Introduction

revisar means “to review, to check”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to review, to check” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows revisar 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 reviso el informe por la mañana.” — “I review the report.”

revisar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how revisar 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 reviso el informe cada día.” — “I review the report.”
  2. “Tú revisas el informe cada día.” — “you review the report.”
  3. “Él revisa el informe siempre.” — “He reviews the report.”
  4. “Nosotros revisamos el informe todos los días.” — “We review the report.”

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 revisé el informe ayer.” — “I reviewed the report.” (preterite) 6. “Él revisó el informe ayer.” — “He reviewed the report.” (preterite) 7. “Yo revisaba el informe cuando era joven.” — “I used to review the report.” (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 revisaremos el informe mañana.” — “We will review the report.” (future) 9. “Tú has revisado el informe hoy.” — “you have reviewed the report.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo revise el informe.” — “I hope that I review the report.” (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 revisáis el informe cada semana.” — “You review the report.” 12. “Ellos revisan el informe normalmente.” — “They review the report.”

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

Dialogue at home in the evening

Ana: “¿Tú revisas el informe?” — Do you review the report?

Luis: “Sí, yo reviso el informe cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I review the report every day. It is part of my routine.

Ana: “¿Y ayer? ¿También revisas el informe?” — And yesterday? Did you review the report too?

Luis: “Sí, ayer yo revisé el informe. Mañana nosotros revisaremos el informe otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I reviewed the report. Tomorrow we will review the report again.

A short paragraph

Él revisa el informe cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how revisar 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 reviso el informe — 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 revisar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is revisé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — revise — 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 revisar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

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

Confusing revisar with revolver

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

Using the indicative after "espero que"

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

  • A. revisas
  • B. revisa
  • C. revisamos
  • D. reviso

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

  • A. revisamos
  • B. revisaste
  • C. revisé
  • D. revisó

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

  • A. revisabas
  • B. revisábamos
  • C. revisabais
  • D. revisaba

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

  • A. revisará
  • B. revisaremos
  • C. revisaré
  • D. revisarás

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

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

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

  • A. revise
  • B. revisen
  • C. revise
  • D. revises

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

  • A. revisaste
  • B. revisó
  • C. revisamos
  • D. revisé

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

  • A. revisábamos
  • B. revisabas
  • C. revisaba
  • D. revisaba

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

  • A. revisaré
  • B. revisarás
  • C. revisaremos
  • D. revisará

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

  • A. revisaría
  • B. revisaríamos
  • C. revisaría
  • D. revisarías

Answer key

  1. reviso — The present table gives yo = reviso.
  2. revisaste — The preterite table gives tu = revisaste.
  3. revisaba — The imperfect table gives el = revisaba.
  4. revisaremos — The future table gives nosotros = revisaremos.
  5. habéis revisado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis revisado.
  6. revisen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = revisen.
  7. revisé — The preterite table gives yo = revisé.
  8. revisabas — The imperfect table gives tu = revisabas.
  9. revisará — The future table gives el = revisará.
  10. revisaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = revisaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use revisar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo reviso el informe.” — “I review the report.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form reviso first, then the preterite yo form revisé and the participle revisado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund revisando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is revisar reflexive?

No — revisar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo reviso el informe. 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 revisar?

On the main conjugation page for revisar, 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