Reír Preterite Tense in Spanish
Introduction
reír means "to laugh" in English, and the preterite tense is the form you use when you talk about one action that started and finished in the past. This page gives you the full preterite-tense table for reír, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Ayer, yo reí con el chiste de mi amigo. — "Yesterday, I laughed at my friend's joke." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The preterite tense of reír: full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| Yo | reí |
| Tú | reíste |
| Él / Ella | rió |
| Nosotros | reímos |
| Vosotros | reísteis |
| Ellos | rieron |
The gerund of reír is riendo and the past participle is reído. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy riendo), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he reído).
How the preterite of reír is formed
The preterite of reír is mostly regular, with one important change in the third person: the stem vowel e becomes i, so él rió and ellos rieron, with an accent on the ó and the e of rieron. The full set is reí, reíste, rió, reímos, reísteis and rieron. The same vowel change appears in the gerund, riendo, and in the present subjunctive. The yo form reí carries a written accent on the í.
The past participle is reído, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he reído. The gerund is riendo, used for the progressive with estar: estoy riendo. Both forms are worth memorising alongside the preterite, because they appear together in real conversation.
When to use the preterite tense with reír
1. Laughing at a joke
Ayer reí con el chiste de mi amigo is the most natural use of this verb. The preterite reí marks a completed moment of laughter in the past, and the sentence belongs to a specific occasion. For example: Ayer, yo reí con el chiste de mi amigo. — "Yesterday, I laughed at my friend's joke."
2. Laughing in the cinema
Reí a carcajadas en el cine shows the verb with its most vivid adverbial phrase. It means you laughed loudly, and it is a sentence about films and shared fun. For example: Ayer, tú reíste a carcajadas en el cine. — "Yesterday, you laughed out loud in the cinema."
3. Laughing at an absurd situation
Reí de la situación absurda is the reflective use: it means the situation was so strange that laughter was the only response. For example: Ayer, él / ella rió de la situación absurda. — "Yesterday, he / she laughed at the absurd situation."
4. Sequences of completed actions
The preterite is the tense of sequences: one finished action after another. When you tell a story about yesterday, the preterite carries the plot forward, one event at a time. For example: Ayer, nosotros reímos mucho en la fiesta. — "Yesterday, we laughed a lot at the party." — and the next sentence would give the next event in the sequence.
Preterite vs imperfect: reír
The closest tense to the preterite is the imperfect, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the preterite describes one action that started and finished, while the imperfect describes a habit, a background or an action in progress in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with reír.
Pair 1
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo reí con el chiste de mi amigo. — "Yesterday, I laughed at my friend's joke."
- Imperfect (habit or background): Antes, yo reía con el chiste de mi amigo. — "Before, I used to laugh at my friend's joke."
The first sentence describes something that happened once and is finished. The second describes something that used to happen regularly. If you can add ayer, use the preterite; if you can add antes or cada día in the past, use the imperfect.
Pair 2
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo reí a carcajadas en el cine. — "Yesterday, I laughed out loud in the cinema."
- Imperfect (habit or background): Antes, yo reía a carcajadas en el cine. — "Before, I used to laugh out loud in the cinema."
The first sentence describes something that happened once and is finished. The second describes something that used to happen regularly. If you can add ayer, use the preterite; if you can add antes or cada día in the past, use the imperfect.
Pair 3
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo reí de la situación absurda. — "Yesterday, I laughed at the absurd situation."
- Imperfect (habit or background): Antes, yo reía de la situación absurda. — "Before, I used to laugh at the absurd situation."
The first sentence describes something that happened once and is finished. The second describes something that used to happen regularly. If you can add ayer, use the preterite; if you can add antes or cada día in the past, use the imperfect.
Examples: reír in the preterite tense
These six sentences show reír in the preterite tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo reí con el chiste de mi amigo. — "I laughed at my friend's joke."
- Tú reíste a carcajadas en el cine. — "You laughed out loud in the cinema."
- Él / Ella rió de la situación absurda. — "He / She laughed at the absurd situation."
- Nosotros reímos mucho en la fiesta. — "We laughed a lot at the party."
- Vosotros reísteis con el chiste de mi amigo. — "You laughed at my friend's joke."
- Ellos rieron a carcajadas en el cine. — "They laughed out loud in the cinema."
Common mistakes with reír in the preterite tense
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Ayer yo reíste con el chiste.
- Right: Ayer yo reí con el chiste.
- Why: The yo form of the preterite is reí. Reíste is the tú form: tú reíste con el chiste.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Yo río del chiste, pero no me río.
- Right: Yo río con el chiste.
- Why: The second clause contradicts the first. Reír means you laugh, so do not add that you do not laugh.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Reír es lo mismo que sonreír.
- Right: Reír means to laugh; sonreír means to smile.
- Why: Reír is loud and audible. Sonreír is quiet and visible. You reír at a joke; you sonreír at a friend.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, yo reí con el chiste de mi amigo.
- Right: Cada día, yo río con el chiste de mi amigo.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo rei con el chiste de mi amigo.
- Right: Yo reí con el chiste de mi amigo.
- Why: The form is reí, with a written accent. The accent is part of the spelling, and without it the word is misspelled.
Quiz: the preterite tense of reír
Test yourself with eight questions on the preterite tense of reír. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of reír in the preterite tense?
- (a) reí
- (b) reíste
- (c) rió
- (d) reímos
Answer: (a) reí. The i form is reí. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the you form of reír in the preterite tense?
- (a) reí
- (b) rió
- (c) reímos
- (d) reíste
Answer: (d) reíste. The you form is reíste. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the he / she form of reír in the preterite tense?
- (a) reíste
- (b) reímos
- (c) rió
- (d) reí
Answer: (c) rió. The he / she form is rió. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the we form of reír in the preterite tense?
- (a) rió
- (b) reímos
- (c) reí
- (d) reíste
Answer: (b) reímos. The we form is reímos. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the they form of reír in the preterite tense?
- (a) rieron
- (b) reí
- (c) reíste
- (d) rió
Answer: (a) rieron. The they form is rieron. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ con el chiste de mi amigo.
- (a) rió
- (b) reímos
- (c) reí
- (d) reíste
Answer: (c) reí. The sentence needs the yo form reí (Yesterday, I laughed at my friend's joke.)
7. What is the past participle of reír?
- (a) riendo
- (b) reír
- (c) rió
- (d) reído
Answer: (d) reído. The past participle is reído, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he reído.
8. Which sentence describes one action that was completed yesterday?
- (a) Cada día, yo río a carcajadas en el cine.
- (b) Ayer, yo reí a carcajadas en el cine.
- (c) Mañana, yo reiré a carcajadas en el cine.
- (d) Antes, yo reía a carcajadas en el cine.
Answer: (b) Ayer, yo reí a carcajadas en el cine.. Ayer, yo reí a carcajadas en el cine. (Yesterday, I laughed out loud in the cinema.) describes one completed action, so it uses the preterite. Cada día, yo río a carcajadas en el cine. is a habit, and Antes, yo reía a carcajadas en el cine. is a repeated past action.
Frequently asked questions about the preterite tense of reír
Is the preterite of reír regular?
No. The third person forms change the vowel: él rió, ellos rieron, and the gerund is riendo. The yo form is reí, with an accent on the í.
What is the gerund of reír?
Riendo. The progressive is estar + gerund: estoy riendo. The past participle is reído: he reído mucho.
What is the difference between reír and sonreír?
Reír is to laugh out loud. Sonreír is to smile quietly. A joke makes you reír; a kind word makes you sonreír.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect with reír?
Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo reí con el chiste de mi amigo. — "Yesterday, I laughed at my friend's joke." Use the imperfect for a habit or background in the past: Antes, yo reía con el chiste de mi amigo. — "Before, I used to laugh at my friend's joke." If the action happened once and is finished, choose the preterite; if it used to happen regularly, choose the imperfect.