Introduction

recostar means “to lean, to lie down”, and this page covers exactly one thing: recostar in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for recostar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about recostar in the present. For example: “Yo recuesto la cabeza en la almohada todos los días.” — “I lean my head on the pillow.” Everything on this page uses the forms of recostar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

recostar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo recuesto
tú recuestas
él/ella/Ud. recuesta
nosotros/as recostamos
vosotros/as recostáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. recuestan

Gerund: recostando · Past participle: recostado

The gerund is recostando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy recostando” means the action of recostar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is recostado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he recostado” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how recostar is used.

How the present of recostar is formed

recostar is a -ar verb. Take the stem recost and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving recuesto, recuestas, recuesta, recostamos, recostáis and recuestan. But recostar is not fully regular here: it changes its stem (o → ue), so the stem in the table is not the infinitive stem in several persons. Learn the six forms as a set rather than building them from the infinitive each time.

The present of recostar rewards careful reading of the table. Two details deserve attention. First, the yo form recuesto is the form you will use most when you talk about yourself, so say it out loud until it comes without thinking. Second, the nosotros form recostamos and the ellos form recuestan are the ones learners confuse most often, because they are the forms used for groups. Practise the six forms in order — yo, tú, él, nosotros, vosotros, ellos — and the pattern will settle.

When to use the present of recostar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use recostar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. A habit or routine

recostar in the present describes something done regularly. When talking about my head on the pillow is part of your routine, the present is the right tense. Example: “Yo recuesto la cabeza en la almohada cada día.” — “I lean my head on the pillow.”

2. A fact or general truth

General truths about my head on the pillow also take the present. The tense states how things are, not when they happened. Example: “Él recuesta la cabeza en la almohada siempre.” — “He leans my head on the pillow.”

3. Something happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment. It is the simplest way to describe an action in progress when you do not need the gerund. Example: “Nosotros recostamos la cabeza en la almohada ahora mismo.” — “We lean my head on the pillow.”

4. A scheduled near-future event

Spanish often uses the present for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense. Example: “Ellos recuestan la cabeza en la almohada mañana.” — “They lean my head on the pillow.”

5. Instructions and explanations

When you explain how something works — how to talk about my head on the pillow — the present is the natural tense. Recipes, rules and directions all live in the present. Example: “Tú recuestas la cabeza en la almohada normalmente.” — “you lean my head on the pillow.”

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the hardest decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present reports what happens regularly or is happening now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the tense. Time words help: cada día and siempre point to the present, while ayer points to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Yo recuesto la cabeza en la almohada cada día.” — “I lean my head on the pillow.”

  • Preterite: “Yo recosté la cabeza en la almohada ayer.” — “I leaned my head on the pillow.”

  • The two sentences use the same verb and the same situation, but the tense changes what the sentence claims: a habit or a present fact versus one finished event. That difference is the whole decision.

  • Present Tense: “Él recuesta la cabeza en la almohada siempre.” — “He leans my head on the pillow.”

  • Preterite: “Él recostó la cabeza en la almohada ayer.” — “He leaned my head on the pillow.”

  • The two sentences use the same verb and the same situation, but the tense changes what the sentence claims: a habit or a present fact versus one finished event. That difference is the whole decision.

  • Present Tense: “Nosotros recostamos la cabeza en la almohada todos los días.” — “We lean my head on the pillow.”

  • Preterite: “Nosotros recostamos la cabeza en la almohada ayer.” — “We leaned my head on the pillow.”

  • The two sentences use the same verb and the same situation, but the tense changes what the sentence claims: a habit or a present fact versus one finished event. That difference is the whole decision.

Example sentences: recostar in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Yo recuesto la cabeza en la almohada cada día.” — “I lean my head on the pillow.”
  2. “Tú recuestas la cabeza en la almohada cada día.” — “you lean my head on the pillow.”
  3. “Él recuesta la cabeza en la almohada siempre.” — “He leans my head on the pillow.”
  4. “Nosotros recostamos la cabeza en la almohada todos los días.” — “We lean my head on the pillow.”
  5. “Vosotros recostáis la cabeza en la almohada cada semana.” — “You lean my head on the pillow.”
  6. “Ellos recuestan la cabeza en la almohada normalmente.” — “They lean my head on the pillow.”
  7. “Yo recuesto la cabeza en la almohada ahora mismo.” — “I lean my head on the pillow.”
  8. “Él recuesta la cabeza en la almohada cada día.” — “He leans my head on the pillow.”

Common mistakes

Using the unchanged stem

Learners often write recosto for the yo form, keeping the infinitive stem unchanged. The correct form is recuesto. Because recostar changes its stem vowel, the change appears in the stressed syllables of the present: say the correct form out loud a few times — yo recuesto la cabeza en la almohada — until the changed stem feels natural.

Confusing recostar with recuperar

recostar 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 recostar — lean — the sentence needs recostar; 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 recueste la cabeza en la almohada. Using the indicative — Espero que yo recuesto — is one of the most frequent learner errors with recostar. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Using the unchanged stem

Learners often write recosto for the yo form, keeping the infinitive stem unchanged. The correct form is recuesto. Because recostar changes its stem vowel, the change appears in the stressed syllables of the present: say the correct form out loud a few times — yo recuesto la cabeza en la almohada — until the changed stem feels natural.

Using the wrong tense for recostar

The most general mistake is choosing the wrong tense altogether: using the present where Spanish needs the preterite, or the other way round. Check the time words first — ayer and la semana pasada point to the past, cada día and siempre point to the present — and then check whether the action is finished or ongoing. If you can answer those two questions, the tense usually chooses itself.

Quiz

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

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

  • A. recuestas
  • B. recuesta
  • C. recostamos
  • D. recuesto

2. What is the tu form of recostar in the present tense?

  • A. recuestas
  • B. recuesto
  • C. recuesta
  • D. recostamos

3. What is the el form of recostar in the present tense?

  • A. recostamos
  • B. recuesta
  • C. recuesto
  • D. recuestas

4. What is the nosotros form of recostar in the present tense?

  • A. recuestas
  • B. recuesta
  • C. recostamos
  • D. recuesto

5. What is the vosotros form of recostar in the present tense?

  • A. recuesto
  • B. recuestas
  • C. recuesta
  • D. recostáis

6. What is the ellos form of recostar in the present tense?

  • A. recuestan
  • B. recuesto
  • C. recuestas
  • D. recuesta

7. What is the yo form of recostar in the present tense?

  • A. recostamos
  • B. recuesto
  • C. recuestas
  • D. recuesta

8. What is the el form of recostar in the present tense?

  • A. recuestas
  • B. recostamos
  • C. recuesta
  • D. recuesto

Answer key

  1. recuesto — The present table gives yo = recuesto.
  2. recuestas — The present table gives tu = recuestas.
  3. recuesta — The present table gives el = recuesta.
  4. recostamos — The present table gives nosotros = recostamos.
  5. recostáis — The present table gives vosotros = recostáis.
  6. recuestan — The present table gives ellos = recuestan.
  7. recuesto — The present table gives yo = recuesto.
  8. recuesta — The present table gives el = recuesta.

Frequently asked questions

How do you form the present of recostar?

Take the stem recost and add the present endings for -ar verbs. The six forms are recuesto, recuestas, recuesta, recostamos, recostáis and recuestan. Remember the stem change (o → ue) where it applies. Copy the forms from the table above rather than building them from memory until they are automatic.

When should I use the present of recostar?

Use it for habits, facts and things happening now. The five rules in the section above cover the situations you will meet most often. If the action is a routine or a present fact, the present is the right choice.

What is the difference between the present and the preterite of recostar?

The present form for yo is recuesto and the preterite form is recosté — different forms for different meanings. The present reports what happens regularly or now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The contrasted pairs above show the same situation in both tenses, so compare them side by side.

Is recostar regular in the present?

No — recostar is irregular in the present, so learn the six forms in the table as a set. The full conjugation of recostar is on its main conjugation page, where every tense is covered.

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