Introduction

repartir means “to distribute, to share out”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to distribute, to share out” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows repartir 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 reparto la comida por la mañana.” — “I distribute the food.”

repartir in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how repartir 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 reparto la comida cada día.” — “I distribute the food.”
  2. “Tú repartes la comida cada día.” — “you distribute the food.”
  3. “Él reparte la comida siempre.” — “He distributes the food.”
  4. “Nosotros repartimos la comida todos los días.” — “We distribute the food.”

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 repartí la comida ayer.” — “I distributed the food.” (preterite) 6. “Él repartió la comida ayer.” — “He distributed the food.” (preterite) 7. “Yo repartía la comida cuando era joven.” — “I used to distribute the food.” (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 repartiremos la comida mañana.” — “We will distribute the food.” (future) 9. “Tú has repartido la comida hoy.” — “you have distributed the food.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo reparta la comida.” — “I hope that I distribute the food.” (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 repartís la comida cada semana.” — “You distribute the food.” 12. “Ellos reparten la comida normalmente.” — “They distribute the food.”

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

Dialogue at work during a coffee break

Marta: “¿Tú repartes la comida?” — Do you distribute the food?

Carlos: “Sí, yo reparto la comida cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I distribute the food every day. It is part of my routine.

Marta: “¿Y ayer? ¿También repartes la comida?” — And yesterday? Did you distribute the food too?

Carlos: “Sí, ayer yo repartí la comida. Mañana nosotros repartiremos la comida otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I distributed the food. Tomorrow we will distribute the food again.

A short paragraph

Él reparte la comida cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how repartir 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 reparto la comida — 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 repartir yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is repartí, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — reparti — 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 repartir.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For repartir, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: repartimos. 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 repartido la comida. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy repartido is not the present perfect of repartir — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing repartir with representar

repartir and representar 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 repartir — distribute — the sentence needs repartir; if it needs the meaning of representar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo reparta la comida. Using the indicative — Espero que yo reparto — is one of the most frequent learner errors with repartir. 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 repartir in the present?

  • A. repartes
  • B. reparte
  • C. repartimos
  • D. reparto

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

  • A. repartimos
  • B. repartiste
  • C. repartí
  • D. repartió

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

  • A. repartías
  • B. repartíamos
  • C. repartíais
  • D. repartía

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

  • A. repartirá
  • B. repartiremos
  • C. repartiré
  • D. repartirás

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

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

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

  • A. reparta
  • B. repartan
  • C. reparta
  • D. repartas

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

  • A. repartiste
  • B. repartió
  • C. repartimos
  • D. repartí

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

  • A. repartíamos
  • B. repartías
  • C. repartía
  • D. repartía

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

  • A. repartiré
  • B. repartirás
  • C. repartiremos
  • D. repartirá

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

  • A. repartiría
  • B. repartiríamos
  • C. repartiría
  • D. repartirías

Answer key

  1. reparto — The present table gives yo = reparto.
  2. repartiste — The preterite table gives tu = repartiste.
  3. repartía — The imperfect table gives el = repartía.
  4. repartiremos — The future table gives nosotros = repartiremos.
  5. habéis repartido — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis repartido.
  6. repartan — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = repartan.
  7. repartí — The preterite table gives yo = repartí.
  8. repartías — The imperfect table gives tu = repartías.
  9. repartirá — The future table gives el = repartirá.
  10. repartiríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = repartiríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use repartir in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo reparto la comida.” — “I distribute the food.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form reparto first, then the preterite yo form repartí and the participle repartido. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund repartiendo next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is repartir reflexive?

No — repartir is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo reparto la comida. 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 repartir?

On the main conjugation page for repartir, 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