The preterite of reírse is used to express a specific instance of laughing in the past, for example Me reí mucho durante la película (I laughed a lot during the movie). This reflexive verb emphasizes the completed action of laughter at a particular moment.

This is an irregular reflexive verb in the preterite. Note that written accents are needed on the ‘i’ in most forms, and you must include the appropriate reflexive pronoun with each conjugation.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Reírse (to laugh) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of reírse indicates a completed action of laughing in the past.

To laugh: Describes the action of laughing at a specific moment, for example Me reí de su chiste (I laughed at his/her joke) or Se rieron toda la noche (They laughed all night).

To make fun of: Used for mocking or laughing at someone/something, for example Se rió de mi acento (He/she made fun of my accent).

Examples

Examples of Reírse in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Me reí tanto que me dolió el estómago. (I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.)

Te reíste de mi chiste malo. (You laughed at my bad joke.)

El bebé se rió por primera vez. (The baby laughed for the first time.)

Nos reímos durante toda la película. (We laughed throughout the movie.)

Los estudiantes se rieron del error del profesor. (The students laughed at the teacher’s mistake.)

Me reí cuando contaste esa anécdota. (I laughed when you told that anecdote.)

Te reíste al ver la foto antigua. (You laughed when you saw the old photo.)

Mi amiga se rió de mi nuevo peinado. (My friend laughed at my new hairstyle.)

Nos reímos hasta llorar. (We laughed until we cried.)

Los niños se rieron del payaso. (The children laughed at the clown.)

Me reí de mis propios errores. (I laughed at my own mistakes.)

Te reíste cuando te hice cosquillas. (You laughed when I tickled you.)

El público se rió del chiste. (The audience laughed at the joke.)

Nos reímos juntos del malentendido. (We laughed together at the misunderstanding.)

Las amigas se rieron toda la noche. (The friends laughed all night.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Reírse (to laugh) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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.