Responder Conjugation | How to Conjugate Responder in Spanish

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means “to answer,” “to respond,” or “to react.” You will learn its fully regular -ER conjugation and the main patterns algo, a, and por.

Responder conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Regular ER. keeps the stable stem respond- and takes ordinary -ER endings. Its gerund — “answering / responding” — and participle — “answered / ” — are regular.

Responder gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — in compound forms. The participle remains invariant in those compounds.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive		to answer / respond
Gerund		answering / responding
Past participle		answered /

Responder meaning and essential uses

can be transitive or intransitive when answering a question or communication: la pregunta. — “I answered the question.” No . — “He / she did not answer.”

Use a for reacting to a stimulus, request, treatment, or communication: al tratamiento. — “He / she to the treatment.” RAE also records por for taking responsibility or guaranteeing someone or something.

Responder regular conjugation pattern

The stem respond- remains unchanged throughout the core paradigm. Forms such as — “I answer,” — “I answered,” and — “that I answer” — use standard -ER endings.

There is no stem change, spelling alternation, irregular preterite stem, irregular future stem, irregular gerund, or irregular participle.

Responder indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Responder present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current situations, habits, facts, and contextually near-future reference. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		I answer / respond
Tú — you, singular informal		you answer / respond
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		he / she answers / responds; you answer / respond (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		we answer / respond
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		you answer / respond (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		they answer / respond; you answer / respond (plural)

— I answer all important emails.

Responder preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		I answered /
Tú — you, singular informal		you answered /
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		he / she answered / ; you answered / (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		we answered /
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		you answered / (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		they answered / ; you answered / (plural)

— Yesterday I answered the teacher’s question.

Responder imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle .

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		I used to answer / respond / was answering / responding
Tú — you, singular informal		you used to answer / respond / were answering / responding
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		he / she used to answer / respond / was answering / responding; you used to answer / respond / were answering / responding (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		we used to answer / respond / were answering / responding
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		you used to answer / respond / were answering / responding (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		they used to answer / respond / were answering / responding; you used to answer / respond / were answering / responding (plural)

— I used to answer messages at night.

Responder present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar — “to be” — plus — “answering / responding.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		I am answering / responding
Tú — you, singular informal		you are answering / responding
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		he / she is answering / responding; you are answering / responding (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		we are answering / responding
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		you are answering / responding (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		they are answering / responding; you are answering / responding (plural)

— I am responding to a request.

Responder near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir — “to go” — plus a — “to” — and .

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		I am going to answer / respond
Tú — you, singular informal		you are going to answer / respond
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		he / she is going to answer / respond; you are going to answer / respond (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		we are going to answer / respond
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		you are going to answer / respond (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		they are going to answer / respond; you are going to answer / respond (plural)

— I am going to respond after the meeting.

Responder future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, where useful, probability. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		I will answer / respond
Tú — you, singular informal		you will answer / respond
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		he / she will answer / respond; you will answer / respond (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		we will answer / respond
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		you will answer / respond (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		they will answer / respond; you will answer / respond (plural)

— We will respond tomorrow.

Responder conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		I would answer / respond
Tú — you, singular informal		you would answer / respond
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		he / she would answer / respond; you would answer / respond (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		we would answer / respond
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		you would answer / respond (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		they would answer / respond; you would answer / respond (plural)

— I would respond in more detail if I had time.

Responder present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; regional distribution varies. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle .

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		I have answered /
Tú — you, singular informal		you have answered /
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		he / she has answered / ; you have answered / (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		we have answered /
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		you have answered / (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		they have answered / ; you have answered / (plural)

— I have answered all the questions.

Responder past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle .

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		I had answered /
Tú — you, singular informal		you had answered /
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		he / she had answered / ; you had answered / (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		we had answered /
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		you had answered / (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		they had answered / ; you had answered / (plural)

— We had already to that request.

Responder future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle .

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		I will have answered /
Tú — you, singular informal		you will have answered /
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		he / she will have answered / ; you will have answered / (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		we will have answered /
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		you will have answered / (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		they will have answered / ; you will have answered / (plural)

— By then everyone will have .

Responder conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle .

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		I would have answered /
Tú — you, singular informal		you would have answered /
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		he / she would have answered / ; you would have answered / (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		we would have answered /
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		you would have answered / (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		they would have answered / ; you would have answered / (plural)

— I would have earlier if I had seen the message.

Responder subjunctive conjugations

Responder present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		that I answer / respond
Tú — you, singular informal		that you answer / respond
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		that he / she answer / respond; that you answer / respond (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		that we answer / respond
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		that you answer / respond (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		that they answer / respond; that you answer / respond (plural)

— I want you to answer clearly.

Responder imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle .

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		that I answered /
Tú — you, singular informal		that you answered /
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		that he / she answered / ; that you answered / (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		that we answered /
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		that you answered / (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		that they answered / ; that you answered / (plural)

— They preferred that we respond in writing.
— It was better for you to answer the main question first.

Responder future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These rare reference forms share the same historical family as the imperfect subjunctive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		if / when I should answer / respond
Tú — you, singular informal		if / when you should answer / respond
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		if / when he / she should answer / respond; if / when you should answer / respond (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		if / when we should answer / respond
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		if / when you should answer / respond (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		if / when they should answer / respond; if / when you should answer / respond (plural)

— Whoever should respond to the request must identify themselves.

Responder present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle .

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		that I have answered /
Tú — you, singular informal		that you have answered /
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		that he / she has answered / ; that you have answered / (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		that we have answered /
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		that you have answered / (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		that they have answered / ; that you have answered / (plural)

— I am glad that you .

Responder past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle .

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		that I had answered /
Tú — you, singular informal		that you had answered /
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		that he / she had answered / ; that you had answered / (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		that we had answered /
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		that you had answered / (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		that they had answered / ; that you had answered / (plural)

— If I had earlier, we would have made more progress.
— If you had answered the question, we would have finished.

Responder future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle .

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I		if / when I should have answered /
Tú — you, singular informal		if / when you should have answered /
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal		if / when he / she should have answered / ; if / when you should have answered / (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we		if / when we should have answered /
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		if / when you should have answered / (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural		if / when they should have answered / ; if / when you should have answered / (plural)

— If everyone should have , the consultation may be closed.

Responder imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. The nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Responder affirmative commands

Use the verified affirmative command forms for direct instructions when the target meaning supports them naturally.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal		answer
Usted — you, singular formal		answer (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…		let’s answer
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		answer (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural		answer (plural)

— Answer the main question first.

Responder negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no — “not / do not” — before the verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal		do not answer
Usted — you, singular formal		do not answer (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…		let’s not answer
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain		do not answer (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural		do not answer (plural)

— Do not respond without reading the entire message.

Common constructions with Responder

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

algo. — to answer something, such as a question.
a alguien / algo. — to answer or respond to someone / something.
por alguien / algo. — to answer for / take responsibility for someone / something.

Example sentences with Responder

These examples reinforce the target verb across useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

— Can you answer this question?
— He / she did not respond to my email.
— The patient well to the treatment.
— I hope you respond today.
— I will take responsibility for my decision.
— Answer with a complete sentence.

Regional and usage notes for Responder

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes for project comparability. Voseo changes some second-person singular forms in regions where vos — “you, singular informal” — is used.

— You respond very quickly. (voseo)
— Answer honestly. (affirmative vos command)

is fully regular. The main learner task is choosing the complement: answer a question directly, respond a a person, message, treatment, or stimulus, or use por when expressing responsibility or guarantee.