responder
/responˈdeɾ/
To reply back in Spanish is to use responder.
The term is used to describe the act of providing an answer to a message or a question. When specifically referring to returning a phone call or responding to a voicemail, it is more natural to use the phrases devolver la llamada or volver a llamar.
Which one should you use?
While responder and contestar are often used interchangeably, contestar is more frequently used for answering a direct question or a phone call. In contrast, responder can feel slightly more formal or imply that the response is more substantive.
How does it change in a sentence?
Responder is a regular -er verb. For example, the third-person singular preterite form is respondió, meaning he or she replied.
How do you pronounce it?
/responˈdeɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often forget that when using responder with an object, such as a person or a message, you must include the preposition a. For example, you should say responder a un mensaje to mean reply to a message.
Did you know?
- In legal contexts, responder is used to mean 'to be responsible' or 'to be liable' for a debt or a crime.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, contestar can imply talking back or being disrespectful to an authority figure, whereas responder is more neutral.
- Spanish lacks a direct translation for 'reply back' because the verb responder already contains the concept of returning an answer, making 'back' redundant.
Examples in context
- Por favor, responda al correo electrónico lo antes posible.Please reply to the email as soon as possible.
- No olvides contestar mi mensaje cuanto antes.Don't forget to reply to my message as soon as possible.
- Te dejé un mensaje, por favor devuélveme la llamada.I left you a message, please call me back.
- Por favor, responda a la carta lo más pronto posible.Please reply to the letter as soon as possible.
- No me respondió el correo.He/she didn't reply to my email.
- Necesito responder el correo ahora.I need to reply to the email now.
- ¿Puedes responder mi pregunta?Can you answer my question?
- Él no suele responder los mensajes.He doesn't usually reply to messages.
Example conversation
María and Javier are discussing work tasks at the office.
- MaríaJavier, ¿puedes responder a este cliente?Javier, can you reply to this client?
- JavierSí, voy a responder ahora mismo.Yes, I am going to reply right now.
- MaríaGracias, es un asunto urgente.Thank you, it is an urgent matter.
- JavierNo te preocupes, lo haré.Don't worry, I will do it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry responder, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
