Introduction

reducir means “to reduce” in English, and it is a verb you will meet again and again once you start reading and speaking Spanish. It is used whenever you need to talk about expenses every month — at home, at work, and in everyday conversation — which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of reducir in every tense and mood, with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. reducir is a irregular -ir verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: “Yo reduzco los gastos cada mes todos los días.” — “I reduce expenses every month.” Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts
Infinitive reducir
English to reduce
Verb type Irregular -ir verb
Gerund reduciendo
Past participle reducido
Auxiliary verb haber

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: reduciendo · Past participle: reducido

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo reduzco
tú reduces
él/ella/Ud. reduce
nosotros/as reducimos
vosotros/as reducís
ellos/ellas/Uds. reducen

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For reducir, the yo form is reduzco, as in “Yo reduzco los gastos cada mes.” — “I reduce expenses every month.” This is one of the tenses where reducir does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Preterite

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

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For reducir, the yo form is reduje, as in “Yo reduje los gastos cada mes.” — “I reduced expenses every month.” This is one of the tenses where reducir does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Imperfect

Person Form
yo reducía
tú reducías
él/ella/Ud. reducía
nosotros/as reducíamos
vosotros/as reducíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. reducían

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For reducir, the yo form is reducía, as in “Yo reducía los gastos cada mes.” — “I used to reduce expenses every month.”

Future

Person Form
yo reduciré
tú reducirás
él/ella/Ud. reducirá
nosotros/as reduciremos
vosotros/as reduciréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. reducirán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For reducir, the yo form is reduciré, as in “Yo reduciré los gastos cada mes.” — “I will reduce expenses every month.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo reduciría
tú reducirías
él/ella/Ud. reduciría
nosotros/as reduciríamos
vosotros/as reduciríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. reducirían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For reducir, the yo form is reduciría, as in “Yo reduciría los gastos cada mes.” — “I would reduce expenses every month.”

Present Perfect

Person Form
yo he reducido
tú has reducido
él/ella/Ud. ha reducido
nosotros/as hemos reducido
vosotros/as habéis reducido
ellos/ellas/Uds. han reducido

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For reducir, the yo form is he reducido, as in “Yo he reducido los gastos cada mes.” — “I have reduced expenses every month.”

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había reducido
tú habías reducido
él/ella/Ud. había reducido
nosotros/as habíamos reducido
vosotros/as habíais reducido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían reducido

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For reducir, the yo form is había reducido, as in “Yo había reducido los gastos cada mes.” — “I had reduced expenses every month.”

Future Perfect

Person Form
yo habré reducido
tú habrás reducido
él/ella/Ud. habrá reducido
nosotros/as habremos reducido
vosotros/as habréis reducido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán reducido

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For reducir, the yo form is habré reducido, as in “Yo habré reducido los gastos cada mes.” — “I will have reduced expenses every month.”

Conditional Perfect

Person Form
yo habría reducido
tú habrías reducido
él/ella/Ud. habría reducido
nosotros/as habríamos reducido
vosotros/as habríais reducido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían reducido

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For reducir, the yo form is habría reducido, as in “Yo habría reducido los gastos cada mes.” — “I would have reduced expenses every month.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo reduzca
tú reduzcas
él/ella/Ud. reduzca
nosotros/as reduzcamos
vosotros/as reducáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. reduzcan

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For reducir, the yo form is reduzca, as in “Espero que yo reduzca los gastos cada mes.” — “I hope that I reduce expenses every month.” This is one of the tenses where reducir does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo redujera
tú redujeras
él/ella/Ud. redujera
nosotros/as redujéramos
vosotros/as redujerais
ellos/ellas/Uds. redujeran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For reducir, the yo form is redujera, as in “Si yo redujera los gastos cada mes, ...” — “If I reduced expenses every month, ...” Watch out: the past participle of reducir is irregular — reducido, not the regular form — and that irregular participle appears in every perfect tense.

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: redujera becomes redujese, and the same change applies to every person. Both variants mean the same thing; -ra is more common in everyday speech.

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú reduce
Ud. reduzca
nosotros/as reduzcamos
vosotros/as reducid
Uds. reduzcan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú reduzcas
Ud. reduzca
nosotros/as reduzcamos
vosotros/as reducáis
Uds. reduzcan

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is reduce, as in “¡Reduce los gastos cada mes” — “Reduce expenses every month” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no reduzcas. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with reducir. This is one of the tenses where reducir does not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn the forms in the table above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with reducir, covering different tenses and persons. Read each one out loud, then read the translation, and notice how the verb form changes while the meaning stays the same.

  1. “Yo reduzco los gastos cada mes cada día.” — “I reduce expenses every month.”
  2. “Él reduce los gastos cada mes todos los días.” — “He reduces expenses every month.”
  3. “Yo reduje los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “I reduced expenses every month.”
  4. “Él redujo los gastos cada mes ayer.” — “He reduced expenses every month.”
  5. “Yo reducía los gastos cada mes cuando era joven.” — “I used to reduce expenses every month.”
  6. “Nosotros reduciremos los gastos cada mes mañana.” — “We will reduce expenses every month.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo reduciría los gastos cada mes.” — “If I could, i would reduce expenses every month.”
  8. “Yo he reducido los gastos cada mes hoy.” — “I have reduced expenses every month.”
  9. “Espero que yo reduzca los gastos cada mes.” — “I hope that I reduce expenses every month.”
  10. “estoy reduciendo los gastos cada mes ahora mismo.” — “I am reducing expenses every month.”

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

Is reducir regular or irregular?

reducir is a irregular -ir verb. It is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.

What is the past participle of reducir?

The past participle of reducir is reducido. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he reducido, había reducido, habré reducido — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund reduciendo and you have the two non-finite forms covered.

What is the gerund of reducir?

The gerund of reducir is reduciendo. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy reduciendo, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. Keep it distinct from the past participle reducido, which belongs with haber, not with estar.

What is the yo form of reducir in the present?

The yo form is reduzco — “Yo reduzco los gastos cada mes.” means “I reduce expenses every month.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú reduces, él reduce, nosotros reducimos, ellos reducen.

What is the difference between reducir and redactar?

reducir means “to reduce”, while redactar means “to draft, to write”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to reduce”, use reducir; if it is about the meaning of redactar, use redactar instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.

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