The Present Tense of recordar is used to talk about remembering something in the present moment. For example, Recuerdo mi infancia en España. (I remember my childhood in Spain.)

Recordar is a stem-changing verb, meaning the vowel in the stem changes in certain conjugations. The o changes to ue in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Recordar (to remember) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

Recordar generally means to remember or to recall, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To remember: This is the most common meaning, referring to keeping something in one’s memory. For example, Yo recuerdo mi primera bicicleta. (I remember my first bicycle.)

To remind: It can also mean to cause someone to remember something. For example, Te recuerdo que tenemos una cita esta noche. (I remind you that we have a date tonight.)

To commemorate: In some contexts, it can mean to honor or celebrate the memory of someone or something. For example, Recordamos a los caídos en la guerra. (We commemorate those who fell in the war.)

To keep in mind: It can also mean to bear something in mind or to keep something in consideration. For example, Recuerda ser puntual. (Remember to be punctual.)

Colloquial usage: In informal contexts, it can be used as a mild expletive or exclamation, similar to “damn” in English. For example, ¡Recuerdo que olvidé comprar leche! (Damn, I forgot to buy milk!)

Examples

Examples of Recordar in the Present Tense

Siempre recuerdo cerrar la puerta con llave cuando salgo de casa. (I always remember to lock the door when I leave the house.)

¿Recuerdas dónde dejaste las llaves? (Do you remember where you left the keys?)

Ella recuerda cada detalle de su viaje a la playa el año pasado. (She remembers every detail of her trip to the beach last year.)

Recordamos celebrar tu cumpleaños con una gran fiesta. (We remember celebrating your birthday with a big party.)

Ustedes recuerdan muy bien las reglas del juego, ¿verdad? (You all remember the rules of the game very well, right?)

Mis amigos recuerdan cuando nos conocimos en la escuela primaria. (My friends remember when we met in elementary school.)

Cada mañana recuerdo tomar mi vitamina antes de salir. (Every morning I remember to take my vitamin before leaving.)

¿Recuerdas la última vez que fuimos al cine? Fue muy divertido. (Do you remember the last time we went to the movies? It was a lot of fun.)

Mamá recuerda cada cumpleaños y aniversario de la familia. (Mom remembers every birthday and anniversary in the family.)

Recordamos con cariño a nuestros abuelos que ya no están con nosotros. (We fondly remember our grandparents who are no longer with us.)

Ustedes recuerdan muy bien las instrucciones, ¿no es así? (You all remember the instructions very well, don’t you?)

Los niños recuerdan cada detalle de la excursión al zoológico. (The kids remember every detail of the field trip to the zoo.)

Siempre recuerdo agradecer a mis amigos por su apoyo. (I always remember to thank my friends for their support.)

¿Recuerdas la contraseña de la cuenta? La necesitamos para acceder. (Do you remember the password for the account? We need it to log in.)

Ella recuerda cada cumpleaños de sus sobrinos y siempre les envía un regalo. (She remembers every birthday of her nephews and always sends them a gift.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Recordar (to remember) 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.