Recordar means to remember and, depending on the construction, to remind. It is one of the cleanest examples of an o>ue stem-changing -ar verb: in every form where the root vowel o is stressed, it diphthongizes to ue (recuerdo, recuerdas, recuerda, recuerdan); in the two forms where the stress lands on the ending, the o stays flat (recordamos, recordáis). Apart from that boot, it is mechanical — no spelling changes, no irregular participle, no surprises in the preterite. The hard part lies elsewhere: deciding when to use recordar and when to reach for its reflexive cousin acordarse de, which means the same thing but takes a different syntax. English speakers regularly confuse them. This page lays out the paradigm in full and then draws a clean line between the two verbs so you stop mixing them up.
The verb's etymology is worth a moment. Latin recordari literally meant "to pass back through the heart" (re- + cor, cordis = heart). Spanish kept the meaning of mental recall but also kept its causative shadow — "to make someone pass something through their heart again," i.e. to remind. That second sense is alive and well: te recuerdo que tienes una reunión = "I remind you that you have a meeting."
Non-finite forms
| Form | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitivo | recordar | to remember, to remind |
| Infinitivo compuesto | haber recordado | to have remembered / reminded |
| Gerundio | recordando | remembering, reminding |
| Gerundio compuesto | habiendo recordado | having remembered / reminded |
| Participio | recordado (regular) | remembered, reminded |
Neither the gerund nor the participle is stressed on the root vowel, so neither shows the diphthong. Recordando, recordado — plain o throughout, identical in shape to hablando, hablado.
Indicative — simple tenses
Presente — the diphthong boot
| yo | tú | él/ella/usted | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/ellas/ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| recuerdo | recuerdas | recuerda | recordamos | recordáis | recuerdan |
The classic boot pattern: four forms with ue on the inside (yo, tú, él, ellos), two without on the outside (nosotros, vosotros). The split is driven by stress, not by person: the diphthong appears wherever the o of the stem carries the word stress. In recordamos and recordáis the stress migrates to the ending (re-cor-*dá-mos, re-cor-*dáis), so the o sits flat.
No recuerdo dónde he aparcado el coche, me he vuelto loco buscándolo.
I can't remember where I parked the car — I went crazy looking for it.
¿Recuerdas cuando fuimos a Granada en aquel coche que se nos averió cada cien kilómetros?
Do you remember when we went to Granada in that car that broke down every hundred kilometres?
Mi abuelo recuerda con todo detalle la guerra, pero a veces se le olvida lo que comió ayer.
My grandfather remembers the war in every detail, but sometimes forgets what he ate yesterday.
Pretérito perfecto simple — no stem change
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| recordé | recordaste | recordó | recordamos | recordasteis | recordaron |
Like every -ar stem-changer, the preterite has no diphthong. The stress always lies on the ending, so the o stays flat throughout: recordé, recordaste, recordó, recordamos, recordasteis, recordaron. The 1pl form recordamos is identical in shape to its present-indicative twin — only the surrounding adverbs (ayer, esta mañana, todos los días) tell you which tense is meant.
Anoche recordé de repente que tenía que llamar a mi tía y ya era tardísimo.
Last night I suddenly remembered I had to call my aunt, and it was already really late.
Pretérito imperfecto — no stem change
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| recordaba | recordabas | recordaba | recordábamos | recordabais | recordaban |
The imperfect is the natural tense for habitual recall — "I used to remember her face, the smell of the kitchen, the way she sang." For one-off, completed acts of remembering, you would reach for the preterite (recordé) or, more often in Spain for very recent events, the present perfect (he recordado).
De pequeña, todavía recordaba la cara de mi bisabuela; ahora se me ha borrado casi del todo.
As a child I still remembered my great-grandmother's face; now it's almost completely faded.
Futuro simple — no stem change
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| recordaré | recordarás | recordará | recordaremos | recordaréis | recordarán |
Siempre recordaré aquel verano en el pueblo de mis abuelos.
I'll always remember that summer in my grandparents' village.
Condicional — no stem change
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| recordaría | recordarías | recordaría | recordaríamos | recordaríais | recordarían |
Si me dieras una pista, igual recordaría la canción.
If you gave me a clue, maybe I'd remember the song.
Indicative — compound tenses
All compound tenses combine haber with the regular participle recordado.
Pretérito perfecto compuesto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| he recordado | has recordado | ha recordado | hemos recordado | habéis recordado | han recordado |
In Spain the pretérito perfecto compuesto is the everyday choice for recalls connected to "now" or to today: acabo de recordar / he recordado que tenía cita en el médico.
Esta mañana he recordado de golpe que era el cumpleaños de mi madre.
This morning I suddenly remembered it was my mother's birthday.
Pretérito pluscuamperfecto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| había recordado | habías recordado | había recordado | habíamos recordado | habíais recordado | habían recordado |
Cuando llegué a la oficina ya había recordado que la reunión era a las nueve, no a las diez.
By the time I got to the office I had already remembered the meeting was at nine, not at ten.
Futuro compuesto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| habré recordado | habrás recordado | habrá recordado | habremos recordado | habréis recordado | habrán recordado |
Para cuando vuelva ya habré recordado el nombre de aquel restaurante.
By the time I get back I'll have remembered the name of that restaurant.
Condicional compuesto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| habría recordado | habrías recordado | habría recordado | habríamos recordado | habríais recordado | habrían recordado |
Con un poco más de tiempo lo habría recordado, pero me preguntaste a bocajarro.
With a bit more time I would have remembered it, but you sprang the question on me.
Subjunctive — simple tenses
Presente de subjuntivo — the boot returns
The present subjunctive of -ar verbs is built on the -e- endings and inherits the same boot logic as the indicative: diphthong wherever the o is stressed.
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| recuerde | recuerdes | recuerde | recordemos | recordéis | recuerden |
Espero que recuerdes traer el cargador, anoche se nos quedó sin batería todo.
I hope you remember to bring the charger — last night everything ran out of battery.
Es importante que recordemos por qué empezamos este proyecto.
It's important that we remember why we started this project.
Imperfecto de subjuntivo (-ra / -se) — no stem change
Built from the 3pl preterite stem (recordaron → recorda-), which already lacks the diphthong. The -ra set is the everyday form in Spain; the -se set is reserved for formal or literary writing.
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ra | recordara | recordaras | recordara | recordáramos | recordarais | recordaran |
| -se | recordase | recordases | recordase | recordásemos | recordaseis | recordasen |
Si recordaras la contraseña no tendríamos que pedirla otra vez al banco.
If you remembered the password, we wouldn't have to ask the bank for it again.
Subjunctive — compound tenses
Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| haya recordado | hayas recordado | haya recordado | hayamos recordado | hayáis recordado | hayan recordado |
Me alegra que hayas recordado mi cumpleaños este año.
I'm glad you remembered my birthday this year.
Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ra | hubiera recordado | hubieras recordado | hubiera recordado | hubiéramos recordado | hubierais recordado | hubieran recordado |
| -se | hubiese recordado | hubieses recordado | hubiese recordado | hubiésemos recordado | hubieseis recordado | hubiesen recordado |
Si hubiera recordado a tiempo lo del aniversario, no me habría caído la bronca.
If I'd remembered about the anniversary in time, I wouldn't have got the telling-off.
Imperative
The imperative follows the same boot logic: diphthong in tú, usted, ustedes; flat o in vosotros and nosotros.
| Form | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tú | recuerda | no recuerdes |
| usted | recuerde | no recuerde |
| nosotros | recordemos | no recordemos |
| vosotros | recordad | no recordéis |
| ustedes | recuerden | no recuerden |
Recuerda apagar el horno antes de salir.
Remember to turn off the oven before you leave.
Recordad que mañana hay huelga de metro.
(You all) remember that there's a metro strike tomorrow.
No me lo recuerdes, que ya bastante mal lo paso.
Don't remind me — it's bad enough as it is.
When pronouns attach to the affirmative imperative, write them as one word with a written accent preserving the original stress: recuérdalo, recuérdame, recuérdaselo, recordádnoslo.
Recordar vs acordarse de — the big distinction
This is the source of most errors with recordar. Spanish has two near-synonyms for "to remember," and they take completely different syntax. They are not freely interchangeable; the choice is grammatical, not stylistic.
| recordar | acordarse de | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | transitive, non-reflexive | intransitive, reflexive (with de) |
| Preposition | none | obligatory de |
| Object | direct object: recuerdo la canción | prepositional phrase: me acuerdo de la canción |
| 1sg present | recuerdo | me acuerdo |
| Register | slightly more formal / literary; common in writing and broadcast | more colloquial; dominant in everyday speech in Spain |
The meanings overlap almost perfectly. In a Madrid bar you are far more likely to hear no me acuerdo than no recuerdo — the reflexive form is the default for spontaneous recall in conversation. In a news report or a written essay you are more likely to see no recuerdo or recordemos que.... Either form is correct; pick the construction first, then conjugate accordingly.
No me acuerdo de su nombre, lo tengo en la punta de la lengua.
I can't remember his name — it's on the tip of my tongue. (everyday speech)
No recuerdo su nombre, lo tengo en la punta de la lengua.
I don't remember his name — it's on the tip of my tongue. (same meaning, slightly more neutral)
¿Te acuerdas de cuando vivíamos en aquel piso sin calefacción?
Do you remember when we lived in that flat with no heating? (typical Spain conversational form)
¿Recuerdas cuando vivíamos en aquel piso sin calefacción?
Do you remember when we lived in that flat with no heating? (slightly more formal version of the same idea)
What you cannot do is mix the two patterns: ❌ Me recuerdo de aquel verano is wrong in Spain. The verb recordarse in this sense is not standard peninsular Spanish — it exists in some Latin American regional varieties but never in educated Madrid usage. Either recuerdo aquel verano or me acuerdo de aquel verano; never both at once.
Recordar = to remind
A second use of recordar — sometimes overlooked — is to remind someone of something. Here the syntax is "recordarle [thing] a [person]": an indirect object for the person, a direct object for the thing.
Te recuerdo que mañana es festivo, no hace falta madrugar.
I remind you that tomorrow is a holiday — no need to get up early.
Esa canción me recuerda a mi padre, no sé por qué.
That song reminds me of my father, I don't know why.
Me recuerdas mucho a tu abuela, la misma manera de reír.
You really remind me of your grandmother — the same way of laughing.
Note the construction recordar a alguien a alguien in the last two examples: "to remind one person of another." The preposition a introduces the person being recalled.
High-frequency collocations from peninsular Spanish
| Phrase | Translation |
|---|---|
| recordar algo con cariño | to remember something fondly |
| recordarle a alguien algo | to remind someone of/about something |
| recordar a alguien a alguien | to remind one person of another |
| si mal no recuerdo | if I remember correctly (formal-ish) |
| que yo recuerde | as far as I remember |
| tal y como recordarás | as you'll recall (literary, common in essays) |
| recordatorio (noun) | reminder (the noun derived from this verb) |
| en recuerdo de | in memory of (formal, used in obituaries and tributes) |
Si mal no recuerdo, aquel piso tenía un balcón enorme.
If I remember correctly, that flat had a huge balcony.
Que yo recuerde, nunca hemos coincidido en una cena.
As far as I remember, we've never been at the same dinner.
The classic English-speaker error
English speakers translate "I remember" word-for-word into yo recuerdo and then never use acordarse de. The result is technically correct but sounds bookish in everyday spoken Spain — a Madrid friend would more naturally say me acuerdo. Worse, when learners do reach for acordarse, they tend to forget the de, producing ❌ me acuerdo tu nombre instead of me acuerdo de tu nombre. The preposition is mandatory and non-negotiable.
The reverse error also happens: learners attach a de to recordar, producing ❌ recuerdo de aquel verano. That sentence is wrong. Recordar is transitive — it takes a direct object with no preposition: recuerdo aquel verano.
Common Mistakes
❌ Me recuerdo de aquel verano en Cádiz.
In peninsular Spanish, recordar is not used reflexively. Either say me acuerdo de aquel verano or recuerdo aquel verano — never mix the two patterns.
✅ Me acuerdo de aquel verano en Cádiz. / Recuerdo aquel verano en Cádiz.
I remember that summer in Cádiz.
❌ Recuerdo de su nombre.
Recordar is transitive — no preposition. The de belongs only with the reflexive acordarse.
✅ Recuerdo su nombre.
I remember his name.
❌ Nosotros recuerdamos esa canción.
The nosotros present indicative is recordamos, not recuerdamos. The diphthong only appears where the o is stressed.
✅ Nosotros recordamos esa canción.
We remember that song.
❌ Ayer él recuerdó la cita.
The preterite has no diphthong. The correct form is recordó, with plain o.
✅ Ayer él recordó la cita.
Yesterday he remembered the appointment.
❌ Recuérdate de comprar el pan.
Recordar isn't reflexive in Spain. Either recuerda comprar el pan (recordar + infinitive) or acuérdate de comprar el pan (acordarse de + infinitive).
✅ Acuérdate de comprar el pan. / Recuerda comprar el pan.
Remember to buy the bread.
Key Takeaways
- Recordar is an o>ue stem-changing -ar verb: diphthong in the boot (recuerdo, recuerdas, recuerda, recuerdan), flat o in nosotros / vosotros (recordamos, recordáis).
- The preterite, imperfect, future, and conditional never show the diphthong — stress is always on the ending.
- The present subjunctive repeats the boot: recuerde, recuerdes, recuerde, recordemos, recordéis, recuerden.
- The vosotros affirmative imperative is recordad; the negative is no recordéis.
- Recordar and acordarse de both mean "to remember." Recordar is transitive (no preposition); acordarse is reflexive and requires de. Don't mix them.
- Recordar also means to remind: te recuerdo que..., me recuerdas a mi madre.
- The participle recordado is regular and predictable.
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