Introduction

reformar means “to reform, to renovate”. It belongs to the group of Spanish verbs that express “to reform, to renovate”, and once you can conjugate it you can say a surprising amount with a single verb. This page is the complete reference for reformar: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, with notes on usage, real example sentences, common mistakes, a quiz and frequently asked questions. reformar is a regular -ar verb. If it is irregular in a tense, the note under that table says so plainly, and the forms in the table are the correct ones — copy them, do not guess them from the infinitive. A first example to fix the verb in your mind: “Yo reformo la cocina todos los días.” — “I reform the kitchen.”

Quick facts
Infinitive reformar
English to reform, to renovate
Verb type Regular -ar verb
Gerund reformando
Past participle reformado
Auxiliary verb haber

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: reformando · Past participle: reformado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo reformo
tú reformas
él/ella/Ud. reforma
nosotros/as reformamos
vosotros/as reformáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. reforman

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For reformar, the yo form is reformo, as in “Yo reformo la cocina.” — “I reform the kitchen.”

Preterite

Person Form
yo reformé
tú reformaste
él/ella/Ud. reformó
nosotros/as reformamos
vosotros/as reformasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. reformaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For reformar, the yo form is reformé, as in “Yo reformé la cocina.” — “I reformed the kitchen.”

Imperfect

Person Form
yo reformaba
tú reformabas
él/ella/Ud. reformaba
nosotros/as reformábamos
vosotros/as reformabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. reformaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For reformar, the yo form is reformaba, as in “Yo reformaba la cocina.” — “I used to reform the kitchen.”

Future

Person Form
yo reformaré
tú reformarás
él/ella/Ud. reformará
nosotros/as reformaremos
vosotros/as reformaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. reformarán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For reformar, the yo form is reformaré, as in “Yo reformaré la cocina.” — “I will reform the kitchen.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo reformaría
tú reformarías
él/ella/Ud. reformaría
nosotros/as reformaríamos
vosotros/as reformaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. reformarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For reformar, the yo form is reformaría, as in “Yo reformaría la cocina.” — “I would reform the kitchen.”

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For reformar, the yo form is he reformado, as in “Yo he reformado la cocina.” — “I have reformed the kitchen.”

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For reformar, the yo form is había reformado, as in “Yo había reformado la cocina.” — “I had reformed the kitchen.”

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For reformar, the yo form is habré reformado, as in “Yo habré reformado la cocina.” — “I will have reformed the kitchen.”

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For reformar, the yo form is habría reformado, as in “Yo habría reformado la cocina.” — “I would have reformed the kitchen.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo reforme
tú reformes
él/ella/Ud. reforme
nosotros/as reformemos
vosotros/as reforméis
ellos/ellas/Uds. reformen

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For reformar, the yo form is reforme, as in “Espero que yo reforme la cocina.” — “I hope that I reform the kitchen.”

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo reformara
tú reformaras
él/ella/Ud. reformara
nosotros/as reformáramos
vosotros/as reformarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. reformaran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For reformar, the yo form is reformara, as in “Si yo reformara la cocina, ...” — “If I reformed the kitchen, ...”

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: reformara becomes reformase, 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 reforma
Ud. reforme
nosotros/as reformemos
vosotros/as reformad
Uds. reformen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú reformes
Ud. reforme
nosotros/as reformemos
vosotros/as reforméis
Uds. reformen

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is reforma, as in “¡Reforma la cocina” — “Reform the kitchen” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no reformes. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with reformar.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with reformar, 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 reformo la cocina cada día.” — “I reform the kitchen.”
  2. “Él reforma la cocina todos los días.” — “He reforms the kitchen.”
  3. “Yo reformé la cocina ayer.” — “I reformed the kitchen.”
  4. “Él reformó la cocina ayer.” — “He reformed the kitchen.”
  5. “Yo reformaba la cocina cuando era joven.” — “I used to reform the kitchen.”
  6. “Nosotros reformaremos la cocina mañana.” — “We will reform the kitchen.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo reformaría la cocina.” — “If I could, i would reform the kitchen.”
  8. “Yo he reformado la cocina hoy.” — “I have reformed the kitchen.”
  9. “Espero que yo reforme la cocina.” — “I hope that I reform the kitchen.”
  10. “estoy reformando la cocina ahora mismo.” — “I am reforming the kitchen.”

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is reformé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — reforme — 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 reformar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

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

Confusing reformar with reflexionar

reformar and reflexionar 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 reformar — reform — the sentence needs reformar; if it needs the meaning of reflexionar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

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

  • A. reformas
  • B. reforma
  • C. reformamos
  • D. reformo

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

  • A. reformamos
  • B. reformaste
  • C. reformé
  • D. reformó

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

  • A. reformabas
  • B. reformábamos
  • C. reformabais
  • D. reformaba

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

  • A. reformará
  • B. reformaremos
  • C. reformaré
  • D. reformarás

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

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

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

  • A. reforme
  • B. reformen
  • C. reforme
  • D. reformes

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

  • A. reformaste
  • B. reformó
  • C. reformamos
  • D. reformé

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

  • A. reformábamos
  • B. reformabas
  • C. reformaba
  • D. reformaba

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

  • A. reformaré
  • B. reformarás
  • C. reformaremos
  • D. reformará

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

  • A. reformaría
  • B. reformaríamos
  • C. reformaría
  • D. reformarías

Answer key

  1. reformo — The present table gives yo = reformo.
  2. reformaste — The preterite table gives tu = reformaste.
  3. reformaba — The imperfect table gives el = reformaba.
  4. reformaremos — The future table gives nosotros = reformaremos.
  5. habéis reformado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis reformado.
  6. reformen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = reformen.
  7. reformé — The preterite table gives yo = reformé.
  8. reformabas — The imperfect table gives tu = reformabas.
  9. reformará — The future table gives el = reformará.
  10. reformaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = reformaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

Is reformar regular or irregular?

reformar is a regular -ar verb. It follows the regular patterns for its ending in every tense. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.

What is the past participle of reformar?

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

What is the gerund of reformar?

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

What is the yo form of reformar in the present?

The yo form is reformo — “Yo reformo la cocina.” means “I reform the kitchen.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú reformas, él reforma, nosotros reformamos, ellos reforman.

What is the difference between reformar and reflexionar?

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

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