Restituir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of restituir — “to restore, to give back” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for restituir with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Restituyo el dinero al cliente. — “I restore the money to the customer.”
Present tense conjugation table: restituir
Every person of restituir in the present tense. The gerund is restituyendo and the past participle is restituido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | restituyo |
| tú | restituyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | restituye |
| nosotros/as | restituimos |
| vosotros/as | restituís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | restituyen |
The gerund is restituyendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy restituyendo” means the action of restituir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is restituido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he restituido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how restituir is used.
How the present of restituir is formed
The present of restituir is built from the stem restitu plus the present endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | restituyo |
| tú | -es | restituyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | restituye |
| nosotros/as | -imos | restituimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | restituís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | restituyen |
restituir is not fully regular in form: this verb 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 endings in the table above are the regular -ir endings, so once you know the pattern, the whole tense follows. The forms that show the pattern most clearly are restituyo and restituye.
The gerund of restituir is restituyendo and the past participle is restituido. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of restituir
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use restituir in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. A routine or habit
The present tense of restituir is the tense for what happens regularly. When something is part of your routine, your week or your normal life, the present is the right choice, and restituir is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Restituyo el dinero al cliente.” — I restore the money to the customer.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what restituir means in the world — what it does, who it affects, how it works — the present is the tense to use. There is no time limit on the statement, so no past or future form is needed.
Example: “Restituye el libro a la biblioteca.” — He/she restores the book to the library.
3. Something happening right now
The present tense describes what is happening at this very moment. You do not need the progressive (estar plus the gerund) to say what is going on now: the simple present does the job in Spanish, and it is the more common choice in everyday speech.
Example: “Restituyo la salud con descanso.” — I restore health with rest.
4. A plan or arrangement
Spanish uses the present tense for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression such as mañana or el lunes. When the arrangement is made, the present tense states it as a fact, and restituir follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros restituimos los derechos a los vecinos.” — Tomorrow, we restore rights to the neighbours.
5. Asking and answering questions
Questions in the present tense ask about routines, facts and what is happening now. The answer uses the same tense, so a question and its answer stay in the present together. This is the pattern you will hear most often in conversation.
Example: “¿Restituyes el libro a la biblioteca?” — Do you restore the book to the library?
The present vs the preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present reports what happens now, what happens regularly, or what is generally true, while the preterite reports one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is happening now or is already finished. Time words help: ahora and todos los días point to the present, while ayer and anoche point to the preterite.
Present: “Restituyo el dinero al cliente.” — I restore the money to the customer.
Preterite: “Restituí el dinero al cliente.” — I restored the money to the customer.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Restituye el libro a la biblioteca.” — He/she restores the book to the library.
Preterite: “Restituyó el libro a la biblioteca.” — He/she restored the book to the library.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Restituimos la salud con descanso.” — We restore health with rest.
Preterite: “Restituimos la salud con descanso.” — We restored health with rest.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: restituir in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Restituyo el dinero al cliente.” — I restore the money to the customer.
“Restituyes el libro a la biblioteca.” — You restore the book to the library.
“Restituye la salud con descanso.” — He/she restores health with rest.
“Restituimos los derechos a los vecinos.” — We restore rights to the neighbours.
“Restituís el dinero al cliente.” — You restore the money to the customer.
“Restituyen el libro a la biblioteca.” — They restore the book to the library.
“Restituyo la salud con descanso.” — I restore health with rest.
“Restituye los derechos a los vecinos.” — He/she restores rights to the neighbours.
Common mistakes with restituir in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. 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: Yo needs the yo form restituyo. The form restituye belongs with él, ella or Ud.
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, so the first-person present is restituyo, not restituo.
Wrong: “Ayer yo restituyo el libro a la biblioteca.” Right: “Ayer yo restituí el libro a la biblioteca.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to restituí.
Wrong: “Ellos restituye el libro a la biblioteca.” Right: “Ellos restituyen el libro a la biblioteca.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form restituyen. The singular restituye belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: restituir in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ___ el dinero al cliente.”
- (a) restituyo
- (b) restituyes
- (c) restituye
Answer: restituyo — The yo form of restituir in the present is restituyo.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ el libro a la biblioteca.”
- (a) restituyo
- (b) restituye
- (c) restituyes
Answer: restituyes — The tú form of restituir in the present is restituyes.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ la salud con descanso.”
- (a) restituyes
- (b) restituye
- (c) restituyo
Answer: restituye — The él/ella form of restituir in the present is restituye.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ los derechos a los vecinos.”
- (a) restituimos
- (b) restituyo
- (c) restituyes
Answer: restituimos — The nosotros/as form of restituir in the present is restituimos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ el dinero al cliente.”
- (a) restituyo
- (b) restituyes
- (c) restituís
Answer: restituís — The vosotros/as form of restituir in the present is restituís.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ el libro a la biblioteca.”
- (a) restituyes
- (b) restituyen
- (c) restituyo
Answer: restituyen — The ellos/ellas form of restituir in the present is restituyen.
7. What does restituir mean in English?
- (a) to restore, to give back
- (b) to return
- (c) to be about
Answer: to restore, to give back — Restituir means to restore, to give back.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Restituí el dinero al cliente.
- (b) Restituiré el dinero al cliente.
- (c) Restituyo el dinero al cliente.
Answer: Restituyo el dinero al cliente. — “Restituyo el dinero al cliente.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is restituir regular in the present?
Restituir is a spelling-change verb in the present: it 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 endings are the regular -ir endings, so the table above follows the pattern exactly.
What is the gerund and the past participle of restituir?
The gerund is restituyendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy restituyendo. The past participle is restituido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he restituido.
What should I watch out for with restituir?
Restituir is a -uir verb: yo restituyo, él restituye, with y before the vowel endings. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is restituyo, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise restituir in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the restituir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of restituir — every tense of restituir in one place.
- Restituir examples and quiz — more sentences with restituir and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on restituir and other verbs.