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razonar

rah-soh-NAR/rasoˈnaɾ/

“razonar” means “to reason” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to reason

Also: to think through
VerbB1regular ar
A child sitting at a wooden desk with a thoughtful expression, holding a wooden puzzle piece and looking at a partially completed puzzle.
gerundrazonando
past Participlerazonado
infinitiverazonar

📝 In Action

Tómate un momento para razonar antes de decidir.

B1

Take a moment to reason (think logically) before deciding.

Los seres humanos tienen la capacidad de razonar.

B2

Human beings have the ability to reason.

Es difícil razonar con alguien que está muy enfadado.

B1

It is difficult to reason with someone who is very angry.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • reflexionar (to reflect/think over)
  • discurrir (to come up with/deduce)

Antonyms

  • desvariar (to talk nonsense/rave)

Common Collocations

  • capacidad de razonar – ability to reason
  • razonar con lógica – to reason logically

to justify

Also: to explain the reasoning
VerbB2regular arformal
A person pointing to a map on a table to explain a specific route to a friend.
gerundrazonando
past Participlerazonado
infinitiverazonar

📝 In Action

El alumno debe razonar su respuesta.

B2

The student must justify/explain their answer.

Razonamos nuestra decisión ante el comité.

C1

We explained the logic behind our decision to the committee.

Es importante razonar los motivos del cambio.

B2

It is important to provide the reasons for the change.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • imponer (to impose (without reasoning))

Common Collocations

  • razonar una respuesta – to justify an answer
  • razonar un voto – to explain the reasoning for a vote

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesrazonaran
yorazonara
túrazonaras
vosotrosrazonarais
nosotrosrazonáramos
él/ella/ustedrazonara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesrazonen
yorazone
túrazones
vosotrosrazonéis
nosotrosrazonemos
él/ella/ustedrazone

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesrazonaron
yorazoné
túrazonaste
vosotrosrazonasteis
nosotrosrazonamos
él/ella/ustedrazonó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesrazonaban
yorazonaba
túrazonabas
vosotrosrazonabais
nosotrosrazonábamos
él/ella/ustedrazonaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesrazonan
yorazono
túrazonas
vosotrosrazonáis
nosotrosrazonamos
él/ella/ustedrazona
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: razonar

Question 1 of 3

If an exam paper says 'Razona tu respuesta', what should you do?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
razón(reason) — Noun
razonable(reasonable) — Adjective
razonamiento(reasoning/logic) — Noun
irrazonable(unreasonable) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin verb 'rationari', which means 'to compute' or 'to discourse,' coming from 'ratio' (reason or calculation).

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: reasonFrench: raisonner

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'razonar' an irregular verb?

No, it is a completely regular -ar verb. It follows the standard rules for all conjugations.

What is the difference between 'pensar' and 'razonar'?

'Pensar' is a general term for 'to think.' 'Razonar' is more specific; it means to think logically, use evidence, or provide justifications.

How do you say 'I am reasoning'?

You can say 'Estoy razonando' using the gerund form.