Introduction

retomar means “to resume, to take up again”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to resume, to take up again” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows retomar 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 retomo el trabajo por la mañana.” — “I resume the work.”

retomar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how retomar 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 retomo el trabajo cada día.” — “I resume the work.”
  2. “Tú retomas el trabajo cada día.” — “you resume the work.”
  3. “Él retoma el trabajo siempre.” — “He resumes the work.”
  4. “Nosotros retomamos el trabajo todos los días.” — “We resume the work.”

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 retomé el trabajo ayer.” — “I resumed the work.” (preterite) 6. “Él retomó el trabajo ayer.” — “He resumed the work.” (preterite) 7. “Yo retomaba el trabajo cuando era joven.” — “I used to resume the work.” (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 retomaremos el trabajo mañana.” — “We will resume the work.” (future) 9. “Tú has retomado el trabajo hoy.” — “you have resumed the work.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo retome el trabajo.” — “I hope that I resume the work.” (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 retomáis el trabajo cada semana.” — “You resume the work.” 12. “Ellos retoman el trabajo normalmente.” — “They resume the work.”

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

Dialogue at home in the evening

Ana: “¿Tú retomas el trabajo?” — Do you resume the work?

Luis: “Sí, yo retomo el trabajo cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I resume the work every day. It is part of my routine.

Ana: “¿Y ayer? ¿También retomas el trabajo?” — And yesterday? Did you resume the work too?

Luis: “Sí, ayer yo retomé el trabajo. Mañana nosotros retomaremos el trabajo otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I resumed the work. Tomorrow we will resume the work again.

A short paragraph

Él retoma el trabajo cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how retomar 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 retomo el trabajo — 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 retomar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is retomé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — retome — 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 retomar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

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

Confusing retomar with retirar

retomar and retirar 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 retomar — resume — the sentence needs retomar; if it needs the meaning of retirar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo retome el trabajo. Using the indicative — Espero que yo retomo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with retomar. 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 retomar in the present?

  • A. retomas
  • B. retoma
  • C. retomamos
  • D. retomo

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

  • A. retomamos
  • B. retomaste
  • C. retomé
  • D. retomó

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

  • A. retomabas
  • B. retomábamos
  • C. retomabais
  • D. retomaba

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

  • A. retomará
  • B. retomaremos
  • C. retomaré
  • D. retomarás

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

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

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

  • A. retome
  • B. retomen
  • C. retome
  • D. retomes

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

  • A. retomaste
  • B. retomó
  • C. retomamos
  • D. retomé

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

  • A. retomábamos
  • B. retomabas
  • C. retomaba
  • D. retomaba

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

  • A. retomaré
  • B. retomarás
  • C. retomaremos
  • D. retomará

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

  • A. retomaría
  • B. retomaríamos
  • C. retomaría
  • D. retomarías

Answer key

  1. retomo — The present table gives yo = retomo.
  2. retomaste — The preterite table gives tu = retomaste.
  3. retomaba — The imperfect table gives el = retomaba.
  4. retomaremos — The future table gives nosotros = retomaremos.
  5. habéis retomado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis retomado.
  6. retomen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = retomen.
  7. retomé — The preterite table gives yo = retomé.
  8. retomabas — The imperfect table gives tu = retomabas.
  9. retomará — The future table gives el = retomará.
  10. retomaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = retomaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use retomar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo retomo el trabajo.” — “I resume the work.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form retomo first, then the preterite yo form retomé and the participle retomado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund retomando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is retomar reflexive?

No — retomar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo retomo el trabajo. 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 retomar?

On the main conjugation page for retomar, 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