Introduction

reducir means “to reduce”, and this page covers exactly one thing: reducir in the preterite tense. The preterite is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what is finished and done. On this page you will find the full preterite table for reducir, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about reducir in the preterite. For example: “Yo reduje los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “I reduced expenses every month.” Everything on this page uses the forms of reducir exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.

reducir in the Preterite Tense — full table

Person Form
yo reduje
tú redujiste
él/ella/Ud. redujo
nosotros/as redujimos
vosotros/as redujisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. redujeron

Gerund: reduciendo · Past participle: reducido

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

How the preterite of reducir is formed

reducir is a -ir verb. Take the stem reduc and add the preterite endings for -ir verbs: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron, giving reduje, redujiste, redujo, redujimos, redujisteis and redujeron. But reducir is irregular in the preterite: the forms in the table do not all follow from the infinitive, so memorise them as they are written above. The él form, redujo, shows the irregularity most clearly. Watch the accents: yo takes an accent on the stressed vowel (reduje) and él takes one too (redujo), because the stress falls on the ending rather than the stem.

The preterite of reducir rewards careful reading of the table. Two details deserve attention. First, the yo form reduje 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 redujimos and the ellos form redujeron 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 preterite of reducir

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

1. One finished action

reducir in the preterite describes one finished action: something you did and completed. The action is done, and the tense says so. Example: “Yo reduje los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “I reduced expenses every month.”

2. A sequence of events

When several things happened one after another, each one takes the preterite. The tense moves the story forward, one finished event at a time. Example: “Él redujo los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “He reduced expenses every month.”

3. An action in a finished time frame

The preterite is the tense of completed actions. When the action started and ended inside a finished period — ayer, anoche, la semana pasada — the preterite is the right choice. Example: “Nosotros redujimos los gastos cada mes la semana pasada.” — “We reduced expenses every month.”

4. An interruption

When one action interrupted another, the interrupting action takes the preterite. It marks the moment the story changed. Example: “Ellos redujeron los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “They reduced expenses every month.”

5. A change of state

The preterite also marks a change: the moment something started to be different. If the change itself is the point, use the preterite. Example: “Tú redujiste los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “you reduced expenses every month.”

Preterite Tense vs Imperfect: how to choose

The closest tense to the preterite is the imperfect, and choosing between them is one of the hardest decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the preterite reports one finished action, while the imperfect describes background, habits in the past, or an action that was in progress when something else happened. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the tense. Time words help: ayer and de repente point to the preterite, while mientras and todos los días in the past point to the imperfect.

  • Preterite Tense: “Yo reduje los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “I reduced expenses every month.”

  • Imperfect: “Yo reducía los gastos cada mes cada mañana.” — “I used to reduce expenses every month.”

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

  • Preterite Tense: “Él redujo los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “He reduced expenses every month.”

  • Imperfect: “Él reducía los gastos cada mes cada mañana.” — “He used to reduce expenses every month.”

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

  • Preterite Tense: “Nosotros redujimos los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “We reduced expenses every month.”

  • Imperfect: “Nosotros reducíamos los gastos cada mes cada mañana.” — “We used to reduce expenses every month.”

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

Example sentences: reducir in the preterite

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 reduje los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “I reduced expenses every month.”
  2. “Tú redujiste los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “you reduced expenses every month.”
  3. “Él redujo los gastos cada mes anoche.” — “He reduced expenses every month.”
  4. “Nosotros redujimos los gastos cada mes la semana pasada.” — “We reduced expenses every month.”
  5. “Vosotros redujisteis los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “You reduced expenses every month.”
  6. “Ellos redujeron los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “They reduced expenses every month.”
  7. “Yo reduje los gastos cada mes esta mañana.” — “I reduced expenses every month.”
  8. “Él redujo los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “He reduced expenses every month.”

Common mistakes

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 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 wrong tense for reducir

The most general mistake is choosing the wrong tense altogether: using the preterite where Spanish needs the imperfect, 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 reducir in the preterite tense?

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

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

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

3. What is the el form of reducir in the preterite tense?

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

4. What is the nosotros form of reducir in the preterite tense?

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

5. What is the vosotros form of reducir in the preterite tense?

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

6. What is the ellos form of reducir in the preterite tense?

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

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

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

8. What is the el form of reducir in the preterite tense?

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

Answer key

  1. reduje — The preterite table gives yo = reduje.
  2. redujiste — The preterite table gives tu = redujiste.
  3. redujo — The preterite table gives el = redujo.
  4. redujimos — The preterite table gives nosotros = redujimos.
  5. redujisteis — The preterite table gives vosotros = redujisteis.
  6. redujeron — The preterite table gives ellos = redujeron.
  7. reduje — The preterite table gives yo = reduje.
  8. redujo — The preterite table gives el = redujo.

Frequently asked questions

How do you form the preterite of reducir?

Take the stem reduc and add the preterite endings for -ir verbs. The six forms are reduje, redujiste, redujo, redujimos, redujisteis and redujeron. Copy the forms from the table above rather than building them from memory until they are automatic.

When should I use the preterite of reducir?

Use it for actions that started and finished in the past. The five rules in the section above cover the situations you will meet most often. If the action is one finished event inside a finished time frame, the preterite is the right choice.

What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of reducir?

The preterite form for yo is reduje and the imperfect form is reducía — different forms for different meanings. The preterite reports one finished action, while the imperfect describes background or a past habit. The contrasted pairs above show the same situation in both tenses, so compare them side by side.

Is reducir regular in the preterite?

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

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