Introduction

remar means “to row”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to row” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows remar 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 remo en el lago por la mañana.” — “I row on the lake.”

remar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how remar 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 remo en el lago cada día.” — “I row on the lake.”
  2. “Tú remas en el lago cada día.” — “you row on the lake.”
  3. “Él rema en el lago siempre.” — “He rows on the lake.”
  4. “Nosotros remamos en el lago todos los días.” — “We row on the lake.”

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 remé en el lago ayer.” — “I rowed on the lake.” (preterite) 6. “Él remó en el lago ayer.” — “He rowed on the lake.” (preterite) 7. “Yo remaba en el lago cuando era joven.” — “I used to row on the lake.” (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 remaremos en el lago mañana.” — “We will row on the lake.” (future) 9. “Tú has remado en el lago hoy.” — “you have rowed on the lake.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo reme en el lago.” — “I hope that I row on the lake.” (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 remáis en el lago cada semana.” — “You row on the lake.” 12. “Ellos reman en el lago normalmente.” — “They row on the lake.”

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

Dialogue in a café

Sofía: “¿Tú remas en el lago?” — Do you row on the lake?

Diego: “Sí, yo remo en el lago cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I row on the lake every day. It is part of my routine.

Sofía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También remas en el lago?” — And yesterday? Did you row on the lake too?

Diego: “Sí, ayer yo remé en el lago. Mañana nosotros remaremos en el lago otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I rowed on the lake. Tomorrow we will row on the lake again.

A short paragraph

Él rema en el lago cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how remar 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 remo en el lago — 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 remar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is remé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — reme — 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 remar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For remar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: remamos. 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 remado en el lago. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy remado is not the present perfect of remar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing remar with remediar

remar and remediar 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 remar — row — the sentence needs remar; if it needs the meaning of remediar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo reme en el lago. Using the indicative — Espero que yo remo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with remar. 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 remar in the present?

  • A. remas
  • B. rema
  • C. remamos
  • D. remo

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

  • A. remamos
  • B. remaste
  • C. remé
  • D. remó

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

  • A. remabas
  • B. remábamos
  • C. remabais
  • D. remaba

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

  • A. remará
  • B. remaremos
  • C. remaré
  • D. remarás

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

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

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

  • A. reme
  • B. remen
  • C. reme
  • D. remes

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

  • A. remaste
  • B. remó
  • C. remamos
  • D. remé

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

  • A. remábamos
  • B. remabas
  • C. remaba
  • D. remaba

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

  • A. remaré
  • B. remarás
  • C. remaremos
  • D. remará

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

  • A. remaría
  • B. remaríamos
  • C. remaría
  • D. remarías

Answer key

  1. remo — The present table gives yo = remo.
  2. remaste — The preterite table gives tu = remaste.
  3. remaba — The imperfect table gives el = remaba.
  4. remaremos — The future table gives nosotros = remaremos.
  5. habéis remado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis remado.
  6. remen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = remen.
  7. remé — The preterite table gives yo = remé.
  8. remabas — The imperfect table gives tu = remabas.
  9. remará — The future table gives el = remará.
  10. remaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = remaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use remar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo remo en el lago.” — “I row on the lake.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form remo first, then the preterite yo form remé and the participle remado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund remando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is remar reflexive?

No — remar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo remo en el lago. 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 remar?

On the main conjugation page for remar, 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