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reír

reh-EERreˈiɾ

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

to laugh

Also: to chuckle
VerbA1irregular (accented 'í') ir
A happy child with rosy cheeks is laughing heartily, with wide open eyes and a joyful expression, illustrating the general action of laughter.
infinitivereír
gerundriendo
past Participlereído

📝 In Action

Ella siempre ríe cuando ve esa película.

A1

She always laughs when she watches that movie.

¿Por qué estás riendo? Cuéntame el chiste.

A2

Why are you laughing? Tell me the joke.

Los niños empezaron a reír a carcajadas.

B1

The children started to laugh out loud.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • sonreír (to smile)
  • carcajear (to guffaw)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • reír a carcajadas – to laugh out loud / to roar with laughter
  • reír por dentro – to laugh inwardly

Idioms & Expressions

  • El que ríe último, ríe mejor. – He who laughs last, laughs best.

to laugh at

Also: to make fun of
VerbB1pronominal (reírse) ir
Mexico
A mischievous character is pointing and laughing derisively at another character who looks sad and embarrassed, illustrating mockery.

📝 In Action

No te rías de su acento; es de otro país.

B1

Don't laugh at his accent; he is from another country.

Todos se rieron del político después de su error.

B2

Everyone laughed at the politician after his mistake.

Me río de mis propios errores para aprender.

B1

I laugh at my own mistakes to learn.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • mofarse (to mock)
  • burlarse (to make fun of)

Indicative

Present

yorío
túríes
él/ella/ustedríe
nosotrosreímos
vosotrosreís
ellos/ellas/ustedesríen

Imperfect

yoreía
túreías
él/ella/ustedreía
nosotrosreíamos
vosotrosreíais
ellos/ellas/ustedesreían

Preterite

yoreí
túreíste
él/ella/ustedrió
nosotrosreímos
vosotrosreísteis
ellos/ellas/ustedesrieron

Subjunctive

Present Subjunctive

yoría
túrías
él/ella/ustedría
nosotrosriamos
vosotrosriais
ellos/ellas/ustedesrían

Imperfect Subjunctive

yoriera / riese
túrieras / rieses
él/ella/ustedriera / riese
nosotrosriéramos / riésemos
vosotrosrierais / rieseis
ellos/ellas/ustedesrieran / riesen
View All Tenses & Moods →

🔀 Commonly Confused With

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "reír" in Spanish:

to chuckle→to laugh→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: reír

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence uses the verb 'reír' in its directed, pronominal form?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
la risa(the laugh / laughter) — Noun
risueño(smiling / cheerful) — Adjective
sonreír(to smile) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
oírfreír
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin verb *ridere*, meaning 'to laugh.' It is one of the oldest and most fundamental verbs in the Spanish language.

First recorded: Around the 10th century in early Romance texts.

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: rirItalian: ridereFrench: rire

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does 'reír' have an accent mark on the 'í'?

The accent mark is used to break up the vowel combination, ensuring that 'e' and 'í' are pronounced as two separate syllables (reh-EER) rather than blending them into a single diphthong sound.

What is the difference between 'reír' and 'sonreír'?

'Reír' means to laugh (making noise), while 'sonreír' means to smile (quietly showing amusement with the mouth).