Confusing 'Laugh' and 'Smile'

'Ríe' works in two ways: it describes what a single person (he, she, or formal you) is doing right now ('él ríe'), and it is the informal way to tell a friend to laugh ('¡ríe!').

Dual Function of 'Ríe'

The verb 'reír' is unusual because it requires an accent mark over the 'i' in most of its present tense conjugations (río, ríes, ríe, ríen) to show that the 'i' and 'e' sounds are separate.

Accent Mark Requirement

You can sometimes see 'reírse' (to laugh at/make fun of someone). If you add 'se,' it often means the action is directed at someone else: 'Se ríe de mí' (He laughs at me).

Reflexive Use

Extremely common. This form is used constantly in conversation to describe the act of laughing or to give a simple command.

'Ríe' is a fundamental Spanish verb form meaning 'he/she laughs,' 'you (formal) laugh,' or the informal command 'Laugh!' Learn the irregular conjugation of 'reír' and common usage tips.

ríe

Complete Conjugation Tables

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

future

imperfect

conditional

preterite

imperative

negative

affirmative

subjunctive

present

imperfect

Practice Conjugations