Introduction

resumir means “to summarise”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to summarise” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows resumir 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 resumo el texto por la mañana.” — “I summarise the text.”

resumir in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how resumir 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 resumo el texto cada día.” — “I summarise the text.”
  2. “Tú resumes el texto cada día.” — “you summarise the text.”
  3. “Él resume el texto siempre.” — “He summarises the text.”
  4. “Nosotros resumimos el texto todos los días.” — “We summarise the text.”

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 resumí el texto ayer.” — “I summarised the text.” (preterite) 6. “Él resumió el texto ayer.” — “He summarised the text.” (preterite) 7. “Yo resumía el texto cuando era joven.” — “I used to summarise the text.” (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 resumiremos el texto mañana.” — “We will summarise the text.” (future) 9. “Tú has resumido el texto hoy.” — “you have summarised the text.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo resuma el texto.” — “I hope that I summarise the text.” (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 resumís el texto cada semana.” — “You summarise the text.” 12. “Ellos resumen el texto normalmente.” — “They summarise the text.”

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

Dialogue at work during a coffee break

Marta: “¿Tú resumes el texto?” — Do you summarise the text?

Carlos: “Sí, yo resumo el texto cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I summarise the text every day. It is part of my routine.

Marta: “¿Y ayer? ¿También resumes el texto?” — And yesterday? Did you summarise the text too?

Carlos: “Sí, ayer yo resumí el texto. Mañana nosotros resumiremos el texto otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I summarised the text. Tomorrow we will summarise the text again.

A short paragraph

Él resume el texto cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how resumir 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 resumo el texto — 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 resumir yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is resumí, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — resumi — 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 resumir.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For resumir, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: resumimos. 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 resumido el texto. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy resumido is not the present perfect of resumir — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing resumir with resultar

resumir 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 resumir — summarise — the sentence needs resumir; 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 resuma el texto. Using the indicative — Espero que yo resumo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with resumir. 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 resumir in the present?

  • A. resumes
  • B. resume
  • C. resumimos
  • D. resumo

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

  • A. resumimos
  • B. resumiste
  • C. resumí
  • D. resumió

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

  • A. resumías
  • B. resumíamos
  • C. resumíais
  • D. resumía

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

  • A. resumirá
  • B. resumiremos
  • C. resumiré
  • D. resumirás

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

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

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

  • A. resuma
  • B. resuman
  • C. resuma
  • D. resumas

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

  • A. resumiste
  • B. resumió
  • C. resumimos
  • D. resumí

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

  • A. resumíamos
  • B. resumías
  • C. resumía
  • D. resumía

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

  • A. resumiré
  • B. resumirás
  • C. resumiremos
  • D. resumirá

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

  • A. resumiría
  • B. resumiríamos
  • C. resumiría
  • D. resumirías

Answer key

  1. resumo — The present table gives yo = resumo.
  2. resumiste — The preterite table gives tu = resumiste.
  3. resumía — The imperfect table gives el = resumía.
  4. resumiremos — The future table gives nosotros = resumiremos.
  5. habéis resumido — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis resumido.
  6. resuman — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = resuman.
  7. resumí — The preterite table gives yo = resumí.
  8. resumías — The imperfect table gives tu = resumías.
  9. resumirá — The future table gives el = resumirá.
  10. resumiríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = resumiríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use resumir in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo resumo el texto.” — “I summarise the text.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form resumo first, then the preterite yo form resumí and the participle resumido. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund resumiendo next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is resumir reflexive?

No — resumir is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo resumo el texto. 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 resumir?

On the main conjugation page for resumir, 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