Introduction

redondear means “to round”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to round” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows redondear 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 redondeo el precio por la mañana.” — “I round the price.”

redondear in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how redondear 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 redondeo el precio cada día.” — “I round the price.”
  2. “Tú redondeas el precio cada día.” — “you round the price.”
  3. “Él redondea el precio siempre.” — “He rounds the price.”
  4. “Nosotros redondeamos el precio todos los días.” — “We round the price.”

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 redondeé el precio ayer.” — “I rounded the price.” (preterite) 6. “Él redondeó el precio ayer.” — “He rounded the price.” (preterite) 7. “Yo redondeaba el precio cuando era joven.” — “I used to round the price.” (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 redondearemos el precio mañana.” — “We will round the price.” (future) 9. “Tú has redondeado el precio hoy.” — “you have rounded the price.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo redondee el precio.” — “I hope that I round the price.” (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 redondeáis el precio cada semana.” — “You round the price.” 12. “Ellos redondean el precio normalmente.” — “They round the price.”

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

Dialogue at home in the evening

Ana: “¿Tú redondeas el precio?” — Do you round the price?

Luis: “Sí, yo redondeo el precio cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I round the price every day. It is part of my routine.

Ana: “¿Y ayer? ¿También redondeas el precio?” — And yesterday? Did you round the price too?

Luis: “Sí, ayer yo redondeé el precio. Mañana nosotros redondearemos el precio otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I rounded the price. Tomorrow we will round the price again.

A short paragraph

Él redondea el precio cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how redondear 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 redondeo el precio — 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 redondear yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is redondeé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — redondee — 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 redondear.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

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

Confusing redondear with reducir

redondear 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 redondear — round — the sentence needs redondear; 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 redondee el precio. Using the indicative — Espero que yo redondeo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with redondear. 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 redondear in the present?

  • A. redondeas
  • B. redondea
  • C. redondeamos
  • D. redondeo

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

  • A. redondeamos
  • B. redondeaste
  • C. redondeé
  • D. redondeó

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

  • A. redondeabas
  • B. redondeábamos
  • C. redondeabais
  • D. redondeaba

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

  • A. redondeará
  • B. redondearemos
  • C. redondearé
  • D. redondearás

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

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

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

  • A. redondee
  • B. redondeen
  • C. redondee
  • D. redondees

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

  • A. redondeaste
  • B. redondeó
  • C. redondeamos
  • D. redondeé

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

  • A. redondeábamos
  • B. redondeabas
  • C. redondeaba
  • D. redondeaba

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

  • A. redondearé
  • B. redondearás
  • C. redondearemos
  • D. redondeará

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

  • A. redondearía
  • B. redondearíamos
  • C. redondearía
  • D. redondearías

Answer key

  1. redondeo — The present table gives yo = redondeo.
  2. redondeaste — The preterite table gives tu = redondeaste.
  3. redondeaba — The imperfect table gives el = redondeaba.
  4. redondearemos — The future table gives nosotros = redondearemos.
  5. habéis redondeado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis redondeado.
  6. redondeen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = redondeen.
  7. redondeé — The preterite table gives yo = redondeé.
  8. redondeabas — The imperfect table gives tu = redondeabas.
  9. redondeará — The future table gives el = redondeará.
  10. redondearíamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = redondearíamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use redondear in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo redondeo el precio.” — “I round the price.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form redondeo first, then the preterite yo form redondeé and the participle redondeado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund redondeando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is redondear reflexive?

No — redondear is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo redondeo el precio. 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 redondear?

On the main conjugation page for redondear, 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