Inklingo

How to Say "they laugh" in Spanish

The Spanish word forthey laughis ríenA1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA1

ríen

verbA1
referring to a group of people (ellos/ellas)
Three diverse individuals are shown standing side-by-side, all laughing heartily with open mouths and joyful expressions in a brightly colored setting.

Examples

Los niños siempre ríen cuando ven dibujos animados.

The children always laugh when they watch cartoons.

¿Por qué ríen? ¿Qué es tan divertido?

Why are you all laughing? What is so funny?

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

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

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!

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.

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