Retroceder in the Present Tense

Retroceder means “to go back, to reverse”, and this page covers exactly one thing: retroceder 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 retroceder, 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 retroceder in the present. For example: “Yo retrocedo con el coche en el garaje.” — I go back with the car in the garage. Everything on this page uses the forms of retroceder exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Retroceder in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo retrocedo
tú retrocedes
él/ella/Ud. retrocede
nosotros/as retrocedemos
vosotros/as retrocedéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. retroceden

Gerund: retrocediendo · Past participle: retrocedido

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

How the present of retroceder is formed

Retroceder is regular in the present tense. Take the stem retroced and add the present endings for -er verbs: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en, giving retrocedo, retrocedes, retrocede, retrocedemos, retrocedéis, retroceden. Watch the accents: the yo form is retrocedo and the él/ella/Ud. form is retrocede.

When to use the present of retroceder

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use retroceder 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 retroceder is no exception. Example: “Yo retrocedo con el coche en el garaje todos los días.” — I go back with the car in the garage 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 retroceder means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Retrocede en su decisión tras la reunión.” — He/she goes back on his decision after the meeting.

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 retrocedo hasta la puerta sin mirar ahora.” — I go back to the door without looking 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 retrocedemos poco a poco por el pasillo.” — We go back little by little down the corridor.

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 retrocedes con el coche en el garaje.” — You go back with the car in the garage.

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 retrocedo con el coche en el garaje todos los días.” — I go back with the car in the garage every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo retrocedí con el coche en el garaje.” — Yesterday, I went back with the car in the garage.

  • 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 retrocede en su decisión tras la reunión cada semana.” — He/she goes back on his decision after the meeting every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él retrocedió en su decisión tras la reunión.” — Last week, he went back on his decision after the meeting.

  • 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 retrocedemos hasta la puerta sin mirar a menudo.” — We go back to the door without looking often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros retrocedimos hasta la puerta sin mirar.” — Yesterday, we went back to the door without looking.

  • 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: retroceder 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. “Retrocedo con el coche en el garaje.” — I go back with the car in the garage.

  2. “Retrocedes en su decisión tras la reunión.” — You go back on his decision after the meeting.

  3. “Retrocede hasta la puerta sin mirar.” — He/she goes back to the door without looking.

  4. “Retrocedemos poco a poco por el pasillo.” — We go back little by little down the corridor.

  5. “Retrocedéis con el coche en el garaje.” — You go back with the car in the garage.

  6. “Retroceden en su decisión tras la reunión.” — They go back on his decision after the meeting.

  7. “Retrocedo hasta la puerta sin mirar.” — I go back to the door without looking.

  8. “Retrocede poco a poco por el pasillo.” — He/she goes back little by little down the corridor.

Common mistakes with retroceder 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 retrocede con el coche en el garaje.” Right: “Ellos retroceden con el coche en el garaje.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form retroceden. The singular retrocede belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.

  • Wrong: “Yo retrocedo en su decisión tras la reunión ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo retrocedí en su decisión tras la reunión.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to retrocedí.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros retrocedes hasta la puerta sin mirar.” Right: “Nosotros retrocedemos hasta la puerta sin mirar.” Why: Nosotros needs retrocedemos. The tú form retrocedes belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos retrocedo poco a poco por el pasillo todos los días.” Right: “Ellos retroceden poco a poco por el pasillo todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form retroceden, not the yo form retrocedo. 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: retroceder 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 ______ con el coche en el garaje.” (With the car in the garage.)

  • (a) retrocedo
  • (b) retrocedes
  • (c) retrocede

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

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ en su decisión tras la reunión?” (On his decision after the meeting.)

  • (a) retrocedo
  • (b) retrocede
  • (c) retrocedes

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

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ hasta la puerta sin mirar.” (To the door without looking.)

  • (a) retrocedes
  • (b) retrocede
  • (c) retrocedo

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

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ poco a poco por el pasillo.” (Little by little down the corridor.)

  • (a) retrocedemos
  • (b) retrocedo
  • (c) retrocedes

Answer: retrocedemos — The nosotros/as form of retroceder in the present is retrocedemos. 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 retroceder in the present?

  • (a) retrocedo
  • (b) retrocedes
  • (c) retrocedéis

Answer: retrocedéis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes retrocedéis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros retrocedéis con el coche en el garaje.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ en su decisión tras la reunión.” (On his decision after the meeting.)

  • (a) retrocedes
  • (b) retroceden
  • (c) retrocedo

Answer: retroceden — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of retroceder in the present is retroceden. 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 retroceder in the present?

  • (a) retrocedo
  • (b) retrocedes
  • (c) retrocede

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

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo retrocedí con el coche en el garaje todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros retrocederemos con el coche en el garaje mañana.
  • (c) Yo retrocedo con el coche en el garaje todos los días.

Answer: Yo retrocedo con el coche en el garaje todos los días. — “Yo retrocedo con el coche en el garaje 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 retroceder regular in the present?

Yes. Retroceder is regular in the present: retrocedo, retrocedes, retrocede, retrocedemos, retrocedéis, retroceden. Watch the accents on the yo and él forms, and remember that only context tells the nosotros form apart from the present-tense nosotros form when they are identical.

What is the past participle of retroceder?

The past participle is retrocedido: 'He retrocedido' means 'I have gone back'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is retrocediendo.

Does retroceder take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Retroceder is fully regular: retrocedí, retrocedía, retrocederé. Retroceder en una decisión is to go back on it. In the examples on this page, retroceder appears with complements such as con el coche en el garaje and en su decisión tras la reunión, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of retroceder?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo retrocedo, tú retrocedes, él/ella/Ud. retrocede, nosotros/as retrocedemos, vosotros/as retrocedéis, ellos/ellas/Uds. retroceden. Then write three of your own sentences with retroceder in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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