Renegar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

renegar means "to renounce, to complain" 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. Renegar usually means to grumble or complain: renegar del calor, renegar de su suerte. With de it can also mean to renounce something, such as renegar de su fe. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, 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 renegar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the renegar present tense page.

renegar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo reniego de su suerte cada día — "I complain about his luck every day"
  2. Mi amigo reniega del calor del verano — "My friend complains about the summer heat"
  3. Mañana, tú renegarás de su jefe ante todos — "Tomorrow, you will complain about his boss in front of everyone"
  4. Yo renegaría de la lluvia en voz baja si pudiera — "I would complain about the rain under his breath if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo renegué de su suerte cada día — "Yesterday, I complained about his luck every day"
  2. Antes, nosotros renegábamos del calor del verano — "Before, we used to complain about the summer heat"
  3. Él ha renegado de su jefe ante todos — "He has complained about his boss in front of everyone"
  4. Yo ya había renegado de la lluvia en voz baja antes de salir — "I already had complained about the rain under his breath before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él reniegue de su suerte cada día — "I hope he complains about his luck every day"
  2. Si yo renegara del calor del verano, todo cambiaría — "If I complained about the summer heat, everything would change"
  3. Reniega de su jefe ante todos. — "Complain about his boss in front of everyone."
  4. Yo habría renegado de la lluvia en voz baja con más tiempo — "I would have complained about the rain under his breath with more time"

renegar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use renegar 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 it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo reniego de su suerte cada día — "I complain about his luck every day"
  • Marcos: Él reniega del calor del verano — "He complains about the summer heat"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo renegué de su jefe ante todos — "Yesterday, I complained about his boss in front of everyone"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú renegarás de la lluvia en voz baja — "Tomorrow, you will complain about the rain under his breath"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Reniega de su mala suerte en el trabajo. — "Complain about his bad luck at work."
  • Lucía: Él ha renegado de su suerte cada día — "He has complained about his luck every day"
  • Marcos: Espero que él reniegue del calor del verano — "I hope he complains about the summer heat"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo renegaba de su jefe ante todos — "Before, I used to complain about his boss in front of everyone"

Common mistakes with renegar

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

✗ *Yo renego de la lluvia en voz baja.

✓ Correct: Yo reniego de la lluvia en voz baja.

renegar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is reniego, not renego.

✗ *Espero que él reniega de la lluvia en voz baja

✓ Correct: Espero que él reniegue de la lluvia en voz baja

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él reniegue de la lluvia en voz baja — not the indicative Espero que él reniega de la lluvia en voz baja.

✗ *Ayer, yo reniego de su mala suerte en el trabajo

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo renegué de su mala suerte en el trabajo

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo renegué de su mala suerte en el trabajo.

✗ *De niño, yo renegué de su suerte cada día todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo renegaba de su suerte cada día todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo renegaba de su suerte cada día todos los días.

✗ *Yo reniego su jefe ante todos.

✓ Correct: Yo reniego de su jefe ante todos.

renegar takes de before this complement: Yo reniego de su jefe ante todos. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: renegar in use

Ten questions on renegar — 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: Yo ______ de su suerte cada día — "I complain about his luck every day" (present) A. reniego B. reniegas C. reniega D. renegamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ del calor del verano — "Yesterday, I complained about the summer heat" (preterite) A. renegaste B. renegó C. renegamos D. renegué

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ de su jefe ante todos — "Before, we used to complain about his boss in front of everyone" (imperfect) A. renegabais B. renegábamos C. renegaba D. renegabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ de la lluvia en voz baja — "Tomorrow, you will complain about the rain under his breath" (future) A. renegará B. renegaremos C. renegarás D. renegaré

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ de su mala suerte en el trabajo — "I would complain about his bad luck at work" (conditional) A. renegaríais B. renegaría C. renegarías D. renegaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ de su suerte cada día — "He has complained about his luck every day" (present perfect) A. hemos renegado B. ha renegado C. he renegado D. has renegado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ del calor del verano — "I hope he complains about the summer heat" (present subjunctive) A. reneguemos B. reneguéis C. reniegue D. reniegues

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ de su jefe ante todos. — "Complain about his boss in front of everyone." (affirmative imperative) A. renegad B. reniega C. reniegue D. reneguemos

  9. Which is the gerund of renegar, used with estar for the progressive? A. reniego B. renegué C. renegando D. renegado

  10. What does renegar mean in English? A. to renounce B. to complain C. to enjoy D. to cross

Answer key

  1. reniego — The present form for yo is reniego.
  2. renegué — The preterite form for yo is renegué.
  3. renegábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is renegábamos.
  4. renegarás — The future form for tú is renegarás.
  5. renegaría — The conditional form for yo is renegaría.
  6. ha renegado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha renegado.
  7. reniegue — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is reniegue.
  8. reniega — The affirmative imperative form is reniega.
  9. renegando — The gerund of renegar is renegando: estoy renegando. The participle renegado is used with haber instead.
  10. to renounce — renegar means to renounce.

Frequently asked questions

What does renegar mean in English?

renegar means to renounce, to complain. For example: Yo reniego de su suerte cada día — "I complain about his luck every day". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with renegar?

renegar takes de before this kind of complement, as in the examples above. Keep the preposition with the verb — dropping it is one of the most common learner errors with renegar.

Is renegar regular?

No. renegar is a stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: reniego, reniegas, reniega and reniegan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: renegamos, renegáis.

How do I practise renegar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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