Introduction

recortar means “to cut out, to trim”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to cut out, to trim” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows recortar 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 recorto el papel por la mañana.” — “I cut out the paper.”

recortar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how recortar 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 recorto el papel cada día.” — “I cut out the paper.”
  2. “Tú recortas el papel cada día.” — “you cut out the paper.”
  3. “Él recorta el papel siempre.” — “He cuts out the paper.”
  4. “Nosotros recortamos el papel todos los días.” — “We cut out the paper.”

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 recorté el papel ayer.” — “I cut out the paper.” (preterite) 6. “Él recortó el papel ayer.” — “He cut out the paper.” (preterite) 7. “Yo recortaba el papel cuando era joven.” — “I used to cut out the paper.” (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 recortaremos el papel mañana.” — “We will cut out the paper.” (future) 9. “Tú has recortado el papel hoy.” — “you have cut out the paper.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo recorte el papel.” — “I hope that I cut out the paper.” (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 recortáis el papel cada semana.” — “You cut out the paper.” 12. “Ellos recortan el papel normalmente.” — “They cut out the paper.”

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

Dialogue in a café

Sofía: “¿Tú recortas el papel?” — Do you cut out the paper?

Diego: “Sí, yo recorto el papel cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I cut out the paper every day. It is part of my routine.

Sofía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También recortas el papel?” — And yesterday? Did you cut out the paper too?

Diego: “Sí, ayer yo recorté el papel. Mañana nosotros recortaremos el papel otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I cut out the paper. Tomorrow we will cut out the paper again.

A short paragraph

Él recorta el papel cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how recortar 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 recorto el papel — 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 recortar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is recorté, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — recorte — 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 recortar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For recortar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: recortamos. 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 recortado el papel. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy recortado is not the present perfect of recortar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing recortar with recuperar

recortar 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 recortar — cut out — the sentence needs recortar; 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 recorte el papel. Using the indicative — Espero que yo recorto — is one of the most frequent learner errors with recortar. 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 recortar in the present?

  • A. recortas
  • B. recorta
  • C. recortamos
  • D. recorto

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

  • A. recortamos
  • B. recortaste
  • C. recorté
  • D. recortó

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

  • A. recortabas
  • B. recortábamos
  • C. recortabais
  • D. recortaba

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

  • A. recortará
  • B. recortaremos
  • C. recortaré
  • D. recortarás

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

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

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

  • A. recorte
  • B. recorten
  • C. recorte
  • D. recortes

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

  • A. recortaste
  • B. recortó
  • C. recortamos
  • D. recorté

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

  • A. recortábamos
  • B. recortabas
  • C. recortaba
  • D. recortaba

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

  • A. recortaré
  • B. recortarás
  • C. recortaremos
  • D. recortará

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

  • A. recortaría
  • B. recortaríamos
  • C. recortaría
  • D. recortarías

Answer key

  1. recorto — The present table gives yo = recorto.
  2. recortaste — The preterite table gives tu = recortaste.
  3. recortaba — The imperfect table gives el = recortaba.
  4. recortaremos — The future table gives nosotros = recortaremos.
  5. habéis recortado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis recortado.
  6. recorten — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = recorten.
  7. recorté — The preterite table gives yo = recorté.
  8. recortabas — The imperfect table gives tu = recortabas.
  9. recortará — The future table gives el = recortará.
  10. recortaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = recortaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use recortar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo recorto el papel.” — “I cut out the paper.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form recorto first, then the preterite yo form recorté and the participle recortado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund recortando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is recortar reflexive?

No — recortar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo recorto el papel. 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 recortar?

On the main conjugation page for recortar, 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