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Conjugation Chart of “Reír” (to laugh) in the Preterite (Past) Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | reí |
| Tú | reíste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | rió |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | reímos |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | rieron |
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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Reír”
The preterite of reír is used to express a specific instance of laughing in the past. For example, you might say “We laughed at the joke,” indicating a completed action at a particular moment.
This is an irregular verb in the preterite tense. Pay attention to the accent marks and irregular forms, particularly in the third person singular and plural.
How to Use Reír in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The preterite of reír expresses a completed action of laughing in the past.
To laugh: Describes the action of laughing, for example Me reí de su chiste (I laughed at his/her joke) or Se rieron mucho durante la película (They laughed a lot during the movie).
To mock/make fun of: Used for laughing at someone or something, for example Se rió de mis errores (He/she laughed at my mistakes).
Real Life Examples of Reír in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Reí con ganas al escuchar el chiste. (I laughed heartily when I heard the joke.)
Reíste durante toda la película. (You laughed throughout the movie.)
La niña rió al ver el payaso. (The girl laughed when she saw the clown.)
Reímos juntos recordando viejos tiempos. (We laughed together remembering old times.)
Los estudiantes rieron por el error del profesor. (The students laughed at the teacher’s mistake.)
Reí tanto que me dolió el estómago. (I laughed so much my stomach hurt.)
Reíste cuando te hice cosquillas. (You laughed when I tickled you.)
El bebé rió por primera vez. (The baby laughed for the first time.)
Reímos hasta llorar. (We laughed until we cried.)
Los amigos rieron toda la noche. (The friends laughed all night.)
Reí al ver tu cara de sorpresa. (I laughed when I saw your surprised face.)
Reíste con mi historia graciosa. (You laughed at my funny story.)
El público rió con el comediante. (The audience laughed with the comedian.)
Reímos durante la fiesta. (We laughed during the party.)
Los niños rieron en el parque. (The children laughed in the park.)
Conjugation Chart with English Translations
Conjugations of Reír (to laugh) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo reí | I laughed |
| Tú reíste | You laughed |
| Él / Ella / Usted rió | He / She / You laughed |
| Nosotros / Nosotras reímos | We laughed |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes rieron | They / You all laughed |
This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.