Introduction

restar means “to subtract, to take away”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to subtract, to take away” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows restar 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 resto cinco de diez por la mañana.” — “I subtract five from ten.”

restar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how restar 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 resto cinco de diez cada día.” — “I subtract five from ten.”
  2. “Tú restas cinco de diez cada día.” — “you subtract five from ten.”
  3. “Él resta cinco de diez siempre.” — “He subtracts five from ten.”
  4. “Nosotros restamos cinco de diez todos los días.” — “We subtract five from ten.”

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 resté cinco de diez ayer.” — “I subtracted five from ten.” (preterite) 6. “Él restó cinco de diez ayer.” — “He subtracted five from ten.” (preterite) 7. “Yo restaba cinco de diez cuando era joven.” — “I used to subtract five from ten.” (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 restaremos cinco de diez mañana.” — “We will subtract five from ten.” (future) 9. “Tú has restado cinco de diez hoy.” — “you have subtracted five from ten.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo reste cinco de diez.” — “I hope that I subtract five from ten.” (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 restáis cinco de diez cada semana.” — “You subtract five from ten.” 12. “Ellos restan cinco de diez normalmente.” — “They subtract five from ten.”

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

Dialogue in a café

Sofía: “¿Tú restas cinco de diez?” — Do you subtract five from ten?

Diego: “Sí, yo resto cinco de diez cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I subtract five from ten every day. It is part of my routine.

Sofía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También restas cinco de diez?” — And yesterday? Did you subtract five from ten too?

Diego: “Sí, ayer yo resté cinco de diez. Mañana nosotros restaremos cinco de diez otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I subtracted five from ten. Tomorrow we will subtract five from ten again.

A short paragraph

Él resta cinco de diez cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how restar 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 resto cinco de diez — 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 restar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is resté, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — reste — 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 restar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For restar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: restamos. 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 restado cinco de diez. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy restado is not the present perfect of restar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing restar with resultar

restar 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 restar — subtract — the sentence needs restar; 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 reste cinco de diez. Using the indicative — Espero que yo resto — is one of the most frequent learner errors with restar. 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 restar in the present?

  • A. restas
  • B. resta
  • C. restamos
  • D. resto

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

  • A. restamos
  • B. restaste
  • C. resté
  • D. restó

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

  • A. restabas
  • B. restábamos
  • C. restabais
  • D. restaba

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

  • A. restará
  • B. restaremos
  • C. restaré
  • D. restarás

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

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

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

  • A. reste
  • B. resten
  • C. reste
  • D. restes

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

  • A. restaste
  • B. restó
  • C. restamos
  • D. resté

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

  • A. restábamos
  • B. restabas
  • C. restaba
  • D. restaba

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

  • A. restaré
  • B. restarás
  • C. restaremos
  • D. restará

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

  • A. restaría
  • B. restaríamos
  • C. restaría
  • D. restarías

Answer key

  1. resto — The present table gives yo = resto.
  2. restaste — The preterite table gives tu = restaste.
  3. restaba — The imperfect table gives el = restaba.
  4. restaremos — The future table gives nosotros = restaremos.
  5. habéis restado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis restado.
  6. resten — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = resten.
  7. resté — The preterite table gives yo = resté.
  8. restabas — The imperfect table gives tu = restabas.
  9. restará — The future table gives el = restará.
  10. restaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = restaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use restar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo resto cinco de diez.” — “I subtract five from ten.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form resto first, then the preterite yo form resté and the participle restado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund restando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is restar reflexive?

No — restar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo resto cinco de diez. 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 restar?

On the main conjugation page for restar, 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