rezar
“rezar” means “to pray” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to pray, to say prayers
Also: to beg/plead (figurative)
📝 In Action
Todos los domingos, mi abuela va a la iglesia a rezar el rosario.
A1Every Sunday, my grandmother goes to church to pray the rosary.
Cuando estoy nervioso, siempre rezo un poco para calmarme.
A2When I'm nervous, I always pray a little bit to calm myself down.
Recé para que el examen no fuera demasiado difícil.
B1I prayed that the exam wouldn't be too difficult.
to drone on, to recite monotonously
Also: to repeat like a mantra
📝 In Action
El profesor rezó la lista de reglas al inicio de cada clase.
B2The professor droned on about the list of rules at the start of every class.
El abogado rezó los artículos de la ley sin ninguna emoción.
C1The lawyer recited the articles of the law without any emotion.
Indicative
Present
Imperfect
Preterite
Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: rezar
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses 'rezar' in its primary, religious sense?
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👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin verb *recitare*, meaning 'to read aloud' or 'to recite.' Over time, in Spanish, the meaning narrowed specifically to the act of reciting formal prayers.
First recorded: c. 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'rezar' the same as 'orar'?
They both mean 'to pray,' but 'rezar' usually implies reciting fixed, formal prayers (like a set ritual). 'Orar' is generally used for personal, unstructured communication, meditation, or spontaneous thoughts directed toward a deity.
Is 'rezar' a difficult verb to conjugate?
No, it is a regular -AR verb. The only slight challenge is remembering the spelling change (z to c) in the preterite 'yo' form and in all the subjunctive forms (recé, rece, recemos, etc.).