Introduction

revelar means “to reveal” 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 secret — 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 revelar 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. revelar 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 revelo el secreto todos los días.” — “I reveal the secret.” Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts
Infinitive revelar
English to reveal
Verb type Regular -ar verb
Gerund revelando
Past participle revelado
Auxiliary verb haber

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: revelando · Past participle: revelado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo revelo
tú revelas
él/ella/Ud. revela
nosotros/as revelamos
vosotros/as reveláis
ellos/ellas/Uds. revelan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For revelar, the yo form is revelo, as in “Yo revelo el secreto.” — “I reveal the secret.”

Preterite

Person Form
yo revelé
tú revelaste
él/ella/Ud. reveló
nosotros/as revelamos
vosotros/as revelasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. revelaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For revelar, the yo form is revelé, as in “Yo revelé el secreto.” — “I revealed the secret.”

Imperfect

Person Form
yo revelaba
tú revelabas
él/ella/Ud. revelaba
nosotros/as revelábamos
vosotros/as revelabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. revelaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For revelar, the yo form is revelaba, as in “Yo revelaba el secreto.” — “I used to reveal the secret.”

Future

Person Form
yo revelaré
tú revelarás
él/ella/Ud. revelará
nosotros/as revelaremos
vosotros/as revelaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. revelarán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For revelar, the yo form is revelaré, as in “Yo revelaré el secreto.” — “I will reveal the secret.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo revelaría
tú revelarías
él/ella/Ud. revelaría
nosotros/as revelaríamos
vosotros/as revelaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. revelarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For revelar, the yo form is revelaría, as in “Yo revelaría el secreto.” — “I would reveal the secret.”

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For revelar, the yo form is he revelado, as in “Yo he revelado el secreto.” — “I have revealed the secret.”

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For revelar, the yo form is había revelado, as in “Yo había revelado el secreto.” — “I had revealed the secret.”

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For revelar, the yo form is habré revelado, as in “Yo habré revelado el secreto.” — “I will have revealed the secret.”

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For revelar, the yo form is habría revelado, as in “Yo habría revelado el secreto.” — “I would have revealed the secret.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo revele
tú reveles
él/ella/Ud. revele
nosotros/as revelemos
vosotros/as reveléis
ellos/ellas/Uds. revelen

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For revelar, the yo form is revele, as in “Espero que yo revele el secreto.” — “I hope that I reveal the secret.”

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo revelara
tú revelaras
él/ella/Ud. revelara
nosotros/as reveláramos
vosotros/as revelarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. revelaran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For revelar, the yo form is revelara, as in “Si yo revelara el secreto, ...” — “If I revealed the secret, ...”

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: revelara becomes revelase, 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 revela
Ud. revele
nosotros/as revelemos
vosotros/as revelad
Uds. revelen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú reveles
Ud. revele
nosotros/as revelemos
vosotros/as reveléis
Uds. revelen

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is revela, as in “¡Revela el secreto” — “Reveal the secret” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no reveles. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with revelar.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with revelar, 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 revelo el secreto cada día.” — “I reveal the secret.”
  2. “Él revela el secreto todos los días.” — “He reveals the secret.”
  3. “Yo revelé el secreto ayer.” — “I revealed the secret.”
  4. “Él reveló el secreto ayer.” — “He revealed the secret.”
  5. “Yo revelaba el secreto cuando era joven.” — “I used to reveal the secret.”
  6. “Nosotros revelaremos el secreto mañana.” — “We will reveal the secret.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo revelaría el secreto.” — “If I could, i would reveal the secret.”
  8. “Yo he revelado el secreto hoy.” — “I have revealed the secret.”
  9. “Espero que yo revele el secreto.” — “I hope that I reveal the secret.”
  10. “estoy revelando el secreto ahora mismo.” — “I am revealing the secret.”

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

Is revelar regular or irregular?

revelar 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 revelar?

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

What is the gerund of revelar?

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

What is the yo form of revelar in the present?

The yo form is revelo — “Yo revelo el secreto.” means “I reveal the secret.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú revelas, él revela, nosotros revelamos, ellos revelan.

What is the difference between revelar and revisar?

revelar means “to reveal”, while revisar means “to review, to check”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to reveal”, use revelar; if it is about the meaning of revisar, use revisar instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.

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