Reiniciar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

reiniciar means “to restart” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Reiniciar means to restart, and it is the verb for turning a computer, a phone or a machine off and on again to fix a problem. It is used constantly in technology and office life, usually with the device as its object, and it is fully regular, so the forms are predictable. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of reiniciar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the reiniciar present tense page.

reiniciar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo reinicio el ordenador cuando se bloquea. — “I restart the computer when it freezes.”
  2. Él reinicia el móvil después de la actualización. — “He restarts the phone after the update.”
  3. Nosotros reiniciamos el sistema antes de la reunión. — “We restart the system before the meeting.”
  4. Ellos reinician el programa que no responde. — “They restart the program that is not responding.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo reinicié el móvil después de la actualización. — “Yesterday, I restarted the phone after the update.”
  2. Antes, nosotros reiniciábamos el sistema antes de la reunión. — “Before, we used to restart the system before the meeting.”
  3. Él reinició el programa que no responde. — “He restarted the program that is not responding.”
  4. Yo ya había reiniciado el ordenador cuando se bloquea antes de salir. — “I had already restarted the computer when it freezes before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú reiniciarás el ordenador cuando se bloquea. — “Tomorrow, you will restart the computer when it freezes.”
  2. Yo reiniciaría el móvil después de la actualización si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would restart the phone after the update if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha reiniciado el sistema antes de la reunión. — “He has restarted the system before the meeting.”
  4. Espero que él reinicie el programa que no responde. — “I hope he restarts the program that is not responding.”

reiniciar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use reiniciar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo reinicio el ordenador cuando se bloquea. — “I restart the computer when it freezes.”
  • Bea: Él reinicia el móvil después de la actualización. — “He restarts the phone after the update.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo reinicié el móvil después de la actualización. — “Yesterday, I restarted the phone after the update.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú reiniciarás el ordenador cuando se bloquea. — “Tomorrow, you will restart the computer when it freezes.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros reiniciamos el sistema antes de la reunión. — “We restart the system before the meeting.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros reiniciábamos el sistema antes de la reunión. — “Before, we used to restart the system before the meeting.”
  • Luis: Yo reiniciaría el móvil después de la actualización si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would restart the phone after the update if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él reinicie el programa que no responde. — “I hope he restarts the program that is not responding.”

A short scene with reiniciar

A short scene shows how reiniciar works across the day. In the morning: Reinicio el ordenador cuando se bloquea. In the afternoon: Reinicia el móvil después de la actualización. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, reinicié el sistema antes de la reunión. And tomorrow: Mañana, reiniciaré el programa que no responde. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how reiniciar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with reiniciar

The errors learners actually make with reiniciar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo reinicia el ordenador cuando se bloquea.

✓ Correct: Yo reinicio el ordenador cuando se bloquea.

The person matters: reinicia is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is reinicio. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo reinicio el móvil después de la actualización.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo reinicié el móvil después de la actualización.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: reinicio is happening now, while reinicié is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating reiniciar and apagar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Reiniciar means to restart, while apagar means to turn off.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: reiniciar fits sentences such as Reinicio el ordenador cuando se bloquea, while apagar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy reiniciado el móvil después de la actualización.

✓ Correct: Yo he reiniciado el móvil después de la actualización.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he reiniciado, has reiniciado, ha reiniciado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo reinicié el sistema antes de la reunión todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo reiniciaba el sistema antes de la reunión todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (reiniciaba), not the preterite. The preterite (reinicié) is for one finished action.

Quiz: reiniciar in use

Ten questions on reiniciar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el móvil después de la actualización. — “He/she restarts the phone after the update.”

  • a) reinicia
  • b) reinicio
  • c) reinicias
  • d) reiniciamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el sistema antes de la reunión. — “Yesterday, I restarted the system before the meeting.”

  • a) reiniciaste
  • b) reinició
  • c) reiniciaron
  • d) reinicié

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el programa que no responde cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to restart the program that is not responding when they were young.”

  • a) reiniciabas
  • b) reiniciábamos
  • c) reiniciaban
  • d) reiniciaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ el ordenador cuando se bloquea. — “Tomorrow, we will restart the computer when it freezes.”

  • a) reiniciarán
  • b) reiniciaremos
  • c) reiniciaré
  • d) reiniciarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el móvil después de la actualización si pudiera. — “He would restart the phone after the update if he could.”

  • a) reiniciaría
  • b) reiniciarías
  • c) reiniciaríamos
  • d) reinicio

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el sistema antes de la reunión. — “I have restarted the system before the meeting.”

  • a) has reiniciado
  • b) ha reiniciado
  • c) han reiniciado
  • d) he reiniciado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ el programa que no responde. — “I hope you restart the program that is not responding.”

  • a) reiniciemos
  • b) reinicio
  • c) reinicies
  • d) reinicie

8. Which is the past participle of reiniciar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) reinicié
  • b) reiniciado
  • c) reiniciando
  • d) reinicio

9. What does reiniciar mean in English?

  • a) to restart
  • b) to turn off
  • c) to scan
  • d) to pause

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él reinicia el móvil después de la actualización.
  • b) Él reinicio el móvil después de la actualización.
  • c) Nosotros reinicia el sistema antes de la reunión.
  • d) Yo reinicia el ordenador cuando se bloquea.

Answer key

  1. a) reinicia — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: reinicia.

  2. d) reinicié — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: reinicié, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) reiniciaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: reiniciaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) reiniciaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: reiniciaremos.

  5. a) reiniciaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: reiniciaría.

  6. d) he reiniciado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he reiniciado, haber + reiniciado.

  7. c) reinicies — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is reinicies.

  8. b) reiniciado — The past participle is reiniciado: he reiniciado, has reiniciado, ha reiniciado. The gerund reiniciando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to restart — reiniciar means to restart. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él reinicia el móvil después de la actualización. — Él reinicia el móvil después de la actualización. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use reiniciar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Reinicio el ordenador cuando se bloquea and Reinicia el móvil después de la actualización. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between reiniciar and apagar?

Reiniciar means “to restart”, while apagar means “to turn off”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use reiniciar when you mean “to restart” and apagar when you mean “to turn off”.

Which tense do I need most with reiniciar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use reiniciar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is reiniciar formal or informal?

Reiniciar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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