Introduction

reducir means “to reduce”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to reduce” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows reducir 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 reduzco los gastos cada mes por la mañana.” — “I reduce expenses every month.”

reducir in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how reducir 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 reduzco los gastos cada mes cada día.” — “I reduce expenses every month.”
  2. “Tú reduces los gastos cada mes cada día.” — “you reduce expenses every month.”
  3. “Él reduce los gastos cada mes siempre.” — “He reduces expenses every month.”
  4. “Nosotros reducimos los gastos cada mes todos los días.” — “We reduce expenses every month.”

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 reduje los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “I reduced expenses every month.” (preterite) 6. “Él redujo los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “He reduced expenses every month.” (preterite) 7. “Yo reducía los gastos cada mes cuando era joven.” — “I used to reduce expenses every month.” (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 reduciremos los gastos cada mes mañana.” — “We will reduce expenses every month.” (future) 9. “Tú has reducido los gastos cada mes hoy.” — “you have reduced expenses every month.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo reduzca los gastos cada mes.” — “I hope that I reduce expenses every month.” (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 reducís los gastos cada mes cada semana.” — “You reduce expenses every month.” 12. “Ellos reducen los gastos cada mes normalmente.” — “They reduce expenses every month.”

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

Dialogue at home in the evening

Ana: “¿Tú reduces los gastos cada mes?” — Do you reduce expenses every month?

Luis: “Sí, yo reduzco los gastos cada mes cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I reduce expenses every month every day. It is part of my routine.

Ana: “¿Y ayer? ¿También reduces los gastos cada mes?” — And yesterday? Did you reduce expenses every month too?

Luis: “Sí, ayer yo reduje los gastos cada mes. Mañana nosotros reduciremos los gastos cada mes otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I reduced expenses every month. Tomorrow we will reduce expenses every month again.

A short paragraph

Él reduce los gastos cada mes cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how reducir 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 reduzco los gastos cada mes — 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 reducir yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Using the unchanged stem

Learners often write reduco for the yo form, keeping the infinitive stem unchanged. The correct form is reduzco. Because reducir changes its stem vowel, the change appears in the stressed syllables of the present: say the correct form out loud a few times — yo reduzco los gastos cada mes — until the changed stem feels natural.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he reducido los gastos cada mes. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy reducido is not the present perfect of reducir — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing reducir with redactar

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

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo reduzca los gastos cada mes. Using the indicative — Espero que yo reduzco — is one of the most frequent learner errors with reducir. 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 reducir in the present?

  • A. reduces
  • B. reduce
  • C. reducimos
  • D. reduzco

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

  • A. redujimos
  • B. redujiste
  • C. reduje
  • D. redujo

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

  • A. reducías
  • B. reducíamos
  • C. reducíais
  • D. reducía

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

  • A. reducirá
  • B. reduciremos
  • C. reduciré
  • D. reducirás

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

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

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

  • A. reduzca
  • B. reduzcan
  • C. reduzca
  • D. reduzcas

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

  • A. redujiste
  • B. redujo
  • C. redujimos
  • D. reduje

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

  • A. reducíamos
  • B. reducías
  • C. reducía
  • D. reducía

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

  • A. reduciré
  • B. reducirás
  • C. reduciremos
  • D. reducirá

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

  • A. reduciría
  • B. reduciríamos
  • C. reduciría
  • D. reducirías

Answer key

  1. reduzco — The present table gives yo = reduzco.
  2. redujiste — The preterite table gives tu = redujiste.
  3. reducía — The imperfect table gives el = reducía.
  4. reduciremos — The future table gives nosotros = reduciremos.
  5. habéis reducido — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis reducido.
  6. reduzcan — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = reduzcan.
  7. reduje — The preterite table gives yo = reduje.
  8. reducías — The imperfect table gives tu = reducías.
  9. reducirá — The future table gives el = reducirá.
  10. reduciríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = reduciríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use reducir in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo reduzco los gastos cada mes.” — “I reduce expenses every month.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form reduzco first, then the preterite yo form reduje and the participle reducido. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund reduciendo next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is reducir reflexive?

No — reducir is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo reduzco los gastos cada mes. 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 reducir?

On the main conjugation page for reducir, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The preterite-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links