Introduction

recortar means “to cut out, to trim” in English, and it is a verb you will meet again and again once you start reading and speaking Spanish. It is used whenever you need to talk about the paper — at home, at work, and in everyday conversation — which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of recortar in every tense and mood, with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. recortar is a regular -ar verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: “Yo recorto el papel todos los días.” — “I cut out the paper.” Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts
Infinitive recortar
English to cut out, to trim
Verb type Regular -ar verb
Gerund recortando
Past participle recortado
Auxiliary verb haber

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: recortando · Past participle: recortado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo recorto
tú recortas
él/ella/Ud. recorta
nosotros/as recortamos
vosotros/as recortáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. recortan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For recortar, the yo form is recorto, as in “Yo recorto el papel.” — “I cut out the paper.”

Preterite

Person Form
yo recorté
tú recortaste
él/ella/Ud. recortó
nosotros/as recortamos
vosotros/as recortasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. recortaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For recortar, the yo form is recorté, as in “Yo recorté el papel.” — “I cut out the paper.”

Imperfect

Person Form
yo recortaba
tú recortabas
él/ella/Ud. recortaba
nosotros/as recortábamos
vosotros/as recortabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. recortaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For recortar, the yo form is recortaba, as in “Yo recortaba el papel.” — “I used to cut out the paper.”

Future

Person Form
yo recortaré
tú recortarás
él/ella/Ud. recortará
nosotros/as recortaremos
vosotros/as recortaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. recortarán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For recortar, the yo form is recortaré, as in “Yo recortaré el papel.” — “I will cut out the paper.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo recortaría
tú recortarías
él/ella/Ud. recortaría
nosotros/as recortaríamos
vosotros/as recortaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. recortarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For recortar, the yo form is recortaría, as in “Yo recortaría el papel.” — “I would cut out the paper.”

Present Perfect

Person Form
yo he recortado
tú has recortado
él/ella/Ud. ha recortado
nosotros/as hemos recortado
vosotros/as habéis recortado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han recortado

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For recortar, the yo form is he recortado, as in “Yo he recortado el papel.” — “I have cut out the paper.”

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había recortado
tú habías recortado
él/ella/Ud. había recortado
nosotros/as habíamos recortado
vosotros/as habíais recortado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían recortado

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For recortar, the yo form is había recortado, as in “Yo había recortado el papel.” — “I had cut out the paper.”

Future Perfect

Person Form
yo habré recortado
tú habrás recortado
él/ella/Ud. habrá recortado
nosotros/as habremos recortado
vosotros/as habréis recortado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán recortado

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For recortar, the yo form is habré recortado, as in “Yo habré recortado el papel.” — “I will have cut out the paper.”

Conditional Perfect

Person Form
yo habría recortado
tú habrías recortado
él/ella/Ud. habría recortado
nosotros/as habríamos recortado
vosotros/as habríais recortado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían recortado

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For recortar, the yo form is habría recortado, as in “Yo habría recortado el papel.” — “I would have cut out the paper.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo recorte
tú recortes
él/ella/Ud. recorte
nosotros/as recortemos
vosotros/as recortéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. recorten

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For recortar, the yo form is recorte, as in “Espero que yo recorte el papel.” — “I hope that I cut out the paper.”

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo recortara
tú recortaras
él/ella/Ud. recortara
nosotros/as recortáramos
vosotros/as recortarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. recortaran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For recortar, the yo form is recortara, as in “Si yo recortara el papel, ...” — “If I cut out the paper, ...”

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: recortara becomes recortase, and the same change applies to every person. Both variants mean the same thing; -ra is more common in everyday speech.

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú recorta
Ud. recorte
nosotros/as recortemos
vosotros/as recortad
Uds. recorten

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú recortes
Ud. recorte
nosotros/as recortemos
vosotros/as recortéis
Uds. recorten

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is recorta, as in “¡Recorta el papel” — “Cut out the paper” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no recortes. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with recortar.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with recortar, covering different tenses and persons. Read each one out loud, then read the translation, and notice how the verb form changes while the meaning stays the same.

  1. “Yo recorto el papel cada día.” — “I cut out the paper.”
  2. “Él recorta el papel todos los días.” — “He cuts out the paper.”
  3. “Yo recorté el papel ayer.” — “I cut out the paper.”
  4. “Él recortó el papel ayer.” — “He cut out the paper.”
  5. “Yo recortaba el papel cuando era joven.” — “I used to cut out the paper.”
  6. “Nosotros recortaremos el papel mañana.” — “We will cut out the paper.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo recortaría el papel.” — “If I could, i would cut out the paper.”
  8. “Yo he recortado el papel hoy.” — “I have cut out the paper.”
  9. “Espero que yo recorte el papel.” — “I hope that I cut out the paper.”
  10. “estoy recortando el papel ahora mismo.” — “I am cutting out the paper.”

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

Is recortar regular or irregular?

recortar is a regular -ar verb. It follows the regular patterns for its ending in every tense. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.

What is the past participle of recortar?

The past participle of recortar is recortado. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he recortado, había recortado, habré recortado — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund recortando and you have the two non-finite forms covered.

What is the gerund of recortar?

The gerund of recortar is recortando. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy recortando, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. Keep it distinct from the past participle recortado, which belongs with haber, not with estar.

What is the yo form of recortar in the present?

The yo form is recorto — “Yo recorto el papel.” means “I cut out the paper.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú recortas, él recorta, nosotros recortamos, ellos recortan.

What is the difference between recortar and recuperar?

recortar means “to cut out, to trim”, while recuperar means “to recover, to get back”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to cut out, to trim”, use recortar; if it is about the meaning of recuperar, use recuperar instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.

Related links