Introduction

residir means “to reside”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to reside” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows residir 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 resido en Madrid por la mañana.” — “I reside in Madrid.”

residir in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how residir 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 resido en Madrid cada día.” — “I reside in Madrid.”
  2. “Tú resides en Madrid cada día.” — “you reside in Madrid.”
  3. “Él reside en Madrid siempre.” — “He resides in Madrid.”
  4. “Nosotros residimos en Madrid todos los días.” — “We reside in Madrid.”

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 residí en Madrid ayer.” — “I resided in Madrid.” (preterite) 6. “Él residió en Madrid ayer.” — “He resided in Madrid.” (preterite) 7. “Yo residía en Madrid cuando era joven.” — “I used to reside in Madrid.” (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 residiremos en Madrid mañana.” — “We will reside in Madrid.” (future) 9. “Tú has residido en Madrid hoy.” — “you have resided in Madrid.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo resida en Madrid.” — “I hope that I reside in Madrid.” (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 residís en Madrid cada semana.” — “You reside in Madrid.” 12. “Ellos residen en Madrid normalmente.” — “They reside in Madrid.”

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

Dialogue in a café

Sofía: “¿Tú resides en Madrid?” — Do you reside in Madrid?

Diego: “Sí, yo resido en Madrid cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I reside in Madrid every day. It is part of my routine.

Sofía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También resides en Madrid?” — And yesterday? Did you reside in Madrid too?

Diego: “Sí, ayer yo residí en Madrid. Mañana nosotros residiremos en Madrid otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I resided in Madrid. Tomorrow we will reside in Madrid again.

A short paragraph

Él reside en Madrid cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how residir 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 resido en Madrid — 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 residir yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is residí, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — residi — 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 residir.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For residir, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: residimos. 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 residido en Madrid. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy residido is not the present perfect of residir — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing residir with resultar

residir 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 residir — reside — the sentence needs residir; 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 resida en Madrid. Using the indicative — Espero que yo resido — is one of the most frequent learner errors with residir. 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 residir in the present?

  • A. resides
  • B. reside
  • C. residimos
  • D. resido

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

  • A. residimos
  • B. residiste
  • C. residí
  • D. residió

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

  • A. residías
  • B. residíamos
  • C. residíais
  • D. residía

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

  • A. residirá
  • B. residiremos
  • C. residiré
  • D. residirás

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

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

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

  • A. resida
  • B. residan
  • C. resida
  • D. residas

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

  • A. residiste
  • B. residió
  • C. residimos
  • D. residí

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

  • A. residíamos
  • B. residías
  • C. residía
  • D. residía

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

  • A. residiré
  • B. residirás
  • C. residiremos
  • D. residirá

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

  • A. residiría
  • B. residiríamos
  • C. residiría
  • D. residirías

Answer key

  1. resido — The present table gives yo = resido.
  2. residiste — The preterite table gives tu = residiste.
  3. residía — The imperfect table gives el = residía.
  4. residiremos — The future table gives nosotros = residiremos.
  5. habéis residido — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis residido.
  6. residan — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = residan.
  7. residí — The preterite table gives yo = residí.
  8. residías — The imperfect table gives tu = residías.
  9. residirá — The future table gives el = residirá.
  10. residiríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = residiríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use residir in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo resido en Madrid.” — “I reside in Madrid.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form resido first, then the preterite yo form residí and the participle residido. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund residiendo next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is residir reflexive?

No — residir is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo resido en Madrid. 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 residir?

On the main conjugation page for residir, 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