Introduction

relevar means “to relieve, to take over from”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to relieve, to take over from” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows relevar 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 relevo a mi compañero por la mañana.” — “I relieve my colleague.”

relevar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how relevar 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 relevo a mi compañero cada día.” — “I relieve my colleague.”
  2. “Tú relevas a mi compañero cada día.” — “you relieve my colleague.”
  3. “Él releva a mi compañero siempre.” — “He relieves my colleague.”
  4. “Nosotros relevamos a mi compañero todos los días.” — “We relieve my colleague.”

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 relevé a mi compañero ayer.” — “I relieved my colleague.” (preterite) 6. “Él relevó a mi compañero ayer.” — “He relieved my colleague.” (preterite) 7. “Yo relevaba a mi compañero cuando era joven.” — “I used to relieve my colleague.” (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 relevaremos a mi compañero mañana.” — “We will relieve my colleague.” (future) 9. “Tú has relevado a mi compañero hoy.” — “you have relieved my colleague.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo releve a mi compañero.” — “I hope that I relieve my colleague.” (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 releváis a mi compañero cada semana.” — “You relieve my colleague.” 12. “Ellos relevan a mi compañero normalmente.” — “They relieve my colleague.”

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

Dialogue at work during a coffee break

Marta: “¿Tú relevas a mi compañero?” — Do you relieve my colleague?

Carlos: “Sí, yo relevo a mi compañero cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I relieve my colleague every day. It is part of my routine.

Marta: “¿Y ayer? ¿También relevas a mi compañero?” — And yesterday? Did you relieve my colleague too?

Carlos: “Sí, ayer yo relevé a mi compañero. Mañana nosotros relevaremos a mi compañero otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I relieved my colleague. Tomorrow we will relieve my colleague again.

A short paragraph

Él releva a mi compañero cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how relevar 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 relevo a mi compañero — 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 relevar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is relevé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — releve — 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 relevar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For relevar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: relevamos. 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 relevado a mi compañero. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy relevado is not the present perfect of relevar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing relevar with relacionar

relevar 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 relevar — relieve — the sentence needs relevar; 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 releve a mi compañero. Using the indicative — Espero que yo relevo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with relevar. 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 relevar in the present?

  • A. relevas
  • B. releva
  • C. relevamos
  • D. relevo

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

  • A. relevamos
  • B. relevaste
  • C. relevé
  • D. relevó

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

  • A. relevabas
  • B. relevábamos
  • C. relevabais
  • D. relevaba

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

  • A. relevará
  • B. relevaremos
  • C. relevaré
  • D. relevarás

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

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

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

  • A. releve
  • B. releven
  • C. releve
  • D. releves

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

  • A. relevaste
  • B. relevó
  • C. relevamos
  • D. relevé

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

  • A. relevábamos
  • B. relevabas
  • C. relevaba
  • D. relevaba

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

  • A. relevaré
  • B. relevarás
  • C. relevaremos
  • D. relevará

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

  • A. relevaría
  • B. relevaríamos
  • C. relevaría
  • D. relevarías

Answer key

  1. relevo — The present table gives yo = relevo.
  2. relevaste — The preterite table gives tu = relevaste.
  3. relevaba — The imperfect table gives el = relevaba.
  4. relevaremos — The future table gives nosotros = relevaremos.
  5. habéis relevado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis relevado.
  6. releven — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = releven.
  7. relevé — The preterite table gives yo = relevé.
  8. relevabas — The imperfect table gives tu = relevabas.
  9. relevará — The future table gives el = relevará.
  10. relevaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = relevaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use relevar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo relevo a mi compañero.” — “I relieve my colleague.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form relevo first, then the preterite yo form relevé and the participle relevado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund relevando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is relevar reflexive?

No — relevar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo relevo a mi compañero. 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 relevar?

On the main conjugation page for relevar, 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