Introduction

renacer means “to be reborn”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to be reborn” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows renacer 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: “La ciudad renace en primavera por la mañana.” — “The city is reborn in spring.”

renacer in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how renacer 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. “La ciudad renace en primavera cada día.” — “The city is reborn in spring.”
  2. “La ciudad renace en primavera cada día.” — “The city is reborn in spring.”
  3. “La ciudad renace en primavera siempre.” — “The city is reborn in spring.”
  4. “La ciudad renace en primavera todos los días.” — “The city is reborn in spring.”

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. “La ciudad renació en primavera ayer.” — “The city was reborn in spring.” (preterite) 6. “La ciudad renació en primavera ayer.” — “The city was reborn in spring.” (preterite) 7. “La ciudad renacía en primavera cuando era joven.” — “The city used to be reborn in spring.” (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. “La ciudad renacerá en primavera mañana.” — “The city will be reborn in spring.” (future) 9. “La ciudad ha renacido en primavera hoy.” — “The city has been reborn in spring.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que la ciudad renazca en primavera.” — “I hope that the city is reborn in spring.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “La ciudad renace en primavera cada semana.” — “The city is reborn in spring.” 12. “Las ciudades renacen en primavera normalmente.” — “The cities are reborn in spring.”

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

Dialogue on the phone

Lucía: “¿La ciudad renace en primavera?” — The city is reborn in spring?

Pedro: “Sí, la ciudad renace en primavera cada día.” — Yes, it is reborn in spring every day.

Lucía: “¿Y las ciudades? ¿También renacen en primavera?” — And the others? They are reborn in spring too?

Pedro: “Sí, todos renacen en primavera. Es normal.” — Yes, they all are reborn in spring. It is normal.

A short paragraph

La ciudad renace en primavera cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how renacer 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 renazco en primavera — 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 renacer yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Using the unchanged stem

Learners often write renaco for the yo form, keeping the infinitive stem unchanged. The correct form is renazco. Because renacer changes its stem vowel, the change appears in the stressed syllables of the present: say the correct form out loud a few times — yo renazco en primavera — until the changed stem feels natural.

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is renací, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — renaci — 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 renacer.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

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

Confusing renacer with rendirse

renacer and rendirse 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 renacer — be reborn — the sentence needs renacer; if it needs the meaning of rendirse, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo renazca en primavera. Using the indicative — Espero que yo renazco — is one of the most frequent learner errors with renacer. 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 renacer in the present?

  • A. renaces
  • B. renace
  • C. renacemos
  • D. renazco

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

  • A. renacimos
  • B. renaciste
  • C. renací
  • D. renació

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

  • A. renacías
  • B. renacíamos
  • C. renacíais
  • D. renacía

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

  • A. renacerá
  • B. renaceremos
  • C. renaceré
  • D. renacerás

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

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

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

  • A. renazca
  • B. renazcan
  • C. renazca
  • D. renazcas

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

  • A. renaciste
  • B. renació
  • C. renacimos
  • D. renací

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

  • A. renacíamos
  • B. renacías
  • C. renacía
  • D. renacía

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

  • A. renaceré
  • B. renacerás
  • C. renaceremos
  • D. renacerá

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

  • A. renacería
  • B. renaceríamos
  • C. renacería
  • D. renacerías

Answer key

  1. renazco — The present table gives yo = renazco.
  2. renaciste — The preterite table gives tu = renaciste.
  3. renacía — The imperfect table gives el = renacía.
  4. renaceremos — The future table gives nosotros = renaceremos.
  5. habéis renacido — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis renacido.
  6. renazcan — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = renazcan.
  7. renací — The preterite table gives yo = renací.
  8. renacías — The imperfect table gives tu = renacías.
  9. renacerá — The future table gives el = renacerá.
  10. renaceríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = renaceríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use renacer in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “La ciudad renace en primavera.” — “The city is reborn in spring.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form renazco first, then the preterite yo form renací and the participle renacido. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund renaciendo next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is renacer reflexive?

No — renacer is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo renazco en primavera. 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 renacer?

On the main conjugation page for renacer, 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