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fluentbyear

SPANISH VERB

leer

to read

  • #59 most used
  • Regular -er verb
  • Gerund: leyendo
  • Past participle: leído

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. yo I read
  2. tú you read
  3. usted, él, ella he/she reads
  4. nosotros we read
  5. vosotros Spain you all read
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they read

Past

Pretérito indefinido · finished actions

  1. yo I read
  2. tú you read
  3. usted, él, ella he/she read
  4. nosotros we read
  5. vosotros Spain you all read
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they read

Imperfect

Pretérito imperfecto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. yo I used to read
  2. tú you used to read
  3. usted, él, ella he/she used to read
  4. nosotros we used to read
  5. vosotros Spain you all used to read
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they used to read

Future

Futuro · plans and promises; in speech, “voy a hablar” is just as common

  1. yo I will read
  2. tú you will read
  3. usted, él, ella he/she will read
  4. nosotros we will read
  5. vosotros Spain you all will read
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they will read

Conditional

Condicional · “would”

  1. yo I would read
  2. tú you would read
  3. usted, él, ella he/she would read
  4. nosotros we would read
  5. vosotros Spain you all would read
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they would read

Present subjunctive

Presente de subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”

  1. yo (that) I read
  2. tú (that) you read
  3. usted, él, ella (that) he/she read
  4. nosotros (that) we read
  5. vosotros Spain (that) you all read
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (that) they read

Past subjunctive

Imperfecto de subjuntivo · “if I were”, “si …”

  1. yo (if) I read
  2. tú (if) you read
  3. usted, él, ella (if) he/she read
  4. nosotros (if) we read
  5. vosotros Spain (if) you all read
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (if) they read

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders; a negative one uses the subjunctive (no hables)

  1. tú read!
  2. usted read! (formal)
  3. nosotros read! (let’s)
  4. vosotros Spain read! (all of you)
  5. ustedes read! (all of you)

How to use leer

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Leo el periódico mientras desayuno.

    I read the newspaper while I have breakfast.

  2. Past

    ¿Leíste el mensaje que te mandé?

    Did you read the message I sent you?

  3. Imperfect

    Mi papá nos leía cuentos antes de dormir.

    My dad used to read us stories before bed.

  4. Future

    Leeré el contrato con calma esta noche.

    I'll read the contract carefully tonight.

  5. Conditional

    Yo leería más si tuviera tiempo.

    I'd read more if I had the time.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Quiero que leas esto antes de firmar.

    I want you to read this before signing.

  7. Past subjunctive

    Si leyeras las instrucciones, sería más fácil.

    If you read the instructions, it would be easier.

  8. Imperative

    ¡Lee en voz alta para que todos escuchen!

    Read out loud so everyone can hear!

Where you hear leer

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Spanish · Beginner Level 2

  • Leo un poco todas las noches. I read a little every night.
  • Cuando era niña, leía mucho. When I was a child, I read a lot.
  • Voy a leer en el parque. I'm going to read in the park.

Spanish · Intermediate Level 1

  • Leo antes de dormir. I read before going to sleep.
  • Leí el mensaje de Elena. I read Elena's message.
  • Voy a leer el libro en casa. I'm going to read the book at home.
14
When I Was a Child

Beginner Level 2 · leía

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If I Were You

Intermediate Level 1 · leería las inscripciones

Needs a subscription 11
It's Not That I Didn't Want To

Intermediate Level 3 · sino que nadie las ha leído

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Where Did You Study?

Advanced Level 1 · leísteis

Needs a subscription 13
It Was Written in Oaxaca

Advanced Level 1 · fueron leídas · leerla · leyendo · te la lee

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Can You Keep a Secret?

Advanced Level 1 · leyendo · lees

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Thank You, Teacher

Advanced Level 2 · léemelo

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The East Wind

Advanced Level 3 · leo, nado, y discuto con Pepa

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The Other Side of the Pond

Advanced Level 3 · para leérselo a sor Isabel

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Get to the Point

Fluency Level 1 · leyéndolas

Needs a subscription 24
A Year Already

Fluency Level 2 · léela

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -er verb.