Inklingo

How to Say "do again" in Spanish

English → Spanish

repetir

reh-peh-TEER/re.peˈtiɾ/

verbA2general
Use 'repetir' when you mean to perform an action, task, or event a second time or multiple times, often because it wasn't understood or completed correctly the first time.
A friendly cartoon mouse speaking into a large microphone. Two identical speech bubbles exit the mouse's mouth, one immediately after the other, symbolizing saying something again.

Examples

Por favor, repite la pregunta.

Please, repeat the question.

El profesor tuvo que repetir las instrucciones tres veces.

The teacher had to repeat the instructions three times.

Por favor, repite lo que dijiste, no te escuché bien.

Please, repeat what you said, I didn't hear you well.

No quiero repetir los mismos errores.

I don't want to repeat the same mistakes.

The E > I Stem Change

In the present tense, the 'e' in the stem of 'repetir' changes to 'i' in all forms except for 'nosotros' and 'vosotros'. Remember: repito, but repetimos.

Preterite Change

Even the simple past (preterite) has a change! The third person singular and plural forms change the 'e' to 'i': repitió (he/she repeated) and repitieron (they repeated).

Forgetting the Stem Change

Mistake: “Yo repeto”

Correction: Yo repito. The verb needs the E changing to I, just like 'pedir' (to ask for).

volver a

verbB1general
Use 'volver a' followed by an infinitive verb when you are initiating an action again after it has stopped or been completed, emphasizing the restart of the activity.

Examples

Voy a volver a leer el libro.

I am going to read the book again.

Repetir vs. Volver a

Learners often confuse 'repetir' and 'volver a'. 'Repetir' is for repeating the same action immediately, like a teacher re-explaining. 'Volver a' is for starting an action again after a break or completion, like deciding to read a book again.

Related Translations

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