Introduction

rehusar means “to refuse” 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 the offer — 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 rehusar 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. rehusar is a regular -ar 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 rehuso la oferta todos los días.” — “I refuse the offer.” Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts
Infinitive rehusar
English to refuse
Verb type Regular -ar verb
Gerund rehusando
Past participle rehusado
Auxiliary verb haber

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: rehusando · Past participle: rehusado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo rehuso
tú rehusas
él/ella/Ud. rehusa
nosotros/as rehusamos
vosotros/as rehusáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. rehusan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For rehusar, the yo form is rehuso, as in “Yo rehuso la oferta.” — “I refuse the offer.”

Preterite

Person Form
yo rehusé
tú rehusaste
él/ella/Ud. rehusó
nosotros/as rehusamos
vosotros/as rehusasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. rehusaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For rehusar, the yo form is rehusé, as in “Yo rehusé la oferta.” — “I refused the offer.”

Imperfect

Person Form
yo rehusaba
tú rehusabas
él/ella/Ud. rehusaba
nosotros/as rehusábamos
vosotros/as rehusabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. rehusaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For rehusar, the yo form is rehusaba, as in “Yo rehusaba la oferta.” — “I used to refuse the offer.”

Future

Person Form
yo rehusaré
tú rehusarás
él/ella/Ud. rehusará
nosotros/as rehusaremos
vosotros/as rehusaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. rehusarán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For rehusar, the yo form is rehusaré, as in “Yo rehusaré la oferta.” — “I will refuse the offer.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo rehusaría
tú rehusarías
él/ella/Ud. rehusaría
nosotros/as rehusaríamos
vosotros/as rehusaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. rehusarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For rehusar, the yo form is rehusaría, as in “Yo rehusaría la oferta.” — “I would refuse the offer.”

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For rehusar, the yo form is he rehusado, as in “Yo he rehusado la oferta.” — “I have refused the offer.”

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For rehusar, the yo form is había rehusado, as in “Yo había rehusado la oferta.” — “I had refused the offer.”

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For rehusar, the yo form is habré rehusado, as in “Yo habré rehusado la oferta.” — “I will have refused the offer.”

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For rehusar, the yo form is habría rehusado, as in “Yo habría rehusado la oferta.” — “I would have refused the offer.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo rehuse
tú rehuses
él/ella/Ud. rehuse
nosotros/as rehusemos
vosotros/as rehuséis
ellos/ellas/Uds. rehusen

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For rehusar, the yo form is rehuse, as in “Espero que yo rehuse la oferta.” — “I hope that I refuse the offer.”

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo rehusara
tú rehusaras
él/ella/Ud. rehusara
nosotros/as rehusáramos
vosotros/as rehusarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. rehusaran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For rehusar, the yo form is rehusara, as in “Si yo rehusara la oferta, ...” — “If I refused the offer, ...”

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: rehusara becomes rehusase, 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 rehusa
Ud. rehuse
nosotros/as rehusemos
vosotros/as rehusad
Uds. rehusen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú rehuses
Ud. rehuse
nosotros/as rehusemos
vosotros/as rehuséis
Uds. rehusen

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is rehusa, as in “¡Rehusa la oferta” — “Refuse the offer” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no rehuses. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with rehusar.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with rehusar, 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 rehuso la oferta cada día.” — “I refuse the offer.”
  2. “Él rehusa la oferta todos los días.” — “He refuses the offer.”
  3. “Yo rehusé la oferta ayer.” — “I refused the offer.”
  4. “Él rehusó la oferta ayer.” — “He refused the offer.”
  5. “Yo rehusaba la oferta cuando era joven.” — “I used to refuse the offer.”
  6. “Nosotros rehusaremos la oferta mañana.” — “We will refuse the offer.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo rehusaría la oferta.” — “If I could, i would refuse the offer.”
  8. “Yo he rehusado la oferta hoy.” — “I have refused the offer.”
  9. “Espero que yo rehuse la oferta.” — “I hope that I refuse the offer.”
  10. “estoy rehusando la oferta ahora mismo.” — “I am refusing the offer.”

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

Is rehusar regular or irregular?

rehusar 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 rehusar?

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

What is the gerund of rehusar?

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

What is the yo form of rehusar in the present?

The yo form is rehuso — “Yo rehuso la oferta.” means “I refuse the offer.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú rehusas, él rehusa, nosotros rehusamos, ellos rehusan.

What is the difference between rehusar and reinar?

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

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