Introduction

retomar means “to resume, to take up again” in English, and it is a verb you will meet again and again once you start reading and speaking Spanish. It is used whenever you need to talk about the work — at home, at work, and in everyday conversation — which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of retomar in every tense and mood, with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. retomar is a regular -ar verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: “Yo retomo el trabajo todos los días.” — “I resume the work.” Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts
Infinitive retomar
English to resume, to take up again
Verb type Regular -ar verb
Gerund retomando
Past participle retomado
Auxiliary verb haber

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: retomando · Past participle: retomado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo retomo
tú retomas
él/ella/Ud. retoma
nosotros/as retomamos
vosotros/as retomáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. retoman

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For retomar, the yo form is retomo, as in “Yo retomo el trabajo.” — “I resume the work.”

Preterite

Person Form
yo retomé
tú retomaste
él/ella/Ud. retomó
nosotros/as retomamos
vosotros/as retomasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. retomaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For retomar, the yo form is retomé, as in “Yo retomé el trabajo.” — “I resumed the work.”

Imperfect

Person Form
yo retomaba
tú retomabas
él/ella/Ud. retomaba
nosotros/as retomábamos
vosotros/as retomabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. retomaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For retomar, the yo form is retomaba, as in “Yo retomaba el trabajo.” — “I used to resume the work.”

Future

Person Form
yo retomaré
tú retomarás
él/ella/Ud. retomará
nosotros/as retomaremos
vosotros/as retomaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. retomarán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For retomar, the yo form is retomaré, as in “Yo retomaré el trabajo.” — “I will resume the work.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo retomaría
tú retomarías
él/ella/Ud. retomaría
nosotros/as retomaríamos
vosotros/as retomaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. retomarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For retomar, the yo form is retomaría, as in “Yo retomaría el trabajo.” — “I would resume the work.”

Present Perfect

Person Form
yo he retomado
tú has retomado
él/ella/Ud. ha retomado
nosotros/as hemos retomado
vosotros/as habéis retomado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han retomado

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For retomar, the yo form is he retomado, as in “Yo he retomado el trabajo.” — “I have resumed the work.”

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había retomado
tú habías retomado
él/ella/Ud. había retomado
nosotros/as habíamos retomado
vosotros/as habíais retomado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían retomado

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For retomar, the yo form is había retomado, as in “Yo había retomado el trabajo.” — “I had resumed the work.”

Future Perfect

Person Form
yo habré retomado
tú habrás retomado
él/ella/Ud. habrá retomado
nosotros/as habremos retomado
vosotros/as habréis retomado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán retomado

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For retomar, the yo form is habré retomado, as in “Yo habré retomado el trabajo.” — “I will have resumed the work.”

Conditional Perfect

Person Form
yo habría retomado
tú habrías retomado
él/ella/Ud. habría retomado
nosotros/as habríamos retomado
vosotros/as habríais retomado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían retomado

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For retomar, the yo form is habría retomado, as in “Yo habría retomado el trabajo.” — “I would have resumed the work.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo retome
tú retomes
él/ella/Ud. retome
nosotros/as retomemos
vosotros/as retoméis
ellos/ellas/Uds. retomen

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For retomar, the yo form is retome, as in “Espero que yo retome el trabajo.” — “I hope that I resume the work.”

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo retomara
tú retomaras
él/ella/Ud. retomara
nosotros/as retomáramos
vosotros/as retomarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. retomaran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For retomar, the yo form is retomara, as in “Si yo retomara el trabajo, ...” — “If I resumed the work, ...”

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: retomara becomes retomase, and the same change applies to every person. Both variants mean the same thing; -ra is more common in everyday speech.

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú retoma
Ud. retome
nosotros/as retomemos
vosotros/as retomad
Uds. retomen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú retomes
Ud. retome
nosotros/as retomemos
vosotros/as retoméis
Uds. retomen

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is retoma, as in “¡Retoma el trabajo” — “Resume the work” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no retomes. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with retomar.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with retomar, covering different tenses and persons. Read each one out loud, then read the translation, and notice how the verb form changes while the meaning stays the same.

  1. “Yo retomo el trabajo cada día.” — “I resume the work.”
  2. “Él retoma el trabajo todos los días.” — “He resumes the work.”
  3. “Yo retomé el trabajo ayer.” — “I resumed the work.”
  4. “Él retomó el trabajo ayer.” — “He resumed the work.”
  5. “Yo retomaba el trabajo cuando era joven.” — “I used to resume the work.”
  6. “Nosotros retomaremos el trabajo mañana.” — “We will resume the work.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo retomaría el trabajo.” — “If I could, i would resume the work.”
  8. “Yo he retomado el trabajo hoy.” — “I have resumed the work.”
  9. “Espero que yo retome el trabajo.” — “I hope that I resume the work.”
  10. “estoy retomando el trabajo ahora mismo.” — “I am resuming the work.”

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

Is retomar regular or irregular?

retomar is a regular -ar verb. It follows the regular patterns for its ending in every tense. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.

What is the past participle of retomar?

The past participle of retomar is retomado. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he retomado, había retomado, habré retomado — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund retomando and you have the two non-finite forms covered.

What is the gerund of retomar?

The gerund of retomar is retomando. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy retomando, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. Keep it distinct from the past participle retomado, which belongs with haber, not with estar.

What is the yo form of retomar in the present?

The yo form is retomo — “Yo retomo el trabajo.” means “I resume the work.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú retomas, él retoma, nosotros retomamos, ellos retoman.

What is the difference between retomar and retirar?

retomar means “to resume, to take up again”, while retirar means “to withdraw, to remove”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to resume, to take up again”, use retomar; if it is about the meaning of retirar, use retirar instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.

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