Reventar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb reventar means to burst, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Reventar means to burst: reventar el globo, reventar la rueda. It also appears in the idiom reventar de risa, to burst out laughing. Like every Spanish verb, reventar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo reviento el globo con un alfiler — "I burst the balloon with a pin". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: reviento, revientas, revienta and revientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: reventamos, reventáis.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: reventar
  • English: to burst
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie)
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: reventando
  • Past participle: reventado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + reventado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for reventar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for reventar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | reviento | | tú | revientas | | él/ella/Ud. | revienta | | nosotros/as | reventamos | | vosotros/as | reventáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | revientan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | reventé | | tú | reventaste | | él/ella/Ud. | reventó | | nosotros/as | reventamos | | vosotros/as | reventasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | reventaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | reventaba | | tú | reventabas | | él/ella/Ud. | reventaba | | nosotros/as | reventábamos | | vosotros/as | reventabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | reventaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | reventaré | | tú | reventarás | | él/ella/Ud. | reventará | | nosotros/as | reventaremos | | vosotros/as | reventaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | reventarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | reventaría | | tú | reventarías | | él/ella/Ud. | reventaría | | nosotros/as | reventaríamos | | vosotros/as | reventaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | reventarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | reviente | | tú | revientes | | él/ella/Ud. | reviente | | nosotros/as | reventemos | | vosotros/as | reventéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | revienten |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | reventara | | tú | reventaras | | él/ella/Ud. | reventara | | nosotros/as | reventáramos | | vosotros/as | reventarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | reventaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | revienta | | él/ella/Ud. | reviente | | nosotros/as | reventemos | | vosotros/as | reventad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | revienten |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | revientes | | él/ella/Ud. | reviente | | nosotros/as | reventemos | | vosotros/as | reventéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | revienten |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund reventando with estar for the progressive: está reventando
Past participle reventado with haber for the perfect tenses: he reventado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: reviento, revientas, revienta and revientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: reventamos, reventáis. For reventar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo reviento el globo con un alfiler — "I burst the balloon with a pin".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For reventar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo reventé la rueda en la carretera — "Yesterday, I burst the tyre on the road".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For reventar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo reventaba de risa en el cine — "As a child, I used to burst with laughter at the cinema".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For reventar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo reventaré el tubo por el frío — "Tomorrow, I will burst the pipe from the cold".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For reventar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo reventaría el globo con un alfiler si pudiera — "I would burst the balloon with a pin if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For reventar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he reventado la rueda en la carretera — "Today, I have burst the tyre on the road".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For reventar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había reventado de risa en el cine antes de salir — "I already had burst with laughter at the cinema before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For reventar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré reventado el tubo por el frío — "By tomorrow, I will have burst the pipe from the cold".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For reventar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría reventado el globo con un alfiler con más tiempo — "I would have burst the balloon with a pin with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: reviento, revientas, revienta and revientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: reventamos, reventáis. For reventar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él reviente la rueda en la carretera — "I hope he bursts the tyre on the road".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For reventar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo reventara de risa en el cine, todo cambiaría — "If I burst with laughter at the cinema, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: reviento, revientas, revienta and revientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: reventamos, reventáis. For reventar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Revienta el tubo por el frío. — "Burst the pipe from the cold.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: reviento, revientas, revienta and revientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: reventamos, reventáis. For reventar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No revientes el globo con un alfiler. — "Do not burst the balloon with a pin.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with reventar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo reviento el globo con un alfiler — "I burst the balloon with a pin"
  2. Mi amigo revienta la rueda en la carretera — "My friend bursts the tyre on the road"
  3. Ayer, yo reventé de risa en el cine — "Yesterday, I burst with laughter at the cinema"
  4. Antes, nosotros reventábamos el tubo por el frío — "Before, we used to burst the pipe from the cold"
  5. Mañana, tú reventarás la presa tras la lluvia — "Tomorrow, you will burst the dam after the rain"
  6. Yo reventaría el globo con un alfiler si tuviera más tiempo — "I would burst the balloon with a pin if I had more time"
  7. Él ha reventado la rueda en la carretera — "He has burst the tyre on the road"
  8. Espero que él reviente de risa en el cine — "I hope he bursts with laughter at the cinema"
  9. Yo ya había reventado el tubo por el frío antes de salir — "I already had burst the pipe from the cold before leaving"
  10. Ellos reventaban la presa tras la lluvia cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to burst the dam after the rain when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo revento la rueda en la carretera. — Right: Yo reviento la rueda en la carretera. — reventar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is reviento, not revento.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él revienta la rueda en la carretera — Right: Espero que él reviente la rueda en la carretera — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él reviente la rueda en la carretera — not the indicative Espero que él revienta la rueda en la carretera.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo reviento de risa en el cine — Right: Ayer, yo reventé de risa en el cine — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo reventé de risa en el cine.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo reventé el tubo por el frío todos los días — Right: De niño, yo reventaba el tubo por el frío todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo reventaba el tubo por el frío todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo reviento en el globo con un alfiler. — Right: Yo reviento el globo con un alfiler. — reventar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo reviento el globo con un alfiler.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on reventar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el globo con un alfiler — "I burst the balloon with a pin" (present) A. reviento B. revientas C. revienta D. reventamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la rueda en la carretera — "He burst the tyre on the road" (preterite) A. reventaste B. reventamos C. reventó D. reventé

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ de risa en el cine — "We used to burst with laughter at the cinema" (imperfect) A. reventábamos B. reventaba C. reventabas D. reventabais

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el tubo por el frío — "You will burst the pipe from the cold" (future) A. reventaré B. reventará C. reventaremos D. reventarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la presa tras la lluvia — "I would burst the dam after the rain" (conditional) A. reventaría B. reventarías C. reventaríamos D. reventaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el globo con un alfiler — "I hope he bursts the balloon with a pin" (present subjunctive) A. reviente B. revientes C. reventemos D. reventéis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ la rueda en la carretera, todo cambiaría — "If I burst the tyre on the road, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. reventáramos B. reventarais C. reventara D. reventaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ de risa en el cine — "We have burst with laughter at the cinema" (present perfect) A. ha reventado B. hemos reventado C. he reventado D. has reventado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el tubo por el frío. — "Do not burst the pipe from the cold." (negative imperative) A. reviente B. reventemos C. reventéis D. revientes

  10. Which is the gerund of reventar, used with estar for the progressive? A. reventado B. reviento C. reventé D. reventando

Answer key

  1. reviento — The present form for yo is reviento.
  2. reventó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is reventó.
  3. reventábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is reventábamos.
  4. reventarás — The future form for tú is reventarás.
  5. reventaría — The conditional form for yo is reventaría.
  6. reviente — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is reviente.
  7. reventara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is reventara.
  8. hemos reventado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos reventado.
  9. revientes — The negative imperative form is revientes.
  10. reventando — The gerund of reventar is reventando: estoy reventando. The participle reventado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does reventar mean in English?

reventar means to burst. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo reviento el globo con un alfiler — "I burst the balloon with a pin". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is reventar regular?

No. reventar is a stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: reviento, revientas, revienta and revientan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: reventamos, reventáis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of reventar?

The gerund is reventando and the past participle is reventado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I burst" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo reventé la rueda en la carretera — "Yesterday, I burst the tyre on the road". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo reventaba de risa en el cine — "As a child, I used to burst with laughter at the cinema". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he reventado la rueda en la carretera — "Today, I have burst the tyre on the road".

What is the difference between reventar and explotar?

Explotar is to explode, with a bang and often with fire. Reventar is to burst — a balloon, a tyre, a pipe — usually without an explosion. Reventar means to burst: reventar el globo, reventar la rueda. It also appears in the idiom reventar de risa, to burst out laughing.

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