Introduction

reservar means “to reserve, to book”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to reserve, to book” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows reservar 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 reservo una mesa por la mañana.” — “I reserve a table.”

reservar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how reservar 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 reservo una mesa cada día.” — “I reserve a table.”
  2. “Tú reservas una mesa cada día.” — “you reserve a table.”
  3. “Él reserva una mesa siempre.” — “He reserves a table.”
  4. “Nosotros reservamos una mesa todos los días.” — “We reserve a table.”

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 reservé una mesa ayer.” — “I reserved a table.” (preterite) 6. “Él reservó una mesa ayer.” — “He reserved a table.” (preterite) 7. “Yo reservaba una mesa cuando era joven.” — “I used to reserve a table.” (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 reservaremos una mesa mañana.” — “We will reserve a table.” (future) 9. “Tú has reservado una mesa hoy.” — “you have reserved a table.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo reserve una mesa.” — “I hope that I reserve a table.” (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 reserváis una mesa cada semana.” — “You reserve a table.” 12. “Ellos reservan una mesa normalmente.” — “They reserve a table.”

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

Dialogue on the phone

Lucía: “¿Tú reservas una mesa?” — Do you reserve a table?

Pedro: “Sí, yo reservo una mesa cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I reserve a table every day. It is part of my routine.

Lucía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También reservas una mesa?” — And yesterday? Did you reserve a table too?

Pedro: “Sí, ayer yo reservé una mesa. Mañana nosotros reservaremos una mesa otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I reserved a table. Tomorrow we will reserve a table again.

A short paragraph

Él reserva una mesa cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how reservar 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 reservo una mesa — 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 reservar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is reservé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — reserve — 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 reservar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For reservar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: reservamos. 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 reservado una mesa. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy reservado is not the present perfect of reservar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing reservar with resultar

reservar and resultar 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 reservar — reserve — the sentence needs reservar; if it needs the meaning of resultar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo reserve una mesa. Using the indicative — Espero que yo reservo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with reservar. 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 reservar in the present?

  • A. reservas
  • B. reserva
  • C. reservamos
  • D. reservo

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

  • A. reservamos
  • B. reservaste
  • C. reservé
  • D. reservó

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

  • A. reservabas
  • B. reservábamos
  • C. reservabais
  • D. reservaba

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

  • A. reservará
  • B. reservaremos
  • C. reservaré
  • D. reservarás

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

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

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

  • A. reserve
  • B. reserven
  • C. reserve
  • D. reserves

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

  • A. reservaste
  • B. reservó
  • C. reservamos
  • D. reservé

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

  • A. reservábamos
  • B. reservabas
  • C. reservaba
  • D. reservaba

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

  • A. reservaré
  • B. reservarás
  • C. reservaremos
  • D. reservará

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

  • A. reservaría
  • B. reservaríamos
  • C. reservaría
  • D. reservarías

Answer key

  1. reservo — The present table gives yo = reservo.
  2. reservaste — The preterite table gives tu = reservaste.
  3. reservaba — The imperfect table gives el = reservaba.
  4. reservaremos — The future table gives nosotros = reservaremos.
  5. habéis reservado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis reservado.
  6. reserven — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = reserven.
  7. reservé — The preterite table gives yo = reservé.
  8. reservabas — The imperfect table gives tu = reservabas.
  9. reservará — The future table gives el = reservará.
  10. reservaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = reservaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use reservar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo reservo una mesa.” — “I reserve a table.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form reservo first, then the preterite yo form reservé and the participle reservado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund reservando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is reservar reflexive?

No — reservar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo reservo una mesa. 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 reservar?

On the main conjugation page for reservar, 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