Relinchar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

relinchar means “to neigh” 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. Relinchar means to neigh, the sound a horse makes. It is an animal-sound verb used in stables, riding schools and the countryside, and it is fully regular. 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 relinchar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the relinchar present tense page.

relinchar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo relincho en el establo por la mañana. — “I neigh in the stable in the morning.”
  2. Él relincha al ver a su dueño. — “He neighs on seeing its owner.”
  3. Nosotros relinchamos en el campo con los otros caballos. — “We neigh in the fields with the other horses.”
  4. Ellos relinchan cuando oye el ruido del coche. — “They neigh when it hears the car.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo relinché al ver a su dueño. — “Yesterday, I neighed on seeing its owner.”
  2. Antes, nosotros relinchábamos en el campo con los otros caballos. — “Before, we used to neigh in the fields with the other horses.”
  3. Él relinchó cuando oye el ruido del coche. — “He neighed when it hears the car.”
  4. Yo ya había relinchado en el establo por la mañana antes de salir. — “I had already neighed in the stable in the morning before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú relincharás en el establo por la mañana. — “Tomorrow, you will neigh in the stable in the morning.”
  2. Yo relincharía al ver a su dueño si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would neigh on seeing its owner if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha relinchado en el campo con los otros caballos. — “He has neighed in the fields with the other horses.”
  4. Espero que él relinche cuando oye el ruido del coche. — “I hope he neighs when it hears the car.”

relinchar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use relinchar 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 relincho en el establo por la mañana. — “I neigh in the stable in the morning.”
  • Bea: Él relincha al ver a su dueño. — “He neighs on seeing its owner.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo relinché al ver a su dueño. — “Yesterday, I neighed on seeing its owner.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú relincharás en el establo por la mañana. — “Tomorrow, you will neigh in the stable in the morning.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros relinchamos en el campo con los otros caballos. — “We neigh in the fields with the other horses.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros relinchábamos en el campo con los otros caballos. — “Before, we used to neigh in the fields with the other horses.”
  • Luis: Yo relincharía al ver a su dueño si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would neigh on seeing its owner if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él relinche cuando oye el ruido del coche. — “I hope he neighs when it hears the car.”

A short scene with relinchar

A short scene shows how relinchar works across the day. In the morning: Relincho en el establo por la mañana. In the afternoon: Relincha al ver a su dueño. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, relinché en el campo con los otros caballos. And tomorrow: Mañana, relincharé cuando oye el ruido del coche. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how relinchar 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 relinchar

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

✗ Yo relincha en el establo por la mañana.

✓ Correct: Yo relincho en el establo por la mañana.

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

✗ Ayer yo relincho al ver a su dueño.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo relinché al ver a su dueño.

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

✗ Treating relinchar and ladrar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Relinchar means to neigh, while ladrar means to bark.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: relinchar fits sentences such as Relincho en el establo por la mañana, while ladrar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy relinchado al ver a su dueño.

✓ Correct: Yo he relinchado al ver a su dueño.

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

✗ De niño, yo relinché en el campo con los otros caballos todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo relinchaba en el campo con los otros caballos todos los días.

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

Quiz: relinchar in use

Ten questions on relinchar — 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 ______ al ver a su dueño. — “He/she neighs on seeing its owner.”

  • a) relincha
  • b) relincho
  • c) relinchas
  • d) relinchamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ en el campo con los otros caballos. — “Yesterday, I neighed in the fields with the other horses.”

  • a) relinchaste
  • b) relinchó
  • c) relincharon
  • d) relinché

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ cuando oye el ruido del coche cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to neigh when it hears the car when they were young.”

  • a) relinchabas
  • b) relinchábamos
  • c) relinchaban
  • d) relinchaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ en el establo por la mañana. — “Tomorrow, we will neigh in the stable in the morning.”

  • a) relincharán
  • b) relincharemos
  • c) relincharé
  • d) relincharás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al ver a su dueño si pudiera. — “He would neigh on seeing its owner if he could.”

  • a) relincharía
  • b) relincharías
  • c) relincharíamos
  • d) relincho

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ en el campo con los otros caballos. — “I have neighed in the fields with the other horses.”

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

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ cuando oye el ruido del coche. — “I hope you neigh when it hears the car.”

  • a) relinchemos
  • b) relincho
  • c) relinches
  • d) relinche

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

  • a) relinché
  • b) relinchado
  • c) relinchando
  • d) relincho

9. What does relinchar mean in English?

  • a) to neigh
  • b) to bark
  • c) to howl
  • d) to caw, to croak

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él relincha al ver a su dueño.
  • b) Él relincho al ver a su dueño.
  • c) Nosotros relincha en el campo con los otros caballos.
  • d) Yo relincha en el establo por la mañana.

Answer key

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  10. a) Él relincha al ver a su dueño. — Él relincha al ver a su dueño. 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 relinchar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Relincho en el establo por la mañana and Relincha al ver a su dueño. 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 relinchar and ladrar?

Relinchar means “to neigh”, while ladrar means “to bark”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use relinchar when you mean “to neigh” and ladrar when you mean “to bark”.

Which tense do I need most with relinchar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use relinchar 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 relinchar formal or informal?

Relinchar 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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