Introduction

reemplazar means “to replace”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to replace” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows reemplazar 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 reemplazo la batería por la mañana.” — “I replace the battery.”

reemplazar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how reemplazar 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 reemplazo la batería cada día.” — “I replace the battery.”
  2. “Tú reemplazas la batería cada día.” — “you replace the battery.”
  3. “Él reemplaza la batería siempre.” — “He replaces the battery.”
  4. “Nosotros reemplazamos la batería todos los días.” — “We replace the battery.”

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 reemplacé la batería ayer.” — “I replaced the battery.” (preterite) 6. “Él reemplazó la batería ayer.” — “He replaced the battery.” (preterite) 7. “Yo reemplazaba la batería cuando era joven.” — “I used to replace the battery.” (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 reemplazaremos la batería mañana.” — “We will replace the battery.” (future) 9. “Tú has reemplazado la batería hoy.” — “you have replaced the battery.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo reemplace la batería.” — “I hope that I replace the battery.” (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 reemplazáis la batería cada semana.” — “You replace the battery.” 12. “Ellos reemplazan la batería normalmente.” — “They replace the battery.”

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

Dialogue at work during a coffee break

Marta: “¿Tú reemplazas la batería?” — Do you replace the battery?

Carlos: “Sí, yo reemplazo la batería cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I replace the battery every day. It is part of my routine.

Marta: “¿Y ayer? ¿También reemplazas la batería?” — And yesterday? Did you replace the battery too?

Carlos: “Sí, ayer yo reemplacé la batería. Mañana nosotros reemplazaremos la batería otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I replaced the battery. Tomorrow we will replace the battery again.

A short paragraph

Él reemplaza la batería cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how reemplazar 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 reemplazo la batería — 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 reemplazar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is reemplacé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — reemplace — 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 reemplazar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For reemplazar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: reemplazamos. 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 reemplazado la batería. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy reemplazado is not the present perfect of reemplazar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing reemplazar with representar

reemplazar and representar 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 reemplazar — replace — the sentence needs reemplazar; if it needs the meaning of representar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo reemplace la batería. Using the indicative — Espero que yo reemplazo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with reemplazar. 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 reemplazar in the present?

  • A. reemplazas
  • B. reemplaza
  • C. reemplazamos
  • D. reemplazo

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

  • A. reemplazamos
  • B. reemplazaste
  • C. reemplacé
  • D. reemplazó

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

  • A. reemplazabas
  • B. reemplazábamos
  • C. reemplazabais
  • D. reemplazaba

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

  • A. reemplazará
  • B. reemplazaremos
  • C. reemplazaré
  • D. reemplazarás

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

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

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

  • A. reemplace
  • B. reemplacen
  • C. reemplace
  • D. reemplaces

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

  • A. reemplazaste
  • B. reemplazó
  • C. reemplazamos
  • D. reemplacé

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

  • A. reemplazábamos
  • B. reemplazabas
  • C. reemplazaba
  • D. reemplazaba

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

  • A. reemplazaré
  • B. reemplazarás
  • C. reemplazaremos
  • D. reemplazará

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

  • A. reemplazaría
  • B. reemplazaríamos
  • C. reemplazaría
  • D. reemplazarías

Answer key

  1. reemplazo — The present table gives yo = reemplazo.
  2. reemplazaste — The preterite table gives tu = reemplazaste.
  3. reemplazaba — The imperfect table gives el = reemplazaba.
  4. reemplazaremos — The future table gives nosotros = reemplazaremos.
  5. habéis reemplazado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis reemplazado.
  6. reemplacen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = reemplacen.
  7. reemplacé — The preterite table gives yo = reemplacé.
  8. reemplazabas — The imperfect table gives tu = reemplazabas.
  9. reemplazará — The future table gives el = reemplazará.
  10. reemplazaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = reemplazaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use reemplazar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo reemplazo la batería.” — “I replace the battery.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form reemplazo first, then the preterite yo form reemplacé and the participle reemplazado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund reemplazando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is reemplazar reflexive?

No — reemplazar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo reemplazo la batería. 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 reemplazar?

On the main conjugation page for reemplazar, 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