Introduction
recostarse means “to lie down”, and this page covers exactly one thing: recostarse 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 recostarse, 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 recostarse in the present. For example: “Yo me recuesto en la cama todos los días.” — “I lie down in bed.” Everything on this page uses the forms of recostarse exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
recostarse 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 recostarse 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 recostarse is used.
How the present of recostarse is formed
recostarse 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 recostarse 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 recostarse 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 recostarse
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use recostarse 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
recostarse in the present describes something done regularly. When talking about in bed is part of your routine, the present is the right tense. Example: “Yo me recuesto en la cama cada día.” — “I lie down in bed.”
2. A fact or general truth
General truths about in bed also take the present. The tense states how things are, not when they happened. Example: “Él se recuesta en la cama siempre.” — “He lies down in bed.”
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 nos recostamos en la cama ahora mismo.” — “We lie down in bed.”
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 se recuestan en la cama mañana.” — “They lie down in bed.”
5. Instructions and explanations
When you explain how something works — how to talk about in bed — the present is the natural tense. Recipes, rules and directions all live in the present. Example: “Tú te recuestas en la cama normalmente.” — “you lie down in bed.”
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 me recuesto en la cama cada día.” — “I lie down in bed.”
Preterite: “Yo me recosté en la cama ayer.” — “I lay down in bed.”
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 se recuesta en la cama siempre.” — “He lies down in bed.”
Preterite: “Él se recostó en la cama ayer.” — “He lay down in bed.”
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 nos recostamos en la cama todos los días.” — “We lie down in bed.”
Preterite: “Nosotros nos recostamos en la cama ayer.” — “We lay down in bed.”
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: recostarse 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.
- “Yo me recuesto en la cama cada día.” — “I lie down in bed.”
- “Tú te recuestas en la cama cada día.” — “you lie down in bed.”
- “Él se recuesta en la cama siempre.” — “He lies down in bed.”
- “Nosotros nos recostamos en la cama todos los días.” — “We lie down in bed.”
- “Vosotros os recostáis en la cama cada semana.” — “You lie down in bed.”
- “Ellos se recuestan en la cama normalmente.” — “They lie down in bed.”
- “Yo me recuesto en la cama ahora mismo.” — “I lie down in bed.”
- “Él se recuesta en la cama cada día.” — “He lies down in bed.”
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 recostarse 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 en la cama — until the changed stem feels natural.
Dropping the reflexive pronoun
Because recostarse is reflexive, it always needs its pronoun: yo me recuesto en la cama, not yo recuesto en la cama. Without me, the sentence either means something else or means nothing at all. The pronouns are me, te, se, nos, os, se — learn them with the verb, not as an afterthought.
Confusing recostarse with recuperar
recostarse 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 recostarse — lie down — the sentence needs recostarse; 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 en la cama. Using the indicative — Espero que yo recuesto — is one of the most frequent learner errors with recostarse. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.
Using the wrong tense for recostarse
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 recostarse in the present tense?
- A. recuestas
- B. recuesta
- C. recostamos
- D. recuesto
2. What is the tu form of recostarse in the present tense?
- A. recuestas
- B. recuesto
- C. recuesta
- D. recostamos
3. What is the el form of recostarse in the present tense?
- A. recostamos
- B. recuesta
- C. recuesto
- D. recuestas
4. What is the nosotros form of recostarse in the present tense?
- A. recuestas
- B. recuesta
- C. recostamos
- D. recuesto
5. What is the vosotros form of recostarse in the present tense?
- A. recuesto
- B. recuestas
- C. recuesta
- D. recostáis
6. What is the ellos form of recostarse in the present tense?
- A. recuestan
- B. recuesto
- C. recuestas
- D. recuesta
7. What is the yo form of recostarse in the present tense?
- A. recostamos
- B. recuesto
- C. recuestas
- D. recuesta
8. What is the el form of recostarse in the present tense?
- A. recuestas
- B. recostamos
- C. recuesta
- D. recuesto
Answer key
- recuesto — The present table gives yo = recuesto.
- recuestas — The present table gives tu = recuestas.
- recuesta — The present table gives el = recuesta.
- recostamos — The present table gives nosotros = recostamos.
- recostáis — The present table gives vosotros = recostáis.
- recuestan — The present table gives ellos = recuestan.
- recuesto — The present table gives yo = recuesto.
- recuesta — The present table gives el = recuesta.
Frequently asked questions
How do you form the present of recostarse?
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 recostarse?
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 recostarse?
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 recostarse regular in the present?
No — recostarse is irregular in the present, so learn the six forms in the table as a set. The full conjugation of recostarse is on its main conjugation page, where every tense is covered.
Related links
- recostarse conjugation — the full conjugation of recostarse in every tense.
- recostarse examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a second quiz.
- Spanish present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub with every verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present tense.
- Verb quiz — practise conjugations with timed questions.