Spanish · Everyday Verbs

"to answer" in Spanish: responder

responder

Say it: rehs-pohn-DEHR / rehs-POHN-dohverb/res.pon.ˈdeɾ/

To answer in Spanish is responder. Say yo respondo and ¿Me respondes? Contestar is a close synonym many Latin Americans also use.

Texting

Te respondo en cinco minutos.
I'll answer you in five minutes.
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How to pronounce responder

Say it

rehs-pohn-DEHR / rehs-POHN-doh

/res.pon.ˈdeɾ/

rehs-pohn-DEHR. Yo respondo is rehs-POHN-doh. Stress on POHN.

"to answer" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
responderto answer / reply

Dictionary form.

yo respondoI answer

Present first person.

me respondesyou answer me

Informal request.

responder un mensajeto reply to a message

Chat and email.

contestarto answer

Common synonym.

How to use responder in real life

  1. 1Texting

    Te respondo en cinco minutos.

    I'll answer you in five minutes.

    Te respondo is everyday chat.

  2. 2Quiz

    Respondo la última pregunta ahora.

    I'm answering the last question now.

    Respondo drops yo.

  3. 3Phone

    Nadie responde el teléfono hoy.

    Nobody answers the phone today.

    Responde for he/she/nobody.

Mistakes English speakers make with responder

Incorrect: Yo responder mañana.

Correct: Yo respondo mañana. / Voy a responder mañana.

Conjugate: yo respondo.

Incorrect: Yo answero el correo.

Correct: Yo respondo el correo.

Use responder, not English answer.

Good to know

Responder and contestar both mean reply. Messages use Te respondo ya. On the phone, ¿Aló? or Bueno? come first; then you responder the caller's question.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Waiting on a group chat

  1. ChatPal

    ¿Me respondes cuando llegues?

    Will you answer me when you arrive?

  2. You

    Sí. Te respondo en cuanto pueda.

    Yes. I'll answer you as soon as I can.

  3. ChatPal

    Gracias. Nadie más responde.

    Thanks. Nobody else answers.

  4. You

    En cinco minutos estoy libre.

    In five minutes I'm free.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"to answer" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "to answer" in Spanish

How do I say I answer?

Yo respondo.

Responder vs contestar?

Both mean answer/reply; both are common.

Will you answer me?

¿Me respondes?

How do you pronounce respondo?

rehs-POHN-doh, stress on POHN.

Learn a word, then use it out loud

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  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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