Introduction

renunciar means “to give up, to resign”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to give up, to resign” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows renunciar 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 renuncio al trabajo por la mañana.” — “I give up the job.”

renunciar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how renunciar 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 renuncio al trabajo cada día.” — “I give up the job.”
  2. “Tú renuncias al trabajo cada día.” — “you give up the job.”
  3. “Él renuncia al trabajo siempre.” — “He gives up the job.”
  4. “Nosotros renunciamos al trabajo todos los días.” — “We give up the job.”

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 renuncié al trabajo ayer.” — “I gave up the job.” (preterite) 6. “Él renunció al trabajo ayer.” — “He gave up the job.” (preterite) 7. “Yo renunciaba al trabajo cuando era joven.” — “I used to give up the job.” (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 renunciaremos al trabajo mañana.” — “We will give up the job.” (future) 9. “Tú has renunciado al trabajo hoy.” — “you have given up the job.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo renuncie al trabajo.” — “I hope that I give up the job.” (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 renunciáis al trabajo cada semana.” — “You give up the job.” 12. “Ellos renuncian al trabajo normalmente.” — “They give up the job.”

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

Dialogue at home in the evening

Ana: “¿Tú renuncias al trabajo?” — Do you give up the job?

Luis: “Sí, yo renuncio al trabajo cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I give up the job every day. It is part of my routine.

Ana: “¿Y ayer? ¿También renuncias al trabajo?” — And yesterday? Did you give up the job too?

Luis: “Sí, ayer yo renuncié al trabajo. Mañana nosotros renunciaremos al trabajo otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I gave up the job. Tomorrow we will give up the job again.

A short paragraph

Él renuncia al trabajo cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how renunciar 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 renuncio al trabajo — 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 renunciar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is renuncié, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — renuncie — 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 renunciar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For renunciar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: renunciamos. 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 renunciado al trabajo. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy renunciado is not the present perfect of renunciar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing renunciar with renacer

renunciar and renacer 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 renunciar — give up — the sentence needs renunciar; if it needs the meaning of renacer, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo renuncie al trabajo. Using the indicative — Espero que yo renuncio — is one of the most frequent learner errors with renunciar. 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 renunciar in the present?

  • A. renuncias
  • B. renuncia
  • C. renunciamos
  • D. renuncio

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

  • A. renunciamos
  • B. renunciaste
  • C. renuncié
  • D. renunció

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

  • A. renunciabas
  • B. renunciábamos
  • C. renunciabais
  • D. renunciaba

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

  • A. renunciará
  • B. renunciaremos
  • C. renunciaré
  • D. renunciarás

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

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

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

  • A. renuncie
  • B. renuncien
  • C. renuncie
  • D. renuncies

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

  • A. renunciaste
  • B. renunció
  • C. renunciamos
  • D. renuncié

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

  • A. renunciábamos
  • B. renunciabas
  • C. renunciaba
  • D. renunciaba

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

  • A. renunciaré
  • B. renunciarás
  • C. renunciaremos
  • D. renunciará

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

  • A. renunciaría
  • B. renunciaríamos
  • C. renunciaría
  • D. renunciarías

Answer key

  1. renuncio — The present table gives yo = renuncio.
  2. renunciaste — The preterite table gives tu = renunciaste.
  3. renunciaba — The imperfect table gives el = renunciaba.
  4. renunciaremos — The future table gives nosotros = renunciaremos.
  5. habéis renunciado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis renunciado.
  6. renuncien — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = renuncien.
  7. renuncié — The preterite table gives yo = renuncié.
  8. renunciabas — The imperfect table gives tu = renunciabas.
  9. renunciará — The future table gives el = renunciará.
  10. renunciaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = renunciaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use renunciar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo renuncio al trabajo.” — “I give up the job.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form renuncio first, then the preterite yo form renuncié and the participle renunciado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund renunciando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is renunciar reflexive?

No — renunciar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo renuncio al trabajo. 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 renunciar?

On the main conjugation page for renunciar, 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