rentar
“rentar” means “to rent” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to rent
Also: to lease
📝 In Action
Queremos rentar un departamento cerca de la playa.
A1We want to rent an apartment near the beach.
Ella rentó un vestido elegante para la fiesta.
A2She rented an elegant dress for the party.
¿Sabes cuánto cuesta rentar un coche por un día?
B1Do you know how much it costs to rent a car for a day?
to yield a profit
Also: to be worth it
📝 In Action
Esa inversión renta un cuatro por ciento anual.
B2That investment yields a four percent annual profit.
No me renta ir hasta allá por solo una hora.
B2It's not worth it for me to go all the way there for just one hour.
Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Indicative
Preterite
Imperfect
Present
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: rentar
Question 1 of 3
If you are in Mexico and need a car for a weekend, which word would you likely use?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Vulgar Latin 'rendita', which comes from 'rendere', a variation of the classical Latin 'reddere' meaning 'to give back' or 'to return'.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between rentar and alquilar?
In Latin America, they are synonyms, though 'rentar' is very popular. In Spain, 'alquilar' is the standard word for houses/cars, and 'rentar' is reserved for financial profit or slang.
Is 'rentar' a regular verb?
Yes! It follows the standard pattern for all verbs ending in -ar, making it very easy to conjugate.
Can I use 'rentar' to mean 'to hire' a person?
No. For hiring people (like employees), use the word 'contratar'.