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 (Latin American 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: For example, Yo respondo las preguntas del examen (I answer the exam questions).

To reply: For example, Ella responde a mi mensaje (She replies to my message).

To respond (positively): For example, El paciente responde bien al tratamiento (The patient responds well to the treatment).

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

To correspond (to something): For example, Su comportamiento no responde a las normas (Their behavior does not correspond to the norms).

To react (colloquial): For example, ¿Cómo respondes cuando te insultan? (How do you react when they insult you?)

To stand up for (colloquial): For example, Yo respondo por mi familia (I stand up for my family).

Examples

Examples of Responder in the Present Tense

Cuando responden al teléfono, siempre son muy amables. (When they answer the phone, they are always very polite.)

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

¿Por qué nunca respondes mis mensajes? (Why don’t you ever respond to my messages?)

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

Cada vez que respondo con honestidad, me siento mejor conmigo mismo. (Whenever I respond with honesty, I feel better about myself.)

En esta oficina, respondemos a todos los correos electrónicos dentro de 24 horas. (In this office, we respond to all emails within 24 hours.)

Los políticos responden con evasivas en lugar de respuestas directas. (Politicians respond with evasions instead of direct answers.)

Cuando alguien me hace una pregunta, respondo sin rodeos. (When someone asks me a question, I respond directly.)

Los expertos responden a las preguntas de la audiencia después de la presentación. (The experts answer the audience’s questions after the presentation.)

En las redes sociales, los influencers responden a los comentarios de sus seguidores. (On social media, influencers respond to comments from their followers.)

Antes de tomar una decisión importante, respondo con calma y reflexiono. (Before making an important decision, I respond calmly and reflect.)

Los atletas responden bien al entrenamiento intensivo. (Athletes respond well to intense training.)

Cuando me siento estresado, respondo con irritabilidad. (When I feel stressed, I respond with irritability.)

Los niños responden mejor al elogio que a la crítica. (Children respond better to praise than to criticism.)

En una emergencia, los servicios de rescate responden de inmediato. (In an emergency, rescue services respond immediately.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.