Introduction

retrasar means “to delay”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to delay” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows retrasar 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 retraso la reunión por la mañana.” — “I delay the meeting.”

retrasar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how retrasar 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 retraso la reunión cada día.” — “I delay the meeting.”
  2. “Tú retrasas la reunión cada día.” — “you delay the meeting.”
  3. “Él retrasa la reunión siempre.” — “He delays the meeting.”
  4. “Nosotros retrasamos la reunión todos los días.” — “We delay the meeting.”

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 retrasé la reunión ayer.” — “I delayed the meeting.” (preterite) 6. “Él retrasó la reunión ayer.” — “He delayed the meeting.” (preterite) 7. “Yo retrasaba la reunión cuando era joven.” — “I used to delay the meeting.” (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 retrasaremos la reunión mañana.” — “We will delay the meeting.” (future) 9. “Tú has retrasado la reunión hoy.” — “you have delayed the meeting.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo retrase la reunión.” — “I hope that I delay the meeting.” (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 retrasáis la reunión cada semana.” — “You delay the meeting.” 12. “Ellos retrasan la reunión normalmente.” — “They delay the meeting.”

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

Dialogue on the phone

Lucía: “¿Tú retrasas la reunión?” — Do you delay the meeting?

Pedro: “Sí, yo retraso la reunión cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I delay the meeting every day. It is part of my routine.

Lucía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También retrasas la reunión?” — And yesterday? Did you delay the meeting too?

Pedro: “Sí, ayer yo retrasé la reunión. Mañana nosotros retrasaremos la reunión otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I delayed the meeting. Tomorrow we will delay the meeting again.

A short paragraph

Él retrasa la reunión cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how retrasar 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 retraso la reunión — 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 retrasar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is retrasé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — retrase — 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 retrasar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For retrasar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: retrasamos. 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 retrasado la reunión. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy retrasado is not the present perfect of retrasar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing retrasar with retirar

retrasar 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 retrasar — delay — the sentence needs retrasar; 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 retrase la reunión. Using the indicative — Espero que yo retraso — is one of the most frequent learner errors with retrasar. 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 retrasar in the present?

  • A. retrasas
  • B. retrasa
  • C. retrasamos
  • D. retraso

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

  • A. retrasamos
  • B. retrasaste
  • C. retrasé
  • D. retrasó

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

  • A. retrasabas
  • B. retrasábamos
  • C. retrasabais
  • D. retrasaba

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

  • A. retrasará
  • B. retrasaremos
  • C. retrasaré
  • D. retrasarás

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

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

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

  • A. retrase
  • B. retrasen
  • C. retrase
  • D. retrases

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

  • A. retrasaste
  • B. retrasó
  • C. retrasamos
  • D. retrasé

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

  • A. retrasábamos
  • B. retrasabas
  • C. retrasaba
  • D. retrasaba

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

  • A. retrasaré
  • B. retrasarás
  • C. retrasaremos
  • D. retrasará

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

  • A. retrasaría
  • B. retrasaríamos
  • C. retrasaría
  • D. retrasarías

Answer key

  1. retraso — The present table gives yo = retraso.
  2. retrasaste — The preterite table gives tu = retrasaste.
  3. retrasaba — The imperfect table gives el = retrasaba.
  4. retrasaremos — The future table gives nosotros = retrasaremos.
  5. habéis retrasado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis retrasado.
  6. retrasen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = retrasen.
  7. retrasé — The preterite table gives yo = retrasé.
  8. retrasabas — The imperfect table gives tu = retrasabas.
  9. retrasará — The future table gives el = retrasará.
  10. retrasaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = retrasaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use retrasar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo retraso la reunión.” — “I delay the meeting.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form retraso first, then the preterite yo form retrasé and the participle retrasado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund retrasando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is retrasar reflexive?

No — retrasar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo retraso la reunión. 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 retrasar?

On the main conjugation page for retrasar, 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