Regular -ER verb

responder
to answer

Responder is a regular -er verb in Spanish.

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Responder conjugation in Spanish

Responder means 'to answer' or 'to respond', and it is a regular -er verb that pairs naturally with preguntar ('to ask'). Responde a la pregunta (answer the question) — note responder a. It overlaps with contestar, which means the same. Because answering questions is the core of speaking exams, reading comprehension and conversation, responder is a practical, high-frequency verb. As a regular -er verb the conjugation is predictable across tenses; the small thing to remember is the preposition a before what you are answering.

Quick facts

Meaningto answer
Verb type-er verb
Regular / IrregularRegular
CEFR levelA2

Responder — conjugation tables

Responder (to answer) is a regular -er verb.

Indicative
Presente guide →
yorespondo
respondes
élresponde
nosrespondemos
vosrespondéis
ellosresponden
Pretérito Indefinido guide →
yorespondí
respondiste
élrespondió
nosrespondimos
vosrespondisteis
ellosrespondieron
Pretérito Imperfecto guide →
yorespondía
respondías
élrespondía
nosrespondíamos
vosrespondíais
ellosrespondían
Futuro guide →
yoresponderé
responderás
élresponderá
nosresponderemos
vosresponderéis
ellosresponderán
Condicional guide →
yorespondería
responderías
élrespondería
nosresponderíamos
vosresponderíais
ellosresponderían
Pretérito Perfecto guide →
yohe respondido
has respondido
élha respondido
noshemos respondido
voshabéis respondido
elloshan respondido
Pluscuamperfecto guide →
yohabía respondido
habías respondido
élhabía respondido
noshabíamos respondido
voshabíais respondido
elloshabían respondido
Futuro Compuesto guide →
yohabré respondido
habrás respondido
élhabrá respondido
noshabremos respondido
voshabréis respondido
elloshabrán respondido
Presente Progresivo guide →
yoestoy respondiendo
estás respondiendo
élestá respondiendo
nosestamos respondiendo
vosestáis respondiendo
ellosestán respondiendo
Subjunctive
Pres. Subjuntivo guide →
yoresponda
respondas
élresponda
nosrespondamos
vosrespondáis
ellosrespondan
Imperf. Subjuntivo guide →
yorespondiera
respondieras
élrespondiera
nosrespondiéramos
vosrespondierais
ellosrespondieran
Imperative
Imperativo guide →
yo
responde
élresponda
nosrespondamos
vosresponded
ellosrespondan

Example sentences with responder

Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.

1.
respondo.
I answer.
2.
¿Respondes?
Do you answer?
3.
Respondió ayer.
He/she answered yesterday.
4.
No respondo mucho.
I don't answer much.
5.
Siempre responden juntos.
They always answer together.

How to use responder

Answering

Responde a la pregunta (answer the question).

Pattern

Responder a something.

Synonym

Contestar means the same.

Partner verb

The reply to preguntar (to ask).

Common phrases using responder

Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.

responder + infinitivoto to answer + another verb
no respondoI don't to answer
¿Respondes?question form

Idiomatic expressions

responder ato answer / respond to
responder deto be responsible for

Common mistakes with responder

Responder is a regular verb. Make sure you know the endings for each tense — especially the preterite and subjunctive, which is where marks are most often lost.

Grammar notes

responder is a regular -er verb — it follows the standard -er pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know responder, you know the template for all regular -er verbs.

Practice responder — free

Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.

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Quick quiz — responder

Three questions. Press Enter to check each answer.

nosotros (Pretérito Indefinido)
ellos / ellas (Futuro)
nosotros (Presente)

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate responder in the present tense?

yo: respondo, tú: respondes, él: responde, nosotros: respondemos, vosotros: respondéis, ellos: responden

Is responder a regular or irregular verb?

Responder is a regular -er verb following the standard -er pattern.

How do you use responder in a GCSE Spanish essay?

Use responder in multiple tenses to show range — present, preterite and future at minimum. This is a key criterion for higher GCSE marks.

Similar verbs to responder

Verbs that are easy to confuse with responder or that behave like it.

contestarto answer — a direct synonym.
preguntarto ask — the question a response answers.
reaccionarto react — responding to a situation.

Related verbs

hablar caminar trabajar escuchar

This reference is written for UK GCSE and A-Level Spanish learners and their teachers. It is designed for exam revision: every form is checked against standard conjugation rules, and the examples reflect the registers and topics that come up in the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas specifications. Responder is a high-frequency verb and appears often in exam papers. For active recall, use the free practice tool rather than only reading the tables.