Recordar

Today’s Spanish word of the day is “recordar”.

It’s a verb meaning “to remember” or “to remind”.

While in English we have two separate words for remembering and reminding, in Spanish you can use “recordar” for both. However, when using the word to mean “remind”, you need to add an indirect object pronoun (me, te, le, nos, os, les), for example:

• ¿Recuerdas mi cumpleaños? – Do you remember my birthday?
• Recuérdame comprar leche. – Remind me to buy milk.

The word “recordar” comes from Latin recordari, which itself is formed from the roots re- (again) and cordis (heart). So, the original meaning of “recordar” was “to bring back to the heart”, which is quite poetic. The English words “record” and “recorder” also come from this root.

“Recordar” is an irregular verb in the present tense, with a stem change from o to ue. Here’s how to conjugate it in the present tense:

• Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes recuerdan – They remember, You remember (plural)
• Yo recuerdo – I remember
• Tú recuerdas – You remember (informal singular)
• Él/Ella/Usted recuerda – He/She remembers, you remember (formal singular)
• Nosotros recordamos – We remember
• Vosotros recordáis – You remember (informal plural, only used in Spain)

Example sentences