Introduction

rehusar means “to refuse”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to refuse” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows rehusar 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 rehuso la oferta por la mañana.” — “I refuse the offer.”

rehusar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how rehusar 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 rehuso la oferta cada día.” — “I refuse the offer.”
  2. “Tú rehusas la oferta cada día.” — “you refuse the offer.”
  3. “Él rehusa la oferta siempre.” — “He refuses the offer.”
  4. “Nosotros rehusamos la oferta todos los días.” — “We refuse the offer.”

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 rehusé la oferta ayer.” — “I refused the offer.” (preterite) 6. “Él rehusó la oferta ayer.” — “He refused the offer.” (preterite) 7. “Yo rehusaba la oferta cuando era joven.” — “I used to refuse the offer.” (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 rehusaremos la oferta mañana.” — “We will refuse the offer.” (future) 9. “Tú has rehusado la oferta hoy.” — “you have refused the offer.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo rehuse la oferta.” — “I hope that I refuse the offer.” (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 rehusáis la oferta cada semana.” — “You refuse the offer.” 12. “Ellos rehusan la oferta normalmente.” — “They refuse the offer.”

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

Dialogue in a café

Sofía: “¿Tú rehusas la oferta?” — Do you refuse the offer?

Diego: “Sí, yo rehuso la oferta cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I refuse the offer every day. It is part of my routine.

Sofía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También rehusas la oferta?” — And yesterday? Did you refuse the offer too?

Diego: “Sí, ayer yo rehusé la oferta. Mañana nosotros rehusaremos la oferta otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I refused the offer. Tomorrow we will refuse the offer again.

A short paragraph

Él rehusa la oferta cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how rehusar 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 rehuso la oferta — 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 rehusar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is rehusé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — rehuse — 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 rehusar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

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

Confusing rehusar with reinar

rehusar and reinar 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 rehusar — refuse — the sentence needs rehusar; if it needs the meaning of reinar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

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

  • A. rehusas
  • B. rehusa
  • C. rehusamos
  • D. rehuso

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

  • A. rehusamos
  • B. rehusaste
  • C. rehusé
  • D. rehusó

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

  • A. rehusabas
  • B. rehusábamos
  • C. rehusabais
  • D. rehusaba

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

  • A. rehusará
  • B. rehusaremos
  • C. rehusaré
  • D. rehusarás

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

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

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

  • A. rehuse
  • B. rehusen
  • C. rehuse
  • D. rehuses

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

  • A. rehusaste
  • B. rehusó
  • C. rehusamos
  • D. rehusé

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

  • A. rehusábamos
  • B. rehusabas
  • C. rehusaba
  • D. rehusaba

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

  • A. rehusaré
  • B. rehusarás
  • C. rehusaremos
  • D. rehusará

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

  • A. rehusaría
  • B. rehusaríamos
  • C. rehusaría
  • D. rehusarías

Answer key

  1. rehuso — The present table gives yo = rehuso.
  2. rehusaste — The preterite table gives tu = rehusaste.
  3. rehusaba — The imperfect table gives el = rehusaba.
  4. rehusaremos — The future table gives nosotros = rehusaremos.
  5. habéis rehusado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis rehusado.
  6. rehusen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = rehusen.
  7. rehusé — The preterite table gives yo = rehusé.
  8. rehusabas — The imperfect table gives tu = rehusabas.
  9. rehusará — The future table gives el = rehusará.
  10. rehusaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = rehusaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use rehusar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo rehuso la oferta.” — “I refuse the offer.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form rehuso first, then the preterite yo form rehusé and the participle rehusado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund rehusando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is rehusar reflexive?

No — rehusar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo rehuso la oferta. 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 rehusar?

On the main conjugation page for rehusar, 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