Introduction

releer means “to reread”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to reread” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows releer 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 releo el libro por la mañana.” — “I reread the book.”

releer in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how releer 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 releo el libro cada día.” — “I reread the book.”
  2. “Tú relees el libro cada día.” — “you reread the book.”
  3. “Él relee el libro siempre.” — “He rereads the book.”
  4. “Nosotros releemos el libro todos los días.” — “We reread the book.”

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 releí el libro ayer.” — “I reread the book.” (preterite) 6. “Él releyó el libro ayer.” — “He reread the book.” (preterite) 7. “Yo releía el libro cuando era joven.” — “I used to reread the book.” (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 releeremos el libro mañana.” — “We will reread the book.” (future) 9. “Tú has releído el libro hoy.” — “you have reread the book.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo relea el libro.” — “I hope that I reread the book.” (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 releéis el libro cada semana.” — “You reread the book.” 12. “Ellos releen el libro normalmente.” — “They reread the book.”

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

Dialogue at home in the evening

Ana: “¿Tú relees el libro?” — Do you reread the book?

Luis: “Sí, yo releo el libro cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I reread the book every day. It is part of my routine.

Ana: “¿Y ayer? ¿También relees el libro?” — And yesterday? Did you reread the book too?

Luis: “Sí, ayer yo releí el libro. Mañana nosotros releeremos el libro otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I reread the book. Tomorrow we will reread the book again.

A short paragraph

Él relee el libro cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how releer 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 releo el libro — 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 releer yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Guessing the past participle

A common error is writing releido as the past participle of releer. The correct participle is releído. That matters in every perfect tense: it is he releído, había releído, habré releído. Memorise the participle on its own and the perfect tenses take care of themselves.

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is releí, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — relei — 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 releer.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he releído el libro. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy releído is not the present perfect of releer — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing releer with relacionar

releer 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 releer — reread — the sentence needs releer; 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 relea el libro. Using the indicative — Espero que yo releo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with releer. 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 releer in the present?

  • A. relees
  • B. relee
  • C. releemos
  • D. releo

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

  • A. releímos
  • B. releíste
  • C. releí
  • D. releyó

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

  • A. releías
  • B. releíamos
  • C. releíais
  • D. releía

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

  • A. releerá
  • B. releeremos
  • C. releeré
  • D. releerás

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

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

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

  • A. relea
  • B. relean
  • C. relea
  • D. releas

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

  • A. releíste
  • B. releyó
  • C. releímos
  • D. releí

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

  • A. releíamos
  • B. releías
  • C. releía
  • D. releía

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

  • A. releeré
  • B. releerás
  • C. releeremos
  • D. releerá

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

  • A. releería
  • B. releeríamos
  • C. releería
  • D. releerías

Answer key

  1. releo — The present table gives yo = releo.
  2. releíste — The preterite table gives tu = releíste.
  3. releía — The imperfect table gives el = releía.
  4. releeremos — The future table gives nosotros = releeremos.
  5. habéis releído — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis releído.
  6. relean — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = relean.
  7. releí — The preterite table gives yo = releí.
  8. releías — The imperfect table gives tu = releías.
  9. releerá — The future table gives el = releerá.
  10. releeríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = releeríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use releer in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo releo el libro.” — “I reread the book.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form releo first, then the preterite yo form releí and the participle releído. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund releyendo next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is releer reflexive?

No — releer is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo releo el libro. 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 releer?

On the main conjugation page for releer, 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