responder
/responˈdeɾ/
To reply in Spanish is to say responder or contestar.
Meaning: to give a written or spoken response (verb)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| responder | /responˈdeɾ/ |
| contestar | /kontesˈtaɾ/ |
Both verbs are used to describe the act of giving a written or spoken response. If you need to refer to the response itself as a noun, the most common term is respuesta, though responsión and contestación are also used to mean an answer or a reply.
Which one should you use?
The verbs responder and contestar are largely synonymous and can be used interchangeably to mean 'to reply' or 'to answer'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are replying to a person or a specific thing, such as a letter or a question, both responder and contestar typically require the preposition a before the object.
How do you pronounce it?
/responˈdeɾ/
Did you know?
- The verb contestar originally meant to call someone as a witness to testify in court, rather than simply giving an answer.
- While contestar usually means 'to reply', in some contexts it can also mean 'to talk back' or be rude to an authority figure, such as a parent or teacher.
- The verb contestar is used for answering a telephone, whereas responder is rarely used in that specific physical action.
Examples in context
- No sé cómo responder a eso.I don't know how to reply to that.This sentence shows how to use responder to express an inability to reply to something.Tatoeba #10106331 by arh, translation #10241850 by LimeGreenTeknii
- Tom no sabía cómo contestar.Tom didn't know how to reply.This sentence demonstrates the use of contestar to indicate someone did not know how to reply.Tatoeba #1477193 by marcelostockle, translation #1094738 by CK
- No olvides responder su carta.Don't forget to reply to her letter.This sentence illustrates using responder in the context of replying to a letter.Tatoeba #3570006 by ficion, translation #3570053 by shwinnebego
- Gracias por su correo electrónico. Le responderé lo antes posible.Thank you for your email. I will reply as soon as possible.
- Estimado Sr. García, le agradezco su interés y le contestaré con los documentos solicitados a la brevedad.Dear Mr. García, I appreciate your interest, and I will reply with the requested documents shortly.
- La dirección técnica dará una respuesta a su solicitud en un plazo de 48 horas.The technical department will provide a reply to your request within 48 hours.
- Cuenta con una respuesta rápidaCount on a quick reply.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are talking about a work email.
- Javier¿Ya pudiste responder al cliente?Were you able to reply to the client yet?
- SofíaNo, todavía no he podido responder.No, I haven't been able to reply yet.
- JavierEs importante responder pronto.It is important to reply soon.
- SofíaTienes razón, lo haré ahora.You're right, I'll do it now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “reply” translations and entries responder, contestar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries contestar, responder, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
