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restar

rreh-stahr/resˈtaɾ/

to subtract

Also: to deduct
VerbA1regular ar
A wooden table with five red apples, where two apples are being pulled away by a hand.
gerundrestando
past Participlerestado
infinitiverestar

📝 In Action

Si a diez le restas tres, te quedan siete.

A1

If you subtract three from ten, you have seven left.

La tienda va a restar el descuento al pagar en la caja.

A2

The store is going to deduct the discount when paying at the register.

No olvides restar los gastos del presupuesto total.

B1

Don't forget to subtract the expenses from the total budget.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • restar puntos – to deduct points
  • restar importancia – to downplay/minimize

to diminish

Also: to take away from
VerbB1regular ar
A large, bright yellow star slowly fading and becoming smaller and dimmer on a blue background.

📝 In Action

Sus palabras le restan mérito a tu trabajo.

B1

His words diminish the merit of your work.

Ese error no le resta valor a tu esfuerzo.

B2

That mistake doesn't take away from your effort.

La lluvia le restó brillo a la fiesta de graduación.

B2

The rain took the shine away from the graduation party.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • disminuir (to diminish)
  • minimizar (to minimize)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • restar importancia – to play down / to minimize importance
  • restar valor – to diminish value

to return

VerbB2regular ar
A tennis player swinging a racket to hit a tennis ball back over a net.

📝 In Action

El tenista tiene dificultades para restar el saque de su oponente.

B2

The tennis player is having trouble returning his opponent's serve.

Restó la pelota con mucha fuerza.

B2

He returned the ball with a lot of force.

Es fundamental aprender a restar bien para ganar el partido.

C1

It is essential to learn how to return well to win the match.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • restar el servicio – to return the serve

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesrestaran
yorestara
túrestaras
vosotrosrestarais
nosotrosrestáramos
él/ella/ustedrestara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesresten
yoreste
túrestes
vosotrosrestéis
nosotrosrestemos
él/ella/ustedreste

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesrestaron
yoresté
túrestaste
vosotrosrestasteis
nosotrosrestamos
él/ella/ustedrestó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesrestaban
yorestaba
túrestabas
vosotrosrestabais
nosotrosrestábamos
él/ella/ustedrestaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesrestan
yoresto
túrestas
vosotrosrestáis
nosotrosrestamos
él/ella/ustedresta
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: restar

Question 1 of 3

How do you say 'to subtract five from ten'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin word 'restare', which meant 'to remain' or 'to stay behind'. In Spanish, it evolved to mean the process of taking something away so that a 'remainder' (resto) is left.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

French: resterEnglish: rest (remainder)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'restar' mean 'to rest'?

No! This is a common mistake. 'Restar' means to subtract. If you want to say 'to rest', use 'descansar'.

Is 'restar' a regular verb?

Yes, it follows the standard pattern for all verbs ending in -ar.

What is the difference between 'quitar' and 'restar'?

'Quitar' is usually for physical things (like taking a hat off). 'Restar' is for numbers or abstract things (like taking away points or value).