Retraer in the Present Tense

Retraer means “to retract”, and this page covers exactly one thing: retraer in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about routines, facts and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for retraer, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about retraer in the present. For example: “Yo retraigo sus palabras después del debate.” — I retract his words after the debate. Everything on this page uses the forms of retraer exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Retraer in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo retraigo
tú retraes
él/ella/Ud. retrae
nosotros/as retraemos
vosotros/as retraéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. retraen

Gerund: retrayendo · Past participle: retraído

The gerund is retrayendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy retrayendo” means the action of retraer is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is retraído, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he retraído” 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 retraer is used.

How the present of retraer is formed

Retraer is regular in the present tense. Take the stem retra and add the present endings for -er verbs: -igo, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en, giving retraigo, retraes, retrae, retraemos, retraéis, retraen. Watch the accents: the yo form is retraigo and the él/ella/Ud. form is retrae.

The irregularity of retraer is in its past participle, retraído, not in the present, so the table above is the whole story for this tense. Remember the participle for the perfect tenses: he retraído, has retraído, ha retraído.

When to use the present of retraer

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use retraer in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Routines and habits

The present tense is the tense of what you do regularly. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the right choice, and retraer is no exception. Example: “Yo retraigo sus palabras después del debate todos los días.” — I retract his words after the debate every day.

2. Facts and general truths

The present states facts that are true in general, not just right now. Use it to say what retraer means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Retrae la oferta antes de firmar.” — He/she retracts the offer before signing.

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes actions in progress at this very moment. When something is happening as you speak, the present tense says so directly. Example: “Yo retraigo la mano con cuidado ahora.” — I retract my hand carefully now.

4. Scheduled events in the near future

Spanish often uses the present for things that are already arranged, such as plans for tomorrow or next week. The present sounds more certain than the future in these cases. Example: “Nosotros retraemos la denuncia en el juzgado.” — We retract the complaint in court.

5. Instructions and everyday speech

In everyday speech the present gives instructions, makes offers and states what someone does. It is the tense you will hear most often in conversation. Example: “Tú retraes sus palabras después del debate.” — You retract his words after the debate.

Present Tense vs 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 describes routines, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is a habit or a finished event. Time words help: todos los días and cada semana point to the present, while ayer and la semana pasada point to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Yo retraigo sus palabras después del debate todos los días.” — I retract his words after the debate every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo retraje sus palabras después del debate.” — Yesterday, I retracted his words after the debate.

  • The present sentence describes a habit; the preterite sentence reports one finished action. Todos los días points to the present, ayer points to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Él retrae la oferta antes de firmar cada semana.” — He/she retracts the offer before signing every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él retrajo la oferta antes de firmar.” — Last week, he retracted the offer before signing.

  • Cada semana describes a routine, so the present is right; la semana pasada names one finished week, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Nosotros retraemos la mano con cuidado a menudo.” — We retract my hand carefully often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros retrajimos la mano con cuidado.” — Yesterday, we retracted my hand carefully.

  • The present sentence counts no single event; the preterite sentence counts one finished action. That difference — habit versus finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: retraer 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.

  1. “Retraigo sus palabras después del debate.” — I retract his words after the debate.

  2. “Retraes la oferta antes de firmar.” — You retract the offer before signing.

  3. “Retrae la mano con cuidado.” — He/she retracts my hand carefully.

  4. “Retraemos la denuncia en el juzgado.” — We retract the complaint in court.

  5. “Retraéis sus palabras después del debate.” — You retract his words after the debate.

  6. “Retraen la oferta antes de firmar.” — They retract the offer before signing.

  7. “Retraigo la mano con cuidado.” — I retract my hand carefully.

  8. “Retrae la denuncia en el juzgado.” — He/she retracts the complaint in court.

Common mistakes with retraer 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: “Ellos retrae sus palabras después del debate.” Right: “Ellos retraen sus palabras después del debate.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form retraen. The singular retrae belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.

  • Wrong: “Espero que yo retrae la oferta antes de firmar.” Right: “Espero que yo retraiga la oferta antes de firmar.” Why: Retraer is a spelling-change verb: the final consonant of the stem changes before e, so the subjunctive is retraiga.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros retraes la mano con cuidado.” Right: “Nosotros retraemos la mano con cuidado.” Why: Nosotros needs retraemos. The tú form retraes belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos retraigo la denuncia en el juzgado todos los días.” Right: “Ellos retraen la denuncia en el juzgado todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form retraen, not the yo form retraigo. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.

Quiz: retraer 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 ______ sus palabras después del debate.” (His words after the debate.)

  • (a) retraigo
  • (b) retraes
  • (c) retrae

Answer: retraigo — The yo form of retraer in the present is retraigo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ la oferta antes de firmar?” (The offer before signing.)

  • (a) retraigo
  • (b) retrae
  • (c) retraes

Answer: retraes — The tú form of retraer in the present is retraes. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ la mano con cuidado.” (My hand carefully.)

  • (a) retraes
  • (b) retrae
  • (c) retraigo

Answer: retrae — The él/ella/Ud. form of retraer in the present is retrae. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ la denuncia en el juzgado.” (The complaint in court.)

  • (a) retraemos
  • (b) retraigo
  • (c) retraes

Answer: retraemos — The nosotros/as form of retraer in the present is retraemos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of retraer in the present?

  • (a) retraigo
  • (b) retraes
  • (c) retraéis

Answer: retraéis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes retraéis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros retraéis sus palabras después del debate.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la oferta antes de firmar.” (The offer before signing.)

  • (a) retraes
  • (b) retraen
  • (c) retraigo

Answer: retraen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of retraer in the present is retraen. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

7. Which is the correct yo form of retraer in the present?

  • (a) retraigo
  • (b) retraes
  • (c) retrae

Answer: retraigo — The yo form is retraigo. The other two options are the forms for other persons.

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo retraje sus palabras después del debate todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros retraeremos sus palabras después del debate mañana.
  • (c) Yo retraigo sus palabras después del debate todos los días.

Answer: Yo retraigo sus palabras después del debate todos los días. — “Yo retraigo sus palabras después del debate todos los días.” describes a habit, so it takes the present. The second option reports a finished action in the past, and the third looks to the future.

Frequently asked questions

Is retraer regular in the present?

Retraer is a spelling-change verb, so some forms change spelling to keep the same consonant sound, but the present forms in the table above are the correct ones: retraigo, retraes, retrae, retraemos, retraéis, retraen.

What is the past participle of retraer?

The past participle is retraído: 'He retraído' means 'I have retracted'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is retrayendo.

Does retraer take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Retraer follows traer: the present is retraigo, the preterite is retraje, and the participle is retraído. In the examples on this page, retraer appears with complements such as sus palabras después del debate and la oferta antes de firmar, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of retraer?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo retraigo, tú retraes, él/ella/Ud. retrae, nosotros/as retraemos, vosotros/as retraéis, ellos/ellas/Uds. retraen. Then write three of your own sentences with retraer in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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