The Present Tense of responder is used to describe actions happening now or habitual actions, for example: Respondo a tus preguntas. (I answer your questions.)

Responder is a regular -er verb, so its conjugations in the present tense follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Responder (to answer) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

Responder generally means to answer or reply, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To answer or reply: For example, Yo respondo a todas las preguntas (I answer all the questions).

To respond or react: For example, El perro responde al silbato (The dog responds to the whistle).

To be responsible for: For example, Tú respondes por tus acciones (You are responsible for your actions).

To correspond or match: For example, Este color no responde a mis gustos (This color does not match my tastes).

To guarantee or vouch for: For example, Yo respondo por la calidad del producto (I vouch for the quality of the product).

To retaliate or talk back (colloquial): For example, ¡No me respondas! (Don’t talk back to me!)

Examples

Examples of Responder in the Present Tense

Cuando respondo al teléfono, siempre digo “¿Hola?”. (When I answer the phone, I always say “Hello?”)

Tú respondes muy rápido a los mensajes de texto. (You respond very quickly to text messages.)

Mi hermana responde todas las preguntas en clase. (My sister answers all the questions in class.)

Respondemos con honestidad cuando nos preguntan. (We respond with honesty when asked.)

Ustedes responden de manera grosera a veces. (You all respond rudely sometimes.)

Los empleados responden rápidamente a las solicitudes de los clientes. (The employees respond quickly to customer requests.)

Cuando respondo “presente” en la escuela, estoy diciendo que estoy aquí. (When I respond “present” at school, I’m saying I’m here.)

¿Por qué respondes con tanta agresión? Cálmate. (Why do you respond so aggressively? Calm down.)

Ella responde todas las preguntas con mucha inteligencia. (She answers all the questions very intelligently.)

Respondemos con respeto cuando alguien nos habla. (We respond respectfully when someone speaks to us.)

Ustedes responden muy lentamente a los correos electrónicos. (You all respond very slowly to emails.)

Los políticos responden con evasivas a las preguntas difíciles. (Politicians respond evasively to difficult questions.)

Cuando respondo “¿Qué onda?”, estoy saludando de manera informal. (When I respond “What’s up?”, I’m greeting informally.)

¿Por qué respondes con tanta hostilidad? Debes calmarte. (Why do you respond so hostilely? You need to calm down.)

Ellos responden con amabilidad cuando les hacen una pregunta. (They respond kindly when asked a question.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Responder (to answer) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.