Introduction

revelar means “to reveal”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to reveal” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows revelar 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 revelo el secreto por la mañana.” — “I reveal the secret.”

revelar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how revelar 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 revelo el secreto cada día.” — “I reveal the secret.”
  2. “Tú revelas el secreto cada día.” — “you reveal the secret.”
  3. “Él revela el secreto siempre.” — “He reveals the secret.”
  4. “Nosotros revelamos el secreto todos los días.” — “We reveal the secret.”

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 revelé el secreto ayer.” — “I revealed the secret.” (preterite) 6. “Él reveló el secreto ayer.” — “He revealed the secret.” (preterite) 7. “Yo revelaba el secreto cuando era joven.” — “I used to reveal the secret.” (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 revelaremos el secreto mañana.” — “We will reveal the secret.” (future) 9. “Tú has revelado el secreto hoy.” — “you have revealed the secret.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo revele el secreto.” — “I hope that I reveal the secret.” (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 reveláis el secreto cada semana.” — “You reveal the secret.” 12. “Ellos revelan el secreto normalmente.” — “They reveal the secret.”

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

Dialogue on the phone

Lucía: “¿Tú revelas el secreto?” — Do you reveal the secret?

Pedro: “Sí, yo revelo el secreto cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I reveal the secret every day. It is part of my routine.

Lucía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También revelas el secreto?” — And yesterday? Did you reveal the secret too?

Pedro: “Sí, ayer yo revelé el secreto. Mañana nosotros revelaremos el secreto otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I revealed the secret. Tomorrow we will reveal the secret again.

A short paragraph

Él revela el secreto cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how revelar 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 revelo el secreto — 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 revelar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is revelé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — revele — 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 revelar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

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

Confusing revelar with revisar

revelar and revisar 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 revelar — reveal — the sentence needs revelar; if it needs the meaning of revisar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

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

  • A. revelas
  • B. revela
  • C. revelamos
  • D. revelo

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

  • A. revelamos
  • B. revelaste
  • C. revelé
  • D. reveló

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

  • A. revelabas
  • B. revelábamos
  • C. revelabais
  • D. revelaba

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

  • A. revelará
  • B. revelaremos
  • C. revelaré
  • D. revelarás

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

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

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

  • A. revele
  • B. revelen
  • C. revele
  • D. reveles

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

  • A. revelaste
  • B. reveló
  • C. revelamos
  • D. revelé

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

  • A. revelábamos
  • B. revelabas
  • C. revelaba
  • D. revelaba

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

  • A. revelaré
  • B. revelarás
  • C. revelaremos
  • D. revelará

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

  • A. revelaría
  • B. revelaríamos
  • C. revelaría
  • D. revelarías

Answer key

  1. revelo — The present table gives yo = revelo.
  2. revelaste — The preterite table gives tu = revelaste.
  3. revelaba — The imperfect table gives el = revelaba.
  4. revelaremos — The future table gives nosotros = revelaremos.
  5. habéis revelado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis revelado.
  6. revelen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = revelen.
  7. revelé — The preterite table gives yo = revelé.
  8. revelabas — The imperfect table gives tu = revelabas.
  9. revelará — The future table gives el = revelará.
  10. revelaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = revelaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use revelar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo revelo el secreto.” — “I reveal the secret.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form revelo first, then the preterite yo form revelé and the participle revelado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund revelando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is revelar reflexive?

No — revelar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo revelo el secreto. 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 revelar?

On the main conjugation page for revelar, 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