Resolver Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

resolver means "to solve" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Resolver means to solve a problem, a mystery or a conflict. Its past participle is irregular — resuelto, not resolvido — so the perfect tenses are he resuelto, has resuelto. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of resolver; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the resolver present tense page.

resolver in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo resuelvo el problema de matemáticas — "I solve the maths problem"
  2. Mi amigo resuelve el misterio del libro — "My friend solves the mystery in the book"
  3. Mañana, tú resolverás la duda de su alumno — "Tomorrow, you will solve his pupil's doubt"
  4. Yo resolvería el conflicto entre vecinos si pudiera — "I would solve the conflict between neighbours if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo resolví el problema de matemáticas — "Yesterday, I solved the maths problem"
  2. Antes, nosotros resolvíamos el misterio del libro — "Before, we used to solve the mystery in the book"
  3. Él ha resuelto la duda de su alumno — "He has solved his pupil's doubt"
  4. Yo ya había resuelto el conflicto entre vecinos antes de salir — "I already had solved the conflict between neighbours before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él resuelva el problema de matemáticas — "I hope he solves the maths problem"
  2. Si yo resolviera el misterio del libro, todo cambiaría — "If I solved the mystery in the book, everything would change"
  3. Resuelve la duda de su alumno. — "Solve his pupil's doubt."
  4. Yo habría resuelto el conflicto entre vecinos con más tiempo — "I would have solved the conflict between neighbours with more time"

resolver in conversation

Two short dialogues that use resolver the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo resuelvo el problema de matemáticas — "I solve the maths problem"
  • Marcos: Él resuelve el misterio del libro — "He solves the mystery in the book"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo resolví la duda de su alumno — "Yesterday, I solved his pupil's doubt"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú resolverás el conflicto entre vecinos — "Tomorrow, you will solve the conflict between neighbours"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Resuelve el crucigrama del domingo. — "Solve the Sunday crossword."
  • Lucía: Él ha resuelto el problema de matemáticas — "He has solved the maths problem"
  • Marcos: Espero que él resuelva el misterio del libro — "I hope he solves the mystery in the book"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo resolvía la duda de su alumno — "Before, I used to solve his pupil's doubt"

Common mistakes with resolver

The errors learners actually make with resolver, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo resolvo el conflicto entre vecinos.

✓ Correct: Yo resuelvo el conflicto entre vecinos.

resolver is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is resuelvo, not resolvo.

✗ *Espero que él resuelve el conflicto entre vecinos

✓ Correct: Espero que él resuelva el conflicto entre vecinos

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él resuelva el conflicto entre vecinos — not the indicative Espero que él resuelve el conflicto entre vecinos.

✗ *Ayer, yo resuelvo el crucigrama del domingo

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo resolví el crucigrama del domingo

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo resolví el crucigrama del domingo.

✗ *De niño, yo resolví el problema de matemáticas todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo resolvía el problema de matemáticas todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo resolvía el problema de matemáticas todos los días.

✗ *Yo resuelvo en la duda de su alumno.

✓ Correct: Yo resuelvo la duda de su alumno.

resolver takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo resuelvo la duda de su alumno.

Quiz: resolver in use

Ten questions on resolver — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el problema de matemáticas — "I solve the maths problem" (present) A. resolvemos B. resuelvo C. resuelves D. resuelve

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el misterio del libro — "Yesterday, I solved the mystery in the book" (preterite) A. resolví B. resolviste C. resolvió D. resolvimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ la duda de su alumno — "Before, we used to solve his pupil's doubt" (imperfect) A. resolvíais B. resolvíamos C. resolvía D. resolvías

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ el conflicto entre vecinos — "Tomorrow, you will solve the conflict between neighbours" (future) A. resolveré B. resolverá C. resolveremos D. resolverás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el crucigrama del domingo — "I would solve the Sunday crossword" (conditional) A. resolverías B. resolveríamos C. resolveríais D. resolvería

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el problema de matemáticas — "He has solved the maths problem" (present perfect) A. he resuelto B. has resuelto C. hemos resuelto D. ha resuelto

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el misterio del libro — "I hope he solves the mystery in the book" (present subjunctive) A. resolvamos B. resolváis C. resuelva D. resuelvas

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ la duda de su alumno. — "Solve his pupil's doubt." (affirmative imperative) A. resolved B. resuelve C. resuelva D. resolvamos

  9. Which is the gerund of resolver, used with estar for the progressive? A. resolviendo B. resuelto C. resuelvo D. resolví

  10. What does resolver mean in English? A. to cross B. to draw C. to solve D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. resuelvo — The present form for yo is resuelvo.
  2. resolví — The preterite form for yo is resolví.
  3. resolvíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is resolvíamos.
  4. resolverás — The future form for tú is resolverás.
  5. resolvería — The conditional form for yo is resolvería.
  6. ha resuelto — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha resuelto.
  7. resuelva — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is resuelva.
  8. resuelve — The affirmative imperative form is resuelve.
  9. resolviendo — The gerund of resolver is resolviendo: estoy resolviendo. The participle resuelto is used with haber instead.
  10. to solve — resolver means to solve.

Frequently asked questions

What does resolver mean in English?

resolver means to solve. For example: Yo resuelvo el problema de matemáticas — "I solve the maths problem". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with resolver?

resolver takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is resolver regular?

No. resolver is a stem-changing -er verb (o → ue). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: resuelvo, resuelves, resuelve and resuelven — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: resolvemos, resolvéis.

How do I practise resolver?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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