Restituir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb restituir means to restore, to give back, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, restituir changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say restituyo el dinero al cliente, and in the preterite you say restituí la salud con descanso. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: restituir
- English: to restore, to give back
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: restituyendo
- Past participle: restituido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + restituido)
- Pattern to learn: 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.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for restituir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Restituir is a -uir verb: yo restituyo, él restituye, with y before the vowel endings.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for restituir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | restituyo |
| tú | restituyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | restituye |
| nosotros/as | restituimos |
| vosotros/as | restituís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | restituyen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | restituí |
| tú | restituiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | restituyó |
| nosotros/as | restituimos |
| vosotros/as | restituisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | restituyeron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | restituía |
| tú | restituías |
| él/ella/Ud. | restituía |
| nosotros/as | restituíamos |
| vosotros/as | restituíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | restituían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | restituiré |
| tú | restituirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | restituirá |
| nosotros/as | restituiremos |
| vosotros/as | restituiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | restituirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | restituiría |
| tú | restituirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | restituiría |
| nosotros/as | restituiríamos |
| vosotros/as | restituiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | restituirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he restituido |
| tú | has restituido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha restituido |
| nosotros/as | hemos restituido |
| vosotros/as | habéis restituido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han restituido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había restituido |
| tú | habías restituido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había restituido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos restituido |
| vosotros/as | habíais restituido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían restituido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré restituido |
| tú | habrás restituido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá restituido |
| nosotros/as | habremos restituido |
| vosotros/as | habréis restituido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán restituido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría restituido |
| tú | habrías restituido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría restituido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos restituido |
| vosotros/as | habríais restituido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían restituido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | restituya |
| tú | restituyas |
| él/ella/Ud. | restituya |
| nosotros/as | restituyamos |
| vosotros/as | restituyáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | restituyan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | restituyera |
| tú | restituyeras |
| él/ella/Ud. | restituyera |
| nosotros/as | restituyéramos |
| vosotros/as | restituyerais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | restituyeran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | restituye |
| él/ella/Ud. | restituya |
| nosotros/as | restituyamos |
| vosotros/as | restituid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | restituyan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | restituyas |
| él/ella/Ud. | restituya |
| nosotros/as | restituyamos |
| vosotros/as | restituyáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | restituyan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | restituyendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy restituyendo |
| Past participle | restituido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he restituido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the pattern here: 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. For restituir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Restituyo el dinero al cliente. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. Note the spelling change here: 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. For restituir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, restituí el libro a la biblioteca. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For restituir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, restituía la salud con descanso. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For restituir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, restituiré los derechos a los vecinos. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For restituir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Restituiría el dinero al cliente si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For restituir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he restituido el libro a la biblioteca. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For restituir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había restituido la salud con descanso antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For restituir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré restituido los derechos a los vecinos. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For restituir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría restituido el dinero al cliente con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. Note the spelling change here: 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. For restituir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él restituya el libro a la biblioteca. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For restituir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él restituyera la salud con descanso, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. Note the spelling change here: 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. For restituir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Restituye los derechos a los vecinos! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. Note the spelling change here: 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. For restituir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No restituyas el dinero al cliente. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with restituir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Restituyo el dinero al cliente. — I restore the money to the customer.
- Restituye el libro a la biblioteca. — He/she restores the book to the library.
- Ayer, restituí la salud con descanso. — Yesterday, I restored health with rest.
- Antes, nosotros restituíamos los derechos a los vecinos. — Before, we used to restore rights to the neighbours.
- Mañana, tú restituirás el dinero al cliente. — Tomorrow, you will restore the money to the customer.
- Yo restituiría el libro a la biblioteca si tuviera más tiempo. — I would restore the book to the library if I had more time.
- Él ha restituido la salud con descanso. — He has restored health with rest.
- Espero que él restituya los derechos a los vecinos. — I hope he restores rights to the neighbours.
- Yo ya había restituido el dinero al cliente antes de salir. — I had already restored the money to the customer before leaving.
- Ellos restituían el libro a la biblioteca cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to restore the book to the library when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo restituye el dinero al cliente. — Right: Yo restituyo el dinero al cliente. — 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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (restituía), not the preterite. The preterite (restituí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on restituir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el dinero al cliente. (present tense) A. restituyo B. restituyes C. restituye D. restituimos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el libro a la biblioteca. (preterite) A. restituí B. restituiste C. restituimos D. restituyó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la salud con descanso. (imperfect) A. restituías B. restituyo C. restituíamos D. restituía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ los derechos a los vecinos. (future) A. restituiremos B. restituirás C. restituiré D. restituirá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el dinero al cliente si pudiera. (conditional) A. restituiría B. restituirías C. restituiríamos D. restituyo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el libro a la biblioteca. (present subjunctive) A. restituyas B. restituyamos C. restituyo D. restituya
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la salud con descanso, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. restituyéramos B. restituyo C. restituyera D. restituyeras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ los derechos a los vecinos. (present perfect) A. ha restituido B. hemos restituido C. he restituido D. has restituido
Complete the command: ¡___ el dinero al cliente! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. restituye B. restituya C. restituyamos D. restituid
Which is the gerund of restituir, used with estar for the progressive? A. restituido B. restituyo C. restituí D. restituyendo
Answer key
- restituyo — The yo present tense of restituir is restituyo.
- restituyó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of restituir is restituyó.
- restituíamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of restituir is restituíamos.
- restituirás — The tú future of restituir is restituirás.
- restituiría — The yo conditional of restituir is restituiría.
- restituya — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of restituir is restituya.
- restituyera — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of restituir is restituyera.
- hemos restituido — The nosotros/as present perfect of restituir is hemos restituido.
- restituye — The affirmative tú imperative of restituir is restituye.
- restituyendo — The gerund of restituir is restituyendo: estoy restituyendo. The participle restituido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does restituir mean in English?
Restituir means to restore, to give back. It is used in everyday situations such as Restituyo el dinero al cliente. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is restituir regular or irregular?
Restituir is a spelling-change verb: 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 regular, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page, including restituyo in the present and restituí in the preterite.
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. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I restore” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo restituí el libro a la biblioteca. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo restituía la salud con descanso. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he restituido el libro a la biblioteca.
How do I practise restituir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the restituir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Restituir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for restituir.
- Restituir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for restituir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Redimir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with restituir.
- Rugir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with restituir.
- Persuadir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with restituir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.