Introduction

repasar means “to review, to revise”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to review, to revise” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows repasar 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 repaso la lección por la mañana.” — “I review the lesson.”

repasar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how repasar 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 repaso la lección cada día.” — “I review the lesson.”
  2. “Tú repasas la lección cada día.” — “you review the lesson.”
  3. “Él repasa la lección siempre.” — “He reviews the lesson.”
  4. “Nosotros repasamos la lección todos los días.” — “We review the lesson.”

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 repasé la lección ayer.” — “I reviewed the lesson.” (preterite) 6. “Él repasó la lección ayer.” — “He reviewed the lesson.” (preterite) 7. “Yo repasaba la lección cuando era joven.” — “I used to review the lesson.” (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 repasaremos la lección mañana.” — “We will review the lesson.” (future) 9. “Tú has repasado la lección hoy.” — “you have reviewed the lesson.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo repase la lección.” — “I hope that I review the lesson.” (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 repasáis la lección cada semana.” — “You review the lesson.” 12. “Ellos repasan la lección normalmente.” — “They review the lesson.”

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

Dialogue on the phone

Lucía: “¿Tú repasas la lección?” — Do you review the lesson?

Pedro: “Sí, yo repaso la lección cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I review the lesson every day. It is part of my routine.

Lucía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También repasas la lección?” — And yesterday? Did you review the lesson too?

Pedro: “Sí, ayer yo repasé la lección. Mañana nosotros repasaremos la lección otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I reviewed the lesson. Tomorrow we will review the lesson again.

A short paragraph

Él repasa la lección cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how repasar 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 repaso la lección — 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 repasar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is repasé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — repase — 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 repasar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

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

Confusing repasar with representar

repasar 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 repasar — review — the sentence needs repasar; 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 repase la lección. Using the indicative — Espero que yo repaso — is one of the most frequent learner errors with repasar. 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 repasar in the present?

  • A. repasas
  • B. repasa
  • C. repasamos
  • D. repaso

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

  • A. repasamos
  • B. repasaste
  • C. repasé
  • D. repasó

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

  • A. repasabas
  • B. repasábamos
  • C. repasabais
  • D. repasaba

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

  • A. repasará
  • B. repasaremos
  • C. repasaré
  • D. repasarás

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

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

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

  • A. repase
  • B. repasen
  • C. repase
  • D. repases

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

  • A. repasaste
  • B. repasó
  • C. repasamos
  • D. repasé

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

  • A. repasábamos
  • B. repasabas
  • C. repasaba
  • D. repasaba

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

  • A. repasaré
  • B. repasarás
  • C. repasaremos
  • D. repasará

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

  • A. repasaría
  • B. repasaríamos
  • C. repasaría
  • D. repasarías

Answer key

  1. repaso — The present table gives yo = repaso.
  2. repasaste — The preterite table gives tu = repasaste.
  3. repasaba — The imperfect table gives el = repasaba.
  4. repasaremos — The future table gives nosotros = repasaremos.
  5. habéis repasado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis repasado.
  6. repasen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = repasen.
  7. repasé — The preterite table gives yo = repasé.
  8. repasabas — The imperfect table gives tu = repasabas.
  9. repasará — The future table gives el = repasará.
  10. repasaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = repasaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use repasar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo repaso la lección.” — “I review the lesson.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form repaso first, then the preterite yo form repasé and the participle repasado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund repasando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is repasar reflexive?

No — repasar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo repaso la lección. 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 repasar?

On the main conjugation page for repasar, 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