Writing is an important skill while learning Spanish, just like reading, listening, and speaking. The verb escribir (to write) is a helpful -IR verb to start with as you’re learning how to conjugate in various tenses. There are a few other common verbs that may be helpful when you translate “to write” in Spanish. Find out how to use each one and when they are the best choice so you can write in Spanish with confidence.
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How to say ‘to write’ in Spanish
The infinitive escribir means “to write” in Spanish. It’s one of the most common Spanish verbs, and here are a variety of ways you can use it.
- ¿Puede escribirlo? = Can you write it down?
- Ella escribía cartas. = She used to write letters.
- Ella escribió una carta mientras estaba en el tren. = She wrote a letter when she was on the train.
- Escriban cómo se llaman, por favor. = Please write your names.
Conjugate ‘to write’ in the present tense
Conjugating verbs tells us who is doing the action. Escribir is a regular verb and follows the typical pattern for -IR verbs in Spanish.
| yo escribo | I write | nosotros escribimos | we write |
| tú escribes | you write (singular/informal) | vosotros escribís | you write (plural informal – Spain) |
| él/ella/usted escribe | he/she writes you write (singular/formal) |
ellos/ellas escribenustedes escriben | they write you write (plural/formal) |
To express that someone is writing in the present moment, Spanish uses the present progressive tense.
- Estoy escribiendo. = I am writing.
- El médico está escribiendo. = The doctor is writing.
Conjugate escribir in Spanish in other tenses
For conjugations in other tenses such as the preterito (preterite in Spanish) or el imperfecto (the imperfect), you can consult a Spanish conjugation chart online.
- ¿Escribió usted esto? = Did you write this?
- Sí. Lo escribí yo. = Yes, I wrote it.
- Ella escribía cartas. = She used to write letters.
- Un día, escribiré una novela. = One day, I will write a novel.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, escribiría un poema. = If I had more time, I would write a poem.
The verb escribir has mostly regular conjugations, meaning they follow the typical patterns in the majority of Spanish tenses, with the exception of the irregular past participle escrito (written) which would be used in the perfect tenses and passive voice.
- Ella ha escrito para esta revista desde 1992. = She has written for this magazine since 1992.
- Este libro fue escrito en 1985. = This book was written in 1985.
Conjugate redactar in the present tense
While escribir is a general verb for the idea of writing in many contexts, if you need to know how to speak Spanish in more formal or professional speech, you may need the verb redactar which can also mean “to write/to write up” but in some cases “to edit” in Spanish. It’s easy to conjugate “write” in Spanish with the verb redactar because it follows regular conjugations in all verb tenses.
| yo redacto | I write | nosotros redactamos | we write |
| tú redactas | you write (singular/informal) | vosotros redactáis | you write (plural informal in Spain) |
| él/ella/usted redacta | he/she writes you write (singular/formal) |
ellos/ellas redactanustedes redactan | they write you write (plural/formal) |
- Tengo que redactar un informe para la reunión. = I have to write up a report for the meeting.
- El abogado redactó el contrato. = The lawyer wrote up the contract.
- La estudiante redactaba el ensayo cuando su portátil dejó de funcionar. = The student was writing the essay when her laptop stopped working.
How to say ‘write down’ in Spanish
English phrasal verbs, such as “to write down” or “to take note of” can make English harder to learn. In Spanish, single verbs such as anotar (to write down/to take note of) usually accomplish this purpose.
Anotar is another very simple verb, following regular patterns throughout all Spanish verb tenses. Apuntar is a synonym used in some regions.
| yo anoto | I write | nosotros anotamos | we write |
| tú anotas | you write (singular/informal) | vosotros anotáis | you write (plural informal in Spain) |
| él/ella/usted anota | he/she writes you write (singular/formal) |
ellos/ellas anotanustedes anotan | they write you write (plural/formal) |
- No es aconsejable anotar todas las palabras. = It’s not advisable to write down all of the words.
- Anoto todas mis buenas ideas en un cuaderno. = I write down all my good ideas in a notebook.
- ¿Podrías repetirlo? Quiero anotarlo en mi móvil. = Could you repeat it? I want to write it down on my phone.
- Yo había anotado la fecha, pero ya se me olvidó. = I had written down the date, but I already forgot it.
>>Get expert tips to help learn English phrasal verbs with Rosetta Stone.
Other words like ‘write’ in Spanish
A few other terms relate to how to say “write” in Spanish. As you learn Spanish with Rosetta Stone, you’ll enrich your vocabulary with many more specific verbs and phrases.
| Spanish | English |
| copiar/pasar datos | to write to a drive or file (on a computer) |
| componer | to compose (music) |
| contestar | to write back |
| dar por perdido | to write off (declare a failure) |
| declarar siniestro total | to write off (record as a loss) |
| firmar | to sign |
| reescribir | to rewrite |
| transcribir | to transcribe |
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