Rehacer in the Preterite Tense
Rehacer means “to redo, to remake”, and this page covers exactly one thing: rehacer 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 rehacer, 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 rehacer in the preterite. For example: “Ayer, yo rehice el examen con calma.” — Yesterday, I redid the exam calmly. Everything on this page uses the forms of rehacer exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.
Rehacer in the Preterite Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | rehice |
| tú | rehiciste |
| él/ella/Ud. | rehizo |
| nosotros/as | rehicimos |
| vosotros/as | rehicisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rehicieron |
Gerund: rehaciendo · Past participle: rehecho
The gerund is rehaciendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy rehaciendo” means the action of rehacer is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is rehecho, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he rehecho” 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 rehacer is used.
How the preterite of rehacer is formed
Rehacer does not use one regular stem in this tense, so the forms below do not follow the simple stem + endings pattern. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of hacer, with a -g- in the present (as in deshago), a -c- stem in the preterite (as in deshice), and an irregular participle (as in deshecho). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. Learn the six forms as a set: yo rehice, tú rehiciste, él/ella/Ud. rehizo, nosotros/as rehicimos, vosotros/as rehicisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. rehicieron.
The irregularity of rehacer is in its past participle, rehecho, not in the preterite, so the table above is the whole story for this tense. Remember the participle for the perfect tenses: he rehecho, has rehecho, ha rehecho.
When to use the preterite of rehacer
The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use rehacer 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
The preterite reports a single action that started and finished in the past. The action is done, counted once, and the story moves on. Example: “Ayer, yo rehice el examen con calma.” — Yesterday, I redid the exam calmly.
2. A sequence of events
In a story, each preterite form is one step forward in time. When several things happened one after another, the preterite lists them in order. Example: “Nosotros rehicimos la cama por la mañana.” — We redid the bed in the morning.
3. A specific time marker
Time words such as ayer, anoche, el año pasado and la semana pasada point to the preterite. They name a finished moment, and the verb must match. Example: “Él rehizo su vida tras el divorcio ayer.” — He redid his life after the divorce yesterday.
4. A sudden change or interruption
The preterite describes sudden changes and interruptions: something happened, and the situation was different afterwards. Example: “Ellos rehicieron el trabajo con más calma de repente.” — They redid the work more calmly suddenly.
5. A completed time frame
When an action took place inside a period of time that is now over, the preterite is the right tense, because the period itself is finished. Example: “Tú rehiciste el examen con calma la semana pasada.” — You redid the exam calmly last week.
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 whether the action is finished and counted, or ongoing and descriptive. 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: “Ayer, yo rehice el examen con calma.” — Yesterday, I redid the exam calmly.
Imperfect: “Yo rehacía el examen con calma cada día.” — I used to redo the exam calmly every day.
The preterite sentence reports one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes a habit in the past. Ayer points to the preterite, cada día in the past points to the imperfect.
Preterite Tense: “Anoche, él rehizo la cama por la mañana.” — Last night, he redid the bed in the morning.
Imperfect: “Él rehacía la cama por la mañana todos los días.” — He used to redo the bed in the morning every day.
Anoche names one finished night, so the preterite is right; todos los días in the past describes a routine, so the imperfect is right.
Preterite Tense: “Nosotros rehicimos su vida tras el divorcio ayer.” — We redid his life after the divorce yesterday.
Imperfect: “Nosotros rehacíamos su vida tras el divorcio cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to redo his life after the divorce when we were young.
The preterite sentence counts one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes how things used to be. That difference — finished event versus background — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: rehacer 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.
“Rehice el examen con calma.” — I redid the exam calmly.
“Rehiciste la cama por la mañana.” — You redid the bed in the morning.
“Rehizo su vida tras el divorcio.” — He/she redid his life after the divorce.
“Rehicimos el trabajo con más calma.” — We redid the work more calmly.
“Rehicisteis el examen con calma.” — You redid the exam calmly.
“Rehicieron la cama por la mañana.” — They redid the bed in the morning.
“Rehice su vida tras el divorcio.” — I redid his life after the divorce.
“Rehizo el trabajo con más calma.” — He/she redid the work more calmly.
Common mistakes with rehacer in the preterite
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Ellos rehizo el examen con calma.” Right: “Ellos rehicieron el examen con calma.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form rehicieron. The singular rehizo belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Ayer yo rehací la cama por la mañana.” Right: “Ayer yo rehice la cama por la mañana.” Why: Rehacer has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is rehice, not the regular rehací.
Wrong: “Nosotros rehiciste su vida tras el divorcio.” Right: “Nosotros rehicimos su vida tras el divorcio.” Why: Nosotros needs rehicimos. The tú form rehiciste belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos rehice el trabajo con más calma.” Right: “Ellos rehicieron el trabajo con más calma.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form rehicieron, not the yo form rehice.
Quiz: rehacer in the preterite
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ el examen con calma.” (The exam calmly.)
- (a) rehice
- (b) rehiciste
- (c) rehizo
Answer: rehice — The yo form of rehacer in the preterite is rehice. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ la cama por la mañana?” (The bed in the morning.)
- (a) rehice
- (b) rehizo
- (c) rehiciste
Answer: rehiciste — The tú form of rehacer in the preterite is rehiciste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ su vida tras el divorcio.” (His life after the divorce.)
- (a) rehiciste
- (b) rehizo
- (c) rehice
Answer: rehizo — The él/ella/Ud. form of rehacer in the preterite is rehizo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ el trabajo con más calma.” (The work more calmly.)
- (a) rehicimos
- (b) rehice
- (c) rehiciste
Answer: rehicimos — The nosotros/as form of rehacer in the preterite is rehicimos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
5. What is the vosotros/as form of rehacer in the preterite?
- (a) rehice
- (b) rehiciste
- (c) rehicisteis
Answer: rehicisteis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes rehicisteis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros rehicisteis el examen con calma.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la cama por la mañana.” (The bed in the morning.)
- (a) rehiciste
- (b) rehicieron
- (c) rehice
Answer: rehicieron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of rehacer in the preterite is rehicieron. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
7. Which is the correct yo form of rehacer in the preterite?
- (a) rehice
- (b) rehiciste
- (c) rehizo
Answer: rehice — The yo form is rehice. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes one finished action in the past?
- (a) Yo rehacía el examen con calma cada día.
- (b) Mañana, yo reharé el examen con calma.
- (c) Ayer, yo rehice el examen con calma.
Answer: Ayer, yo rehice el examen con calma. — “Ayer, yo rehice el examen con calma.” reports a single completed event, so it takes the preterite. The second option describes background or a past habit, and the third looks to the future.
Frequently asked questions
Is rehacer regular in the preterite?
No. Rehacer has an irregular preterite: rehice, rehiciste, rehizo, rehicimos, rehicisteis, rehicieron. Learn these forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
What is the past participle of rehacer?
The past participle is rehecho: 'He rehecho' means 'I have redone'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is rehaciendo.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect for rehacer?
Use the preterite for one finished action, as in Ayer, yo rehice el examen con calma. Use the imperfect for a repeated habit or background, as in Yo rehacía el examen con calma cada día. The time words around the verb usually tell you which one fits.
How do I remember the preterite forms of rehacer?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo rehice, tú rehiciste, él/ella/Ud. rehizo, nosotros/as rehicimos, vosotros/as rehicisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. rehicieron. Then write three of your own sentences with rehacer in the preterite, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of rehacer — every tense of rehacer in one place.
- Rehacer examples and quiz — more sentences with rehacer and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish preterite guide — how the preterite works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Preterite conjugator — conjugate any verb in the preterite instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on rehacer and other verbs.