Responder is a regular -er verb in Spanish.
Practice responder free →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
Responder (to answer) is a regular -er verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Responde a la pregunta (answer the question).
Responder a something.
Contestar means the same.
The reply to preguntar (to ask).
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
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.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice responder now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: respondo, tú: respondes, él: responde, nosotros: respondemos, vosotros: respondéis, ellos: responden
The past participle is respondido (he respondido) and the gerund is respondiendo (estoy respondiendo).
Verbs that are easy to confuse with responder or that behave like it.
Responder is on the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.