Laugh in Spanish With the Verbs Reír and Reírse

Is there a difference in meaning between reà ­r and reà ­rse? Dictionaries give the same definition for both. The two verbs, which mean to laugh, mean basically the same thing. Although you will find some regional variations, reà ­rse is the more common of the two. Thus, while reà ­ would be understood to mean I laughed, it would be more common to say me reà ­. Reà ­r by itself can sometimes sound poetic or old-fashioned. When Reà ­r or Reà ­rse Is Required There are at least two cases where one form is required: More commonly, when followed by de, the reflexive form reà ­rse usually means to make fun of or to laugh at: Me reà ­a de mi hermano, pero ahora somos amigos. (I used to make fun of my brother, but now were friends.)14. 3/19. Expanded, fixed error, added takeawaysSe reirà ¡n de su falta de sofisticacià ³n computarizada. (They will laugh at your lack of computer sophistication.)Me quiero reà ­r de mà ­ mismo. (I want to laugh at myself.) If you are talking about  what makes a person laugh, the reflexive form isnt used. Hacer is typically used as the verb for to make: Me hace reà ­r cuando estoy triste. (She makes me laugh when Im sad.)Austin Powers no me hizo reà ­r mà ¡s de una vez. (Austin powers didnt make me laugh more than once.)Ayer me hiciste daà ±o y hoy me vas a hacer reà ­r. (Yesterday you hurt me and today youre going to make me laugh.) Theres no logical reason why reà ­rse de is used to mean to laugh at rather than reà ­rse a or even reà ­rse en. Thats just the way it is. This is one of those cases where you should learn the preposition along with the verb. Conjugation of Reà ­r and Reà ­rse Reà ­r is one of the very few -ir verbs with an accent on the final syllable. It is conjugated irregularly, but only in terms of writing, not pronunciation. An written accent is needed in many forms to prevent the e of the stem and and à ­ of the ending from forming a diphthong. And example of the written irregularity can be seen in the indicative present forms with the irregular forms shown in boldface): yo rà ­o, tà º rà ­es, usted/à ©l/ella rà ­e, nosotros/as reà ­mos, vosotros/as reà ­s, ustedes/ellos/ellas rà ­en. Words Related to Reà ­r Among the Spanish words related to or derived from reà ­r: la risa — laugh (noun), laughterrisible — laughablerisià ³n — mockery, ridicule (noun)la risita — chuckle (noun)el riso — chuckle (noun; word used in limited areas)la risotada — guffawsonreà ­r — to smilesonriente — smiling (adjective)la sonrisa — smile (noun) Among the few English words etymologically related to reà ­r are derision and risible. All these words come from the Latin  ridÄ“re, which meant to laugh. Phrases Using Reà ­r or Reà ­rse Here are four common expressions that use these verbs, most often reà ­rse. Translations other than those given here can be used: reà ­rse a carcajadas — to laugh ones head off, to laugh ones tail off, to roar with laughter, etc. (A carcajada is a loud laugh or a guffaw.) — Nos reà ­amos a carcajadas de las cosas que decà ­a el cà ³mico. (We roared with laughter at the things the comic said.) A more colloquial way of saying the same thing is reà ­r a mandà ­bula batiente, literally to laugh with a flapping jaw.reà ­rse entre dientes — to chuckle (literally, to laugh between the teeth) — La tenista rià ³ entre dientes y sacudià ³ la cabeza. (The tennis player chuckled and shook her head.)reà ­rse hasta el llanto — to laugh until crying — Muchos dà ­as nos reà ­amos hasta el llanto. (Many days we would laugh to the point of crying.)reà ­rse para adentro — to laugh on the inside — Me rà ­o para adentro cuando recuerdo lo que escribià ³. (I laugh on the inside when I remember what she wrote.) Key Takeaways Both reà ­r and its reflexive form, reà ­rse, mean to laugh, and they are often interchangeable with little to no change in meaning.The reflexive form reà ­rse is used in the phrase reà ­rse de, meaning to laugh at, while the simple form reà ­r is used in the phrase hacer reà ­r, meaning to cause to laugh.Reà ­r and reà ­rse are conjugated regularly in terms of pronunciation, but a written accent is often needed to maintain that pronunciation.