B) recordamos
  • C) recordé
  • D) recordaste

Answer: C — The yo form in the preterite is recordé.

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of recordar in the preterite?

  • A) recordó
  • B) recordaron
  • C) recordé
  • D) recordaste

Answer: B — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the preterite is recordaron.

5. What is the yo form of recordar in the imperfect?

  • A) recordaba
  • B) recordabas
  • C) recordaba
  • D) recordábamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the imperfect is recordaba.

6. What is the tú form of recordar in the future?

  • A) recordaré
  • B) recordará
  • C) recordaremos
  • D) recordarás

Answer: D — The tú form in the future is recordarás.

7. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of recordar in the conditional?

  • A) recordarías
  • B) recordaríamos
  • C) recordaría
  • D) recordaría

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional is recordaría.

8. What is the nosotros/as form of recordar in the present perfect?

  • A) ha recordado
  • B) hemos recordado
  • C) he recordado
  • D) has recordado

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present perfect is hemos recordado.

9. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ su nombre perfectamente.” (I remember his name perfectly.)

  • A) recuerdo
  • B) recuerdas
  • C) recuerda
  • D) recordamos

Answer: A — The sentence needs recuerdo.

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo recuerdo su nombre.
  • B) Yo recordo su nombre.

Answer: A — Recordar changes o to ue: recuerdo, not recordo.

Frequently asked questions

What does recordar mean?

recordar means “to remember” in English. Recordar means to remember and to remind: recuerdo su nombre, me recuerda a mi abuela. It is an o → ue stem-changing verb (recuerdo, recuerdas, recuerda). Recordar que is to remember that; recordar a alguien de algo is to remind someone of something.

Is recordar regular?

No. recordar is an o → ue stem-changing irregular -ar verb (irregular in present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative). It is irregular in present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, and those forms have to be learnt as a set rather than built by rule. The full conjugation page shows every tense.

When do I use recordar in the past — preterite or imperfect?

Use the preterite — recordé, recordaste, recordó — for a finished action at a specific moment, and the imperfect — recordaba, recordabas, recordaba — for what was happening, what used to happen, or the background. The same rule applies to recordar as to every Spanish verb; the tense changes the meaning, not the verb.

How can I practise recordar?

Start with the examples above, say them aloud, then take the quiz on this page. For more practice, use the Spanish Verb Quiz and the Recordar Conjugator, and read the full conjugation page for recordar to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo recuerdo…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo recordé…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo recordaré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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