Introduction

relajar means “to relax”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to relax” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows relajar 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 relajo los músculos por la mañana.” — “I relax the muscles.”

relajar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how relajar 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 relajo los músculos cada día.” — “I relax the muscles.”
  2. “Tú relajas los músculos cada día.” — “you relax the muscles.”
  3. “Él relaja los músculos siempre.” — “He relaxes the muscles.”
  4. “Nosotros relajamos los músculos todos los días.” — “We relax the muscles.”

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 relajé los músculos ayer.” — “I relaxed the muscles.” (preterite) 6. “Él relajó los músculos ayer.” — “He relaxed the muscles.” (preterite) 7. “Yo relajaba los músculos cuando era joven.” — “I used to relax the muscles.” (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 relajaremos los músculos mañana.” — “We will relax the muscles.” (future) 9. “Tú has relajado los músculos hoy.” — “you have relaxed the muscles.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo relaje los músculos.” — “I hope that I relax the muscles.” (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 relajáis los músculos cada semana.” — “You relax the muscles.” 12. “Ellos relajan los músculos normalmente.” — “They relax the muscles.”

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

Dialogue in a café

Sofía: “¿Tú relajas los músculos?” — Do you relax the muscles?

Diego: “Sí, yo relajo los músculos cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I relax the muscles every day. It is part of my routine.

Sofía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También relajas los músculos?” — And yesterday? Did you relax the muscles too?

Diego: “Sí, ayer yo relajé los músculos. Mañana nosotros relajaremos los músculos otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I relaxed the muscles. Tomorrow we will relax the muscles again.

A short paragraph

Él relaja los músculos cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how relajar 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 relajo los músculos — 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 relajar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is relajé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — relaje — 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 relajar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For relajar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: relajamos. 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 relajado los músculos. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy relajado is not the present perfect of relajar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing relajar with relacionar

relajar and relacionar 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 relajar — relax — the sentence needs relajar; if it needs the meaning of relacionar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo relaje los músculos. Using the indicative — Espero que yo relajo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with relajar. 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 relajar in the present?

  • A. relajas
  • B. relaja
  • C. relajamos
  • D. relajo

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

  • A. relajamos
  • B. relajaste
  • C. relajé
  • D. relajó

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

  • A. relajabas
  • B. relajábamos
  • C. relajabais
  • D. relajaba

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

  • A. relajará
  • B. relajaremos
  • C. relajaré
  • D. relajarás

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

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

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

  • A. relaje
  • B. relajen
  • C. relaje
  • D. relajes

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

  • A. relajaste
  • B. relajó
  • C. relajamos
  • D. relajé

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

  • A. relajábamos
  • B. relajabas
  • C. relajaba
  • D. relajaba

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

  • A. relajaré
  • B. relajarás
  • C. relajaremos
  • D. relajará

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

  • A. relajaría
  • B. relajaríamos
  • C. relajaría
  • D. relajarías

Answer key

  1. relajo — The present table gives yo = relajo.
  2. relajaste — The preterite table gives tu = relajaste.
  3. relajaba — The imperfect table gives el = relajaba.
  4. relajaremos — The future table gives nosotros = relajaremos.
  5. habéis relajado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis relajado.
  6. relajen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = relajen.
  7. relajé — The preterite table gives yo = relajé.
  8. relajabas — The imperfect table gives tu = relajabas.
  9. relajará — The future table gives el = relajará.
  10. relajaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = relajaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use relajar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo relajo los músculos.” — “I relax the muscles.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form relajo first, then the preterite yo form relajé and the participle relajado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund relajando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is relajar reflexive?

No — relajar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo relajo los músculos. 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 relajar?

On the main conjugation page for relajar, 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