Reñir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

reñir means "to quarrel, to scold" 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. Reñir a alguien means to scold someone: reñir a su hijo por las notas. With con it means to quarrel with someone: reñir con su hermano. The preposition changes the meaning. 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 reñir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the reñir present tense page.

reñir 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 riño a su hijo por las notas — "I scold his son about his grades"
  2. Mi amigo riñe a los alumnos por el desorden — "My friend scolds the pupils about the mess"
  3. Mañana, tú reñirás a su hermano por el coche — "Tomorrow, you will scold his brother over the car"
  4. Yo reñiría a su mujer por el dinero si pudiera — "I would scold his wife about money 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 reñí a su hijo por las notas — "Yesterday, I scolded his son about his grades"
  2. Antes, nosotros reñíamos a los alumnos por el desorden — "Before, we used to scold the pupils about the mess"
  3. Él ha reñido a su hermano por el coche — "He has scolded his brother over the car"
  4. Yo ya había reñido a su mujer por el dinero antes de salir — "I already had scolded his wife about money 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 riña a su hijo por las notas — "I hope he scolds his son about his grades"
  2. Si yo riñiera a los alumnos por el desorden, todo cambiaría — "If I scolded the pupils about the mess, everything would change"
  3. Riñe a su hermano por el coche. — "Scold his brother over the car."
  4. Yo habría reñido a su mujer por el dinero con más tiempo — "I would have scolded his wife about money with more time"

reñir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use reñir 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 riño a su hijo por las notas — "I scold his son about his grades"
  • Marcos: Él riñe a los alumnos por el desorden — "He scolds the pupils about the mess"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo reñí a su hermano por el coche — "Yesterday, I scolded his brother over the car"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú reñirás a su mujer por el dinero — "Tomorrow, you will scold his wife about money"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Riñe a su amigo por llegar tarde. — "Scold his friend for arriving late."
  • Lucía: Él ha reñido a su hijo por las notas — "He has scolded his son about his grades"
  • Marcos: Espero que él riña a los alumnos por el desorden — "I hope he scolds the pupils about the mess"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo reñía a su hermano por el coche — "Before, I used to scold his brother over the car"

Common mistakes with reñir

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

✗ *Yo reño a su mujer por el dinero.

✓ Correct: Yo riño a su mujer por el dinero.

reñir is a stem-changing verb (e → i): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is riño, not reño.

✗ *Espero que él riñe a su mujer por el dinero

✓ Correct: Espero que él riña a su mujer por el dinero

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él riña a su mujer por el dinero — not the indicative Espero que él riñe a su mujer por el dinero.

✗ *Ayer, yo riño a su amigo por llegar tarde

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo reñí a su amigo por llegar tarde

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo reñí a su amigo por llegar tarde.

✗ *De niño, yo reñí a su hijo por las notas todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo reñía a su hijo por las notas todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo reñía a su hijo por las notas todos los días.

✗ *Yo riño su hermano por el coche.

✓ Correct: Yo riño a su hermano por el coche.

reñir takes a before this complement: Yo riño a su hermano por el coche. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: reñir in use

Ten questions on reñir — 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 ______ a su hijo por las notas — "I scold his son about his grades" (present) A. riñes B. riñe C. reñimos D. riño

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ a los alumnos por el desorden — "Yesterday, I scolded the pupils about the mess" (preterite) A. reñí B. reñiste C. riñió D. reñimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ a su hermano por el coche — "Before, we used to scold his brother over the car" (imperfect) A. reñía B. reñías C. reñíais D. reñíamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ a su mujer por el dinero — "Tomorrow, you will scold his wife about money" (future) A. reñirás B. reñiré C. reñirá D. reñiremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a su amigo por llegar tarde — "I would scold his friend for arriving late" (conditional) A. reñiríamos B. reñiríais C. reñiría D. reñirías

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a su hijo por las notas — "He has scolded his son about his grades" (present perfect) A. ha reñido B. he reñido C. has reñido D. hemos reñido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ a los alumnos por el desorden — "I hope he scolds the pupils about the mess" (present subjunctive) A. riñas B. riñamos C. riñáis D. riña

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ a su hermano por el coche. — "Scold his brother over the car." (affirmative imperative) A. riña B. riñamos C. reñid D. riñe

  9. Which is the gerund of reñir, used with estar for the progressive? A. reñido B. riño C. reñí D. riñiendo

  10. What does reñir mean in English? A. to cross B. to quarrel C. to argue D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. riño — The present form for yo is riño.
  2. reñí — The preterite form for yo is reñí.
  3. reñíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is reñíamos.
  4. reñirás — The future form for tú is reñirás.
  5. reñiría — The conditional form for yo is reñiría.
  6. ha reñido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha reñido.
  7. riña — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is riña.
  8. riñe — The affirmative imperative form is riñe.
  9. riñiendo — The gerund of reñir is riñiendo: estoy riñiendo. The participle reñido is used with haber instead.
  10. to quarrel — reñir means to quarrel.

Frequently asked questions

What does reñir mean in English?

reñir means to quarrel, to scold. For example: Yo riño a su hijo por las notas — "I scold his son about his grades". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with reñir?

reñir takes a 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 reñir.

Is reñir regular?

No. reñir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → i). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: riño, riñes, riñe and riñen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: reñimos, reñís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: riñió, riñieron, and the gerund is riñiendo.

How do I practise reñir?

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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