Introduction
Responder means «to answer, to respond». Responder means to answer or respond: a question, a message, an email. It is a regular -er verb, and it is the natural partner of preguntar — one asks, the other answers. It is a regular -er verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of responder in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo respondo la pregunta todos los días.» — I answer the question every day.
Quick facts
| Infinitive | responder |
| English | to answer, to respond |
| Verb type | Regular -er verb |
| Gerund | respondiendo |
| Past participle | respondido |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: respondiendo · Past participle: respondido
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | respondo |
| tú | respondes |
| él/ella/Ud. | responde |
| nosotros/as | respondemos |
| vosotros/as | respondéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | responden |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For responder, the yo form is respondo, as in «Yo respondo» in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | respondí |
| tú | respondiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | respondió |
| nosotros/as | respondimos |
| vosotros/as | respondisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | respondieron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo respondí» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | respondía |
| tú | respondías |
| él/ella/Ud. | respondía |
| nosotros/as | respondíamos |
| vosotros/as | respondíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | respondían |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo respondía» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | responderé |
| tú | responderás |
| él/ella/Ud. | responderá |
| nosotros/as | responderemos |
| vosotros/as | responderéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | responderán |
The future tense states what will happen. For responder the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo responderé». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | respondería |
| tú | responderías |
| él/ella/Ud. | respondería |
| nosotros/as | responderíamos |
| vosotros/as | responderíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | responderían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo respondería» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he respondido |
| tú | has respondido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha respondido |
| nosotros/as | hemos respondido |
| vosotros/as | habéis respondido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han respondido |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he respondido». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había respondido |
| tú | habías respondido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había respondido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos respondido |
| vosotros/as | habíais respondido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían respondido |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había respondido». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré respondido |
| tú | habrás respondido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá respondido |
| nosotros/as | habremos respondido |
| vosotros/as | habréis respondido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán respondido |
The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré respondido» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría respondido |
| tú | habrías respondido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría respondido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos respondido |
| vosotros/as | habríais respondido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían respondido |
The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría respondido si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | responda |
| tú | respondas |
| él/ella/Ud. | responda |
| nosotros/as | respondamos |
| vosotros/as | respondáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | respondan |
The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él responda». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | respondiera |
| tú | respondieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | respondiera |
| nosotros/as | respondiéramos |
| vosotros/as | respondierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | respondieran |
The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él respondiera, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | responde |
| él/ella/Ud. | responda |
| nosotros/as | respondamos |
| vosotros/as | responded |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | respondan |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡Responde!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | respondas |
| él/ella/Ud. | responda |
| nosotros/as | respondamos |
| vosotros/as | respondáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | respondan |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No respondas!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.
Example sentences
- Yo respondo la pregunta todos los días. — I answer the question every day.
- Mi hermana responde la pregunta mucho. — My sister answers the question a lot.
- Ayer yo respondí la pregunta por la tarde. — Yesterday I answered the question in the afternoon.
- De pequeño, yo respondía la pregunta muchas veces. — As a child, I used to answer the question often.
- Mañana yo responderé la pregunta sin falta. — Tomorrow I will answer the question without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo respondería la pregunta ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would answer the question right now.
- Hoy yo he respondido rápido dos veces. — Today I have answered quickly twice.
- Espero que él responda la pregunta pronto. — I hope he answers the question soon.
- ¡Responde la pregunta con calma! — Answer the question calmly!
- Ahora mismo estoy respondiendo la pregunta. — Right now I am answering the question.
Common mistakes
1. Forgetting the accent in the preterite
Wrong: respondi
Right: respondí
The yo preterite of responder carries a written accent: respondí. Without it, respondi is the present subjunctive yo form, a completely different tense.
2. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo respondía la pregunta.
Right: Ayer yo respondí la pregunta.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, respondí. The imperfect respondía describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.
3. Confusing it with a similar verb
Wrong: *Me pregunta si quiero café y le pregunto que sí.
Right: Me pregunta si quiero café y le respondo que sí.
When someone asks you something, you respond to them — you do not ask them back. Le respondo que sí is the right verb here.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú respondes la pregunta.
Right: Espero que tú respondas la pregunta.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: respondas, not the indicative respondes. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
5. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No responde la pregunta.
Right: No respondas la pregunta.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no respondas. The affirmative responde can never follow no.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the yo form of responder in the present tense?
- (a) responde
- (b) respondemos
- (c) respondes
- (d) respondo
2. What is the él/ella form of responder in the preterite?
- (a) respondimos
- (b) respondiste
- (c) respondió
- (d) respondí
3. What is the nosotros form of responder in the imperfect?
- (a) respondía
- (b) respondíamos
- (c) respondías
4. What is the tú form of responder in the future tense?
- (a) responderemos
- (b) responderá
- (c) responderás
- (d) responderé
5. What is the ellos form of responder in the conditional?
- (a) respondería
- (b) responderían
- (c) responderías
6. What is the yo form of responder in the present perfect?
- (a) ha respondido
- (b) has respondido
- (c) he respondido
- (d) hemos respondido
7. After «Espero que…», what is the tú form of responder?
- (a) responda
- (b) respondamos
- (c) respondas
8. What is the nosotros form of responder in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra)?
- (a) respondiera
- (b) respondiéramos
- (c) respondieras
9. What is the gerund of responder?
- (a) responder
- (b) respondido
- (c) respondiendo
- (d) respondo
10. What is the past participle of responder?
- (a) responder
- (b) respondido
- (c) respondiendo
- (d) respondí
Answer key
1. (d) respondo — In the present, the yo form of responder is respondo. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
2. (c) respondió — In the preterite, the el form of responder is respondió. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
3. (b) respondíamos — In the imperfect, the nosotros form of responder is respondíamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
4. (c) responderás — In the future, the tu form of responder is responderás. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
5. (b) responderían — In the conditional, the ellos form of responder is responderían. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
6. (c) he respondido — In the present perfect, the yo form of responder is he respondido. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
7. (c) respondas — In the present subjunctive, the tu form of responder is respondas. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
8. (b) respondiéramos — In the imperfect subjunctive, the nosotros form of responder is respondiéramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
9. (c) respondiendo — The gerund of responder is respondiendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy respondiendo».
10. (b) respondido — The past participle of responder is respondido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he respondido».
Frequently asked questions
Is responder regular or irregular?
Yes, responder is a regular -er verb. Every tense follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can generate the whole table. The only thing to watch is choosing the right tense, not the forms themselves.
What are the gerund and past participle of responder?
The gerund is respondiendo and the past participle is respondido. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy respondiendo») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he respondido»).
What is the difference between responder and contestar?
Responder and contestar are often confused. Contestar is a near-synonym for answering; responder is the neutral verb.
How do I say «I answer» in Spanish?
Say «Yo respondo». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
Which tense do learners find hardest with responder?
Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (respondí) for a single finished event and the imperfect (respondía) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: responder-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: responder-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: preguntar
- Related verb: explicar
- Related verb: escuchar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz