Introduction

Restituir means “to restore, to give back”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Restituir means to restore or to give back, and it is used for returning money, a book, health or a right: restituir el dinero, restituir la salud. It is a -uir verb: yo restituyo, él restituye, with y before the vowel endings. This page shows restituir 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 present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Restituyo el dinero al cliente.” — I restore the money to the customer.

Restituir in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how restituir 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 restituir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Restituyo el dinero al cliente.” — I restore the money to the customer.

  2. “¿Restituyes el libro a la biblioteca?” — Do you restore the book to the library?

  3. “Restituye la salud con descanso.” — He/she restores health with rest.

  4. “Nosotros restituimos los derechos a los vecinos.” — We restore rights to the neighbours.

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show restituir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.

  1. “Ayer, yo restituí el dinero al cliente.” — Yesterday, I restored the money to the customer. (preterite)

  2. “Antes, él restituía el libro a la biblioteca.” — Before, he used to restore the book to the library. (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 restituir stays the same.

  1. “Mañana, nosotros restituiremos la salud con descanso.” — Tomorrow, we will restore health with rest. (future)

  2. “¿Tú has restituido los derechos a los vecinos?” — Have you restored rights to the neighbours? (present perfect)

More everyday uses

Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.

  1. “Vosotros restituís el dinero al cliente.” — You restore the money to the customer.

  2. “Ellos restituyen el libro a la biblioteca.” — They restore the book to the library.

  3. “Yo restituyo la salud con descanso.” — I restore health with rest.

  4. “Mi padre restituye los derechos a los vecinos.” — My father restores rights to the neighbours.

Restituir 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 restituir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

A short dialogue

  • Marta: “¿Tú restituyes el libro a la biblioteca?” — Do you restore the book to the library?

  • Pedro: “Sí, yo restituyo el dinero al cliente.” — Yes, I restore the money to the customer.

  • Marta: “Nosotros restituimos los derechos a los vecinos.” — We restore rights to the neighbours.

  • Pedro: “Y ellos restituyen el libro a la biblioteca.” — And they restore the book to the library.

  • Marta: “Vosotros restituís la salud con descanso.” — You restore health with rest.

  • Pedro: “Sí, y él restituye el dinero al cliente.” — Yes, and he restores the money to the customer.

A short paragraph

Restituye el dinero al cliente, y nosotros restituimos los derechos a los vecinos. Yo restituyo el libro a la biblioteca, y ellos restituyen la salud con descanso. Restituir is part of everyday life, because restore, to give back is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.

Common mistakes with restituir

These are the errors learners actually make with restituir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Yo restituye el dinero al cliente.” Right: “Yo restituyo el dinero al cliente.” Why: The person matters: restituye is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is restituyo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

  • Wrong: “Yo restituo el libro a la biblioteca.” Right: “Yo restituyo el libro a la biblioteca.” Why: Restituir is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is restituyo and restituye, and the gerund is restituyendo. The form restituyo follows that pattern, not the plain stem plus -o.

  • Wrong: “Treating restituir and devolver as identical in every context.” Right: “Restituir means to restore, to give back, while devolver means to return.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: restituir fits sentences such as Restituyo el dinero al cliente, while devolver belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

  • Wrong: “Yo soy restituido el libro a la biblioteca.” Right: “Yo he restituido el libro a la biblioteca.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he restituido, has restituido, ha restituido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

  • Wrong: “De niño, yo restituí la salud con descanso todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo restituía la salud con descanso todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (restituía), not the preterite. The preterite (restituí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: restituir in use

Ten questions on restituir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ el dinero al cliente.” (You restore the money to the customer.)

  • (a) restituís
  • (b) restituyo
  • (c) restituyes

Answer: restituís — The vosotros/as form of restituir in the present tense is restituís.

2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el libro a la biblioteca.” (They restore the book to the library.)

  • (a) restituyes
  • (b) restituyen
  • (c) restituyo

Answer: restituyen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of restituir in the present tense is restituyen.

3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ el dinero al cliente.” (Yesterday I restored the money to the customer.)

  • (a) restituiste
  • (b) restituyó
  • (c) restituí

Answer: restituí — In the preterite, the yo form of restituir is restituí.

4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ el libro a la biblioteca.” (Before, he used to restore the book to the library.)

  • (a) restituía
  • (b) restituyo
  • (c) restituías

Answer: restituía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of restituir is restituía.

5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ la salud con descanso.” (Tomorrow we will restore health with rest.)

  • (a) restituirás
  • (b) restituiremos
  • (c) restituiré

Answer: restituiremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of restituir is restituiremos.

6. What does restituir mean in English?

  • (a) to restore, to give back
  • (b) to redeem
  • (c) to return

Answer: to restore, to give back — Restituir means “to restore, to give back”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • (a) Yo restituye el dinero al cliente.
  • (b) Ellos restituye el libro a la biblioteca.
  • (c) Yo restituyo el dinero al cliente.

Answer: Yo restituyo el dinero al cliente. — “Yo restituyo el dinero al cliente.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.

8. How do you say “I restore the money to the customer.” in Spanish?

  • (a) Mi padre restituye los derechos a los vecinos.
  • (b) Restituyo el dinero al cliente.
  • (c) Restituyen el dinero al cliente.

Answer: Restituyo el dinero al cliente. — “Restituyo el dinero al cliente.” is the correct translation.

9. What is the nosotros form of restituir in the present tense?

  • (a) restituyo
  • (b) restituyes
  • (c) restituimos

Answer: restituimos — The nosotros form is restituimos.

10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?

  • (a) Mañana, nosotros restituiremos la salud con descanso.
  • (b) Restituyo el dinero al cliente.
  • (c) Ayer, yo restituí el dinero al cliente.

Answer: Restituyo el dinero al cliente. — “Restituyo el dinero al cliente.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I restore the money to the customer' in Spanish?

Say 'Restituyo el dinero al cliente'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Restituyo el dinero al cliente todos los días'.

How do you say 'He restores the book to the library' in Spanish?

Say 'Él restituye el libro a la biblioteca'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes restituye.

What is the difference between restituir and devolver?

Restituir means to restore, to give back, while devolver means to return. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use restituir when you mean to restore, to give back, as in 'Restituyo el dinero al cliente', and use devolver for to return.

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