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Three diverse individuals are shown standing side-by-side, all laughing heartily with open mouths and joyful expressions in a brightly colored setting.

ríen

rree-ayn

verbA1irregular (stem-changing e>i) ir
they laugh?referring to a group of people (ellos/ellas),you all laugh?formal way of addressing a group (ustedes)
Also:they are laughing?present continuous sense

Quick Reference

infinitivereír
past Participlereído
gerundriendo

📝 In Action

Los niños siempre ríen cuando ven dibujos animados.

A1

The children always laugh when they watch cartoons.

¿Por qué ríen? ¿Qué es tan divertido?

A2

Why are you all laughing? What is so funny?

Ellos ríen de las desgracias de otros, lo cual no es amable.

B1

They laugh at the misfortunes of others, which is not kind.

Word Connections

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

  • llorar (to cry)
  • lamentar (to mourn)

Common Collocations

  • ríen a carcajadas – they burst out laughing
  • se ríen de todo – they laugh at everything

Idioms & Expressions

  • el que ríe último, ríe mejor – He who laughs last, laughs best (equivalent to 'The last laugh')

💡 Grammar Points

Who is 'Ríen'?

This form is used when you are talking about 'they' (ellos/ellas) or 'you all' (ustedes, the formal plural) doing the action of laughing right now.

The Tricky Vowel Change

The verb reír is irregular because the 'e' in the middle changes to an 'i' in most singular forms and in the 'ellos/ellas/ustedes' form (ríen). Watch out for this 'e' to 'i' switch!

❌ Common Pitfalls

Forgetting the Accent

Mistake: "Muchos reien en la clase."

Correction: Muchos *ríen* en la clase. The accent mark (tilda) on the 'í' is essential to keep the sound correct and show the stress.

Using the 'Nosotros' Form Incorrectly

Mistake: "Nosotros ríemos mucho."

Correction: Nosotros *reímos* mucho. The 'nosotros' form keeps the original 'e' and is regular in the present tense.

⭐ Usage Tips

Focus on the Sound

The 'í' in ríen is strongly accented, making it sound like RREE-en. This is a good clue that it's one of the forms that uses the 'i' stem change.

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

yoriera
él/ella/ustedriera
nosotrosriéramos
vosotrosrierais
ellos/ellas/ustedesrieran
túrieras

present

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

indicative

preterite

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

imperfect

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

present

yorío
él/ella/ustedríe
nosotrosreímos
vosotrosreís
ellos/ellas/ustedesríen
túríes
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: ríen

Question 1 of 2

Which Spanish pronoun would NOT typically use the verb form 'ríen'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

reír(to laugh (infinitive)) - verb
risa(laughter, laugh) - noun
risueño(smiling, cheerful) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does *reír* have an accent mark on the 'i' in forms like *ríen*?

The accent mark is there to tell you how to pronounce the word. It forces the stress onto the 'i' and prevents the 'ei' from blending into a single syllable sound (a diphthong). This preserves the sound of the word.

Is 'ríen' the same as 'están riendo'?

They are very similar! 'Ríen' means 'They laugh' (habitually or right now). 'Están riendo' (the progressive form) means 'They are laughing' right this instant. You can usually use 'ríen' for both meanings in conversation.