Introduction

redactar means “to draft, to write”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to draft, to write” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows redactar 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 redacto el informe por la mañana.” — “I draft the report.”

redactar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how redactar 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 redacto el informe cada día.” — “I draft the report.”
  2. “Tú redactas el informe cada día.” — “you draft the report.”
  3. “Él redacta el informe siempre.” — “He drafts the report.”
  4. “Nosotros redactamos el informe todos los días.” — “We draft the report.”

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 redacté el informe ayer.” — “I drafted the report.” (preterite) 6. “Él redactó el informe ayer.” — “He drafted the report.” (preterite) 7. “Yo redactaba el informe cuando era joven.” — “I used to draft the report.” (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 redactaremos el informe mañana.” — “We will draft the report.” (future) 9. “Tú has redactado el informe hoy.” — “you have drafted the report.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo redacte el informe.” — “I hope that I draft the report.” (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 redactáis el informe cada semana.” — “You draft the report.” 12. “Ellos redactan el informe normalmente.” — “They draft the report.”

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

Dialogue on the phone

Lucía: “¿Tú redactas el informe?” — Do you draft the report?

Pedro: “Sí, yo redacto el informe cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I draft the report every day. It is part of my routine.

Lucía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También redactas el informe?” — And yesterday? Did you draft the report too?

Pedro: “Sí, ayer yo redacté el informe. Mañana nosotros redactaremos el informe otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I drafted the report. Tomorrow we will draft the report again.

A short paragraph

Él redacta el informe cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how redactar 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 redacto el informe — 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 redactar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is redacté, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — redacte — 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 redactar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

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

Confusing redactar with reducir

redactar and reducir 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 redactar — draft — the sentence needs redactar; if it needs the meaning of reducir, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo redacte el informe. Using the indicative — Espero que yo redacto — is one of the most frequent learner errors with redactar. 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 redactar in the present?

  • A. redactas
  • B. redacta
  • C. redactamos
  • D. redacto

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

  • A. redactamos
  • B. redactaste
  • C. redacté
  • D. redactó

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

  • A. redactabas
  • B. redactábamos
  • C. redactabais
  • D. redactaba

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

  • A. redactará
  • B. redactaremos
  • C. redactaré
  • D. redactarás

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

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

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

  • A. redacte
  • B. redacten
  • C. redacte
  • D. redactes

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

  • A. redactaste
  • B. redactó
  • C. redactamos
  • D. redacté

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

  • A. redactábamos
  • B. redactabas
  • C. redactaba
  • D. redactaba

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

  • A. redactaré
  • B. redactarás
  • C. redactaremos
  • D. redactará

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

  • A. redactaría
  • B. redactaríamos
  • C. redactaría
  • D. redactarías

Answer key

  1. redacto — The present table gives yo = redacto.
  2. redactaste — The preterite table gives tu = redactaste.
  3. redactaba — The imperfect table gives el = redactaba.
  4. redactaremos — The future table gives nosotros = redactaremos.
  5. habéis redactado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis redactado.
  6. redacten — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = redacten.
  7. redacté — The preterite table gives yo = redacté.
  8. redactabas — The imperfect table gives tu = redactabas.
  9. redactará — The future table gives el = redactará.
  10. redactaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = redactaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use redactar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo redacto el informe.” — “I draft the report.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form redacto first, then the preterite yo form redacté and the participle redactado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund redactando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is redactar reflexive?

No — redactar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo redacto el informe. 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 redactar?

On the main conjugation page for redactar, 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