repetir
/repeˈtiɾ/
The English phrase 'repeat' is translated into Spanish as repetir.
In certain regions and formal contexts, you may encounter reiterar to convey the same idea.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the preterite (past tense), the verb undergoes a stem change from 'e' to 'i' in the third person singular and plural forms, resulting in repitió (he/she/it repeated) and repitieron (they repeated). Other preterite forms include repetiste (you repeated), repetí (I repeated) and repetimos (we repeated).
How do you pronounce it?
/repeˈtiɾ/
Did you know?
- In a Spanish restaurant, if a waiter asks ¿repite?, they are not asking if you want to say something again but if you would like a second serving of your food.
- The Latin root of repetir is repetere, which literally means 'to strike back' or 'to drive back'.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, if you want a song to play again, you do not ask to repetir the song, but rather to 'ponerla otra vez', which means 'put it on again'.
Examples in context
- No voy a repetirme.I'm not going to repeat myself.The sentence is useful for saying you are not going to repeat yourself using repetir.Tatoeba #6810689 by arh, translation #6810512 by CK
- Yo no repetiría eso.I wouldn't repeat that.This sentence shows how to say you wouldn't repeat something using repetir.Tatoeba #2828776 by marcelostockle, translation #2546746 by CK
- ¿Puedo repetir mi pregunta?Can I repeat my question?This sentence is useful for asking to repeat a question using repetir.Tatoeba #1436155 by marcelostockle, translation #12901446 by araneo
- Por favor, repita la última frase.Please repeat the last sentence.
- Vuelva a hacer el experimento, por favor.Please repeat the experiment.
- ¿Podría volver a hacer esa presentación?Could you do that presentation again?
- ¿Puedes repetir eso, por favor?Can you repeat that, please?
- Repite lo que dijiste, no te entendí.Repeat what you said, I didn't understand you.
- Hazlo otra vez, no te salió bien.Do it again, you didn't do it well.
- Déjame pensar… ¡Hazlo otra vez!Let me think… Do it again!
- 46 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía didn't hear what Daniel said.
- LucíaPerdón, ¿puedes repetir eso?Sorry, can you repeat that?
- DanielSí, claro, no hay problema.Yes, of course, no problem.
- LucíaGracias, Daniel.Thank you, Daniel.
- DanielVoy a repetir la frase más despacio.I am going to repeat the phrase more slowly.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry repetir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries repetir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
