Renovar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

renovar means "to renew" 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. Renovar covers renewing documents and contracts, and also refurbishing a room or a house. For a subscription or a licence it means to extend it for another period. 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 renovar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the renovar present tense page.

renovar 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 renuevo el pasaporte en enero — "I renew his passport in January"
  2. Mi amigo renueva el contrato de alquiler — "My friend renews the rental contract"
  3. Mañana, tú renovarás la suscripción a la revista — "Tomorrow, you will renew the magazine subscription"
  4. Yo renovaría la cocina de la casa si pudiera — "I would renew the kitchen of the house 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 renové el pasaporte en enero — "Yesterday, I renewed his passport in January"
  2. Antes, nosotros renovábamos el contrato de alquiler — "Before, we used to renew the rental contract"
  3. Él ha renovado la suscripción a la revista — "He has renewed the magazine subscription"
  4. Yo ya había renovado la cocina de la casa antes de salir — "I already had renewed the kitchen of the house 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 renueve el pasaporte en enero — "I hope he renews his passport in January"
  2. Si yo renovara el contrato de alquiler, todo cambiaría — "If I renewed the rental contract, everything would change"
  3. Renueva la suscripción a la revista. — "Renew the magazine subscription."
  4. Yo habría renovado la cocina de la casa con más tiempo — "I would have renewed the kitchen of the house with more time"

renovar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use renovar 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 renuevo el pasaporte en enero — "I renew his passport in January"
  • Marcos: Él renueva el contrato de alquiler — "He renews the rental contract"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo renové la suscripción a la revista — "Yesterday, I renewed the magazine subscription"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú renovarás la cocina de la casa — "Tomorrow, you will renew the kitchen of the house"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Renueva su compromiso con el equipo. — "Renew his commitment to the team."
  • Lucía: Él ha renovado el pasaporte en enero — "He has renewed his passport in January"
  • Marcos: Espero que él renueve el contrato de alquiler — "I hope he renews the rental contract"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo renovaba la suscripción a la revista — "Before, I used to renew the magazine subscription"

Common mistakes with renovar

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

✗ *Yo renovo la cocina de la casa.

✓ Correct: Yo renuevo la cocina de la casa.

renovar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is renuevo, not renovo.

✗ *Espero que él renueva la cocina de la casa

✓ Correct: Espero que él renueve la cocina de la casa

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él renueve la cocina de la casa — not the indicative Espero que él renueva la cocina de la casa.

✗ *Ayer, yo renuevo su compromiso con el equipo

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo renové su compromiso con el equipo

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo renové su compromiso con el equipo.

✗ *De niño, yo renové el pasaporte en enero todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo renovaba el pasaporte en enero todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo renovaba el pasaporte en enero todos los días.

✗ *Yo renuevo en la suscripción a la revista.

✓ Correct: Yo renuevo la suscripción a la revista.

renovar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo renuevo la suscripción a la revista.

Quiz: renovar in use

Ten questions on renovar — 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 ______ el pasaporte en enero — "I renew his passport in January" (present) A. renuevo B. renuevas C. renueva D. renovamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el contrato de alquiler — "Yesterday, I renewed the rental contract" (preterite) A. renovó B. renovamos C. renové D. renovaste

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ la suscripción a la revista — "Before, we used to renew the magazine subscription" (imperfect) A. renovabas B. renovabais C. renovábamos D. renovaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ la cocina de la casa — "Tomorrow, you will renew the kitchen of the house" (future) A. renovarás B. renovaré C. renovará D. renovaremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ su compromiso con el equipo — "I would renew his commitment to the team" (conditional) A. renovarías B. renovaríamos C. renovaríais D. renovaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el pasaporte en enero — "He has renewed his passport in January" (present perfect) A. hemos renovado B. ha renovado C. he renovado D. has renovado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el contrato de alquiler — "I hope he renews the rental contract" (present subjunctive) A. renovéis B. renueve C. renueves D. renovemos

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ la suscripción a la revista. — "Renew the magazine subscription." (affirmative imperative) A. renovemos B. renovad C. renueva D. renueve

  9. Which is the gerund of renovar, used with estar for the progressive? A. renové B. renovando C. renovado D. renuevo

  10. What does renovar mean in English? A. to update B. to enjoy C. to cross D. to renew

Answer key

  1. renuevo — The present form for yo is renuevo.
  2. renové — The preterite form for yo is renové.
  3. renovábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is renovábamos.
  4. renovarás — The future form for tú is renovarás.
  5. renovaría — The conditional form for yo is renovaría.
  6. ha renovado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha renovado.
  7. renueve — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is renueve.
  8. renueva — The affirmative imperative form is renueva.
  9. renovando — The gerund of renovar is renovando: estoy renovando. The participle renovado is used with haber instead.
  10. to renew — renovar means to renew.

Frequently asked questions

What does renovar mean in English?

renovar means to renew. For example: Yo renuevo el pasaporte en enero — "I renew his passport in January". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with renovar?

renovar takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is renovar regular?

No. renovar is a stem-changing -ar verb (o → ue). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: renuevo, renuevas, renueva and renuevan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: renovamos, renováis.

How do I practise renovar?

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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