Introduction

Learning to conjugate revivir — “to revive” — opens up a whole set of sentences you will use in real Spanish. Whether you are talking about what you do every day, what happened yesterday, or what you plan to do tomorrow, revivir is one of the verbs that carries those sentences, especially when the topic is the memories. On this page you will find the full conjugation of revivir in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. revivir is a regular -ir verb; the gerund is reviviendo and the past participle is revivido, and both appear in the tables and examples below. For example: “Yo revivo los recuerdos todos los días.” — “I revive the memories.” Read the tables first, then the notes, and finish with the quiz to check what you have learned.

Quick facts
Infinitive revivir
English to revive
Verb type Regular -ir verb
Gerund reviviendo
Past participle revivido
Auxiliary verb haber

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: reviviendo · Past participle: revivido

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo revivo
tú revives
él/ella/Ud. revive
nosotros/as revivimos
vosotros/as revivís
ellos/ellas/Uds. reviven

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For revivir, the yo form is revivo, as in “Yo revivo los recuerdos.” — “I revive the memories.”

Preterite

Person Form
yo reviví
tú reviviste
él/ella/Ud. revivió
nosotros/as revivimos
vosotros/as revivisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. revivieron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For revivir, the yo form is reviví, as in “Yo reviví los recuerdos.” — “I revived the memories.”

Imperfect

Person Form
yo revivía
tú revivías
él/ella/Ud. revivía
nosotros/as revivíamos
vosotros/as revivíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. revivían

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For revivir, the yo form is revivía, as in “Yo revivía los recuerdos.” — “I used to revive the memories.”

Future

Person Form
yo reviviré
tú revivirás
él/ella/Ud. revivirá
nosotros/as reviviremos
vosotros/as reviviréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. revivirán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For revivir, the yo form is reviviré, as in “Yo reviviré los recuerdos.” — “I will revive the memories.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo reviviría
tú revivirías
él/ella/Ud. reviviría
nosotros/as reviviríamos
vosotros/as reviviríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. revivirían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For revivir, the yo form is reviviría, as in “Yo reviviría los recuerdos.” — “I would revive the memories.”

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For revivir, the yo form is he revivido, as in “Yo he revivido los recuerdos.” — “I have revived the memories.”

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For revivir, the yo form is había revivido, as in “Yo había revivido los recuerdos.” — “I had revived the memories.”

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For revivir, the yo form is habré revivido, as in “Yo habré revivido los recuerdos.” — “I will have revived the memories.”

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For revivir, the yo form is habría revivido, as in “Yo habría revivido los recuerdos.” — “I would have revived the memories.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo reviva
tú revivas
él/ella/Ud. reviva
nosotros/as revivamos
vosotros/as reviváis
ellos/ellas/Uds. revivan

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For revivir, the yo form is reviva, as in “Espero que yo reviva los recuerdos.” — “I hope that I revive the memories.”

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo reviviera
tú revivieras
él/ella/Ud. reviviera
nosotros/as reviviéramos
vosotros/as revivierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. revivieran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For revivir, the yo form is reviviera, as in “Si yo reviviera los recuerdos, ...” — “If I revived the memories, ...”

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: reviviera becomes reviviese, 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 revive
Ud. reviva
nosotros/as revivamos
vosotros/as revivid
Uds. revivan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú revivas
Ud. reviva
nosotros/as revivamos
vosotros/as reviváis
Uds. revivan

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is revive, as in “¡Revive los recuerdos” — “Revive the memories” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no revivas. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with revivir.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with revivir, 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 revivo los recuerdos cada día.” — “I revive the memories.”
  2. “Él revive los recuerdos todos los días.” — “He revives the memories.”
  3. “Yo reviví los recuerdos ayer.” — “I revived the memories.”
  4. “Él revivió los recuerdos ayer.” — “He revived the memories.”
  5. “Yo revivía los recuerdos cuando era joven.” — “I used to revive the memories.”
  6. “Nosotros reviviremos los recuerdos mañana.” — “We will revive the memories.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo reviviría los recuerdos.” — “If I could, i would revive the memories.”
  8. “Yo he revivido los recuerdos hoy.” — “I have revived the memories.”
  9. “Espero que yo reviva los recuerdos.” — “I hope that I revive the memories.”
  10. “estoy reviviendo los recuerdos ahora mismo.” — “I am reviving the memories.”

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is reviví, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — revivi — 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 revivir.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For revivir, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: revivimos. 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 revivido los recuerdos. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy revivido is not the present perfect of revivir — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing revivir with revisar

revivir 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 revivir — revive — the sentence needs revivir; 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 reviva los recuerdos. Using the indicative — Espero que yo revivo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with revivir. 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 revivir in the present?

  • A. revives
  • B. revive
  • C. revivimos
  • D. revivo

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

  • A. revivimos
  • B. reviviste
  • C. reviví
  • D. revivió

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

  • A. revivías
  • B. revivíamos
  • C. revivíais
  • D. revivía

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

  • A. revivirá
  • B. reviviremos
  • C. reviviré
  • D. revivirás

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

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

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

  • A. reviva
  • B. revivan
  • C. reviva
  • D. revivas

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

  • A. reviviste
  • B. revivió
  • C. revivimos
  • D. reviví

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

  • A. revivíamos
  • B. revivías
  • C. revivía
  • D. revivía

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

  • A. reviviré
  • B. revivirás
  • C. reviviremos
  • D. revivirá

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

  • A. reviviría
  • B. reviviríamos
  • C. reviviría
  • D. revivirías

Answer key

  1. revivo — The present table gives yo = revivo.
  2. reviviste — The preterite table gives tu = reviviste.
  3. revivía — The imperfect table gives el = revivía.
  4. reviviremos — The future table gives nosotros = reviviremos.
  5. habéis revivido — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis revivido.
  6. revivan — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = revivan.
  7. reviví — The preterite table gives yo = reviví.
  8. revivías — The imperfect table gives tu = revivías.
  9. revivirá — The future table gives el = revivirá.
  10. reviviríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = reviviríamos.

Frequently asked questions

Is revivir regular or irregular?

revivir is a regular -ir 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 revivir?

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

What is the gerund of revivir?

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

What is the yo form of revivir in the present?

The yo form is revivo — “Yo revivo los recuerdos.” means “I revive the memories.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú revives, él revive, nosotros revivimos, ellos reviven.

What is the difference between revivir and revisar?

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

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