Repetir Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb repetir means to repeat, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Repetir means to repeat something: repetir la pregunta, repetir el ejercicio. It also means to have a second helping of food: repetir el plato de sopa. Like every Spanish verb, repetir changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo repito la pregunta dos veces — "I repeat the question twice". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: repito, repites, repite and repiten — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: repetimos, repetís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: repitió, repitieron, and the gerund is repitiendo.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: repetir
  • English: to repeat
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ir verb (e → i)
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: repitiendo
  • Past participle: repetido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + repetido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for repetir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for repetir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | repito | | tú | repites | | él/ella/Ud. | repite | | nosotros/as | repetimos | | vosotros/as | repetís | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | repiten |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | repetí | | tú | repetiste | | él/ella/Ud. | repitió | | nosotros/as | repetimos | | vosotros/as | repetisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | repitieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | repetía | | tú | repetías | | él/ella/Ud. | repetía | | nosotros/as | repetíamos | | vosotros/as | repetíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | repetían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | repetiré | | tú | repetirás | | él/ella/Ud. | repetirá | | nosotros/as | repetiremos | | vosotros/as | repetiréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | repetirán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | repetiría | | tú | repetirías | | él/ella/Ud. | repetiría | | nosotros/as | repetiríamos | | vosotros/as | repetiríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | repetirían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he repetido | | tú | has repetido | | él/ella/Ud. | ha repetido | | nosotros/as | hemos repetido | | vosotros/as | habéis repetido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han repetido |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había repetido | | tú | habías repetido | | él/ella/Ud. | había repetido | | nosotros/as | habíamos repetido | | vosotros/as | habíais repetido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían repetido |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré repetido | | tú | habrás repetido | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá repetido | | nosotros/as | habremos repetido | | vosotros/as | habréis repetido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán repetido |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría repetido | | tú | habrías repetido | | él/ella/Ud. | habría repetido | | nosotros/as | habríamos repetido | | vosotros/as | habríais repetido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían repetido |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | repita | | tú | repitas | | él/ella/Ud. | repita | | nosotros/as | repitamos | | vosotros/as | repitáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | repitan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | repitiera | | tú | repitieras | | él/ella/Ud. | repitiera | | nosotros/as | repitiéramos | | vosotros/as | repitierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | repitieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | repite | | él/ella/Ud. | repita | | nosotros/as | repitamos | | vosotros/as | repetid | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | repitan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | repitas | | él/ella/Ud. | repita | | nosotros/as | repitamos | | vosotros/as | repitáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | repitan |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund repitiendo with estar for the progressive: está repitiendo
Past participle repetido with haber for the perfect tenses: he repetido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: repito, repites, repite and repiten — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: repetimos, repetís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: repitió, repitieron, and the gerund is repitiendo. For repetir, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo repito la pregunta dos veces — "I repeat the question twice".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. In this tense the stem changes in the third person: repitió, repitieron. The gerund changes too: repitiendo. For repetir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo repetí el ejercicio en clase — "Yesterday, I repeated the exercise in class".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For repetir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo repetía la lección hasta aprenderla — "As a child, I used to repeat the lesson until he learns it".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For repetir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo repetiré su nombre despacio — "Tomorrow, I will repeat his name slowly".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For repetir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo repetiría la pregunta dos veces si pudiera — "I would repeat the question twice if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For repetir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he repetido el ejercicio en clase — "Today, I have repeated the exercise in class".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For repetir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había repetido la lección hasta aprenderla antes de salir — "I already had repeated the lesson until he learns it before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For repetir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré repetido su nombre despacio — "By tomorrow, I will have repeated his name slowly".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For repetir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría repetido la pregunta dos veces con más tiempo — "I would have repeated the question twice with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: repito, repites, repite and repiten — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: repetimos, repetís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: repitió, repitieron, and the gerund is repitiendo. For repetir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él repita el ejercicio en clase — "I hope he repeats the exercise in class".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is irregular — see the table above. For repetir, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo repitiera la lección hasta aprenderla, todo cambiaría — "If I repeated the lesson until he learns it, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: repito, repites, repite and repiten — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: repetimos, repetís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: repitió, repitieron, and the gerund is repitiendo. For repetir, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Repite su nombre despacio. — "Repeat his name slowly.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: repito, repites, repite and repiten — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: repetimos, repetís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: repitió, repitieron, and the gerund is repitiendo. For repetir, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No repitas la pregunta dos veces. — "Do not repeat the question twice.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with repetir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo repito la pregunta dos veces — "I repeat the question twice"
  2. Mi amigo repite el ejercicio en clase — "My friend repeats the exercise in class"
  3. Ayer, yo repetí la lección hasta aprenderla — "Yesterday, I repeated the lesson until he learns it"
  4. Antes, nosotros repetíamos su nombre despacio — "Before, we used to repeat his name slowly"
  5. Mañana, tú repetirás el plato de sopa — "Tomorrow, you will repeat the bowl of soup"
  6. Yo repetiría la pregunta dos veces si tuviera más tiempo — "I would repeat the question twice if I had more time"
  7. Él ha repetido el ejercicio en clase — "He has repeated the exercise in class"
  8. Espero que él repita la lección hasta aprenderla — "I hope he repeats the lesson until he learns it"
  9. Yo ya había repetido su nombre despacio antes de salir — "I already had repeated his name slowly before leaving"
  10. Ellos repetían el plato de sopa cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to repeat the bowl of soup when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo repeto el ejercicio en clase. — Right: Yo repito el ejercicio en clase. — repetir is a stem-changing verb (e → i): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is repito, not repeto.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él repite el ejercicio en clase — Right: Espero que él repita el ejercicio en clase — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él repita el ejercicio en clase — not the indicative Espero que él repite el ejercicio en clase.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo repito la lección hasta aprenderla — Right: Ayer, yo repetí la lección hasta aprenderla — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo repetí la lección hasta aprenderla.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo repetí su nombre despacio todos los días — Right: De niño, yo repetía su nombre despacio todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo repetía su nombre despacio todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo repito en la pregunta dos veces. — Right: Yo repito la pregunta dos veces. — repetir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo repito la pregunta dos veces.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on repetir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la pregunta dos veces — "I repeat the question twice" (present) A. repetimos B. repito C. repites D. repite

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el ejercicio en clase — "He repeated the exercise in class" (preterite) A. repetimos B. repitió C. repetí D. repetiste

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la lección hasta aprenderla — "We used to repeat the lesson until he learns it" (imperfect) A. repetíamos B. repetía C. repetías D. repetíais

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ su nombre despacio — "You will repeat his name slowly" (future) A. repetiré B. repetirá C. repetiremos D. repetirás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el plato de sopa — "I would repeat the bowl of soup" (conditional) A. repetiríais B. repetiría C. repetirías D. repetiríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la pregunta dos veces — "I hope he repeats the question twice" (present subjunctive) A. repitáis B. repita C. repitas D. repitamos

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ el ejercicio en clase, todo cambiaría — "If I repeated the exercise in class, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. repitierais B. repitiera C. repitieras D. repitiéramos

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la lección hasta aprenderla — "We have repeated the lesson until he learns it" (present perfect) A. hemos repetido B. he repetido C. has repetido D. ha repetido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ su nombre despacio. — "Do not repeat his name slowly." (negative imperative) A. repita B. repitamos C. repitáis D. repitas

  10. Which is the gerund of repetir, used with estar for the progressive? A. repetido B. repito C. repetí D. repitiendo

Answer key

  1. repito — The present form for yo is repito.
  2. repitió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is repitió.
  3. repetíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is repetíamos.
  4. repetirás — The future form for tú is repetirás.
  5. repetiría — The conditional form for yo is repetiría.
  6. repita — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is repita.
  7. repitiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is repitiera.
  8. hemos repetido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos repetido.
  9. repitas — The negative imperative form is repitas.
  10. repitiendo — The gerund of repetir is repitiendo: estoy repitiendo. The participle repetido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does repetir mean in English?

repetir means to repeat. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo repito la pregunta dos veces — "I repeat the question twice". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is repetir regular?

No. repetir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → i). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: repito, repites, repite and repiten — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: repetimos, repetís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: repitió, repitieron, and the gerund is repitiendo. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of repetir?

The gerund is repitiendo and the past participle is repetido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I repeat" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo repetí el ejercicio en clase — "Yesterday, I repeated the exercise in class". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo repetía la lección hasta aprenderla — "As a child, I used to repeat the lesson until he learns it". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he repetido el ejercicio en clase — "Today, I have repeated the exercise in class".

What is the difference between repetir and reiterar?

Reiterar is the formal verb for repeating a statement or a request. Repetir is the everyday verb for repeating anything. Repetir means to repeat something: repetir la pregunta, repetir el ejercicio. It also means to have a second helping of food: repetir el plato de sopa.

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