Abofetear Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
abofetear means "to slap" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see abofetear with his brother in the argument, the thief in the street, his classmate over the lie and the actor in the play — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo abofeteo a su hermano en la discusión. — "Every day, I slap his brother in the argument." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
abofetear in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with abofetear, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo abofeteo a su hermano en la discusión. — "Every day, I slap his brother in the argument." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo abofeteé al ladrón en la calle. — "Yesterday, I slapped the thief in the street." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo abofeteaba a su compañero por la mentira. — "In the past, I used to slap his classmate over the lie." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros abofetearemos al actor en la obra. — "Tomorrow, we will slap the actor in the play." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú abofetearías a su hermano en la discusión. — "If you could, you would slap his brother in the argument." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he abofeteado al ladrón en la calle. — "I have slapped the thief in the street." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él abofetea a su compañero por la mentira. — "Normally, he/she slaps his classmate over the lie." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él abofeteó al actor en la obra. — "Yesterday, he/she slapped the actor in the play." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros abofeteábamos a su hermano en la discusión. — "In the past, we used to slap his brother in the argument." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo abofetearé al ladrón en la calle. — "Tomorrow, I will slap the thief in the street." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él abofetee a su compañero por la mentira. — "I hope that he/she slaps his classmate over the lie." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Abofetea al actor en la obra! — "Slap the actor in the play!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using abofetear naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: his brother in the argument, the thief in the street, his classmate over the lie and the actor in the play.
Dialogue 1: talking about his brother in the argument
María: ¿Tú abofeteas a su hermano en la discusión? — "Do you slap his brother in the argument?" Carlos: Sí, yo abofeteo a su hermano en la discusión. — "I slap his brother in the argument." María: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Carlos: Ayer, yo abofeteé al ladrón en la calle. — "Yesterday, I slapped the thief in the street." María: Mañana, nosotros abofetearemos a su compañero por la mentira. — "Tomorrow, we will slap his classmate over the lie." Carlos: Si pudiera, yo abofetearía al actor en la obra. — "If I could, I would slap the actor in the play." María: Antes, yo abofeteaba al ladrón en la calle. — "In the past, I used to slap the thief in the street." Carlos: Yo he abofeteado a su hermano en la discusión. — "I have slapped his brother in the argument." María: ¡Abofetea a su compañero por la mentira! — "Slap his classmate over the lie!"
In this dialogue abofetear appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about his classmate over the lie
María: Él abofetea a su compañero por la mentira. — "he/she slaps his classmate over the lie." Carlos: ¿De verdad? ¿Él abofetea a su compañero por la mentira todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she slaps his classmate over the lie every day?" María: Sí, y ellos abofetean al actor en la obra. — "they slap the actor in the play." Carlos: Ayer, ellos abofetearon a su compañero por la mentira. — "Yesterday, they slapped his classmate over the lie." María: Espero que él abofetee al actor en la obra. — "I hope that he/she slaps the actor in the play." Carlos: Mañana, él abofeteará a su compañero por la mentira. — "Tomorrow, he/she will slap his classmate over the lie." María: Antes, nosotros abofeteábamos al actor en la obra. — "In the past, we used to slap the actor in the play." Carlos: Nosotros abofeteamos a su hermano en la discusión también. — "we slap his brother in the argument too."
This dialogue shows abofetear in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with abofetear
The errors learners actually make with abofetear in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me abofeteo a su hermano en la discusión.
- Right: Yo abofeteo a su hermano en la discusión.
- Why: abofetear is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo abofeteo a su hermano en la discusión. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo abofetear a su hermano en la discusión.
- Right: Yo abofeteo a su hermano en la discusión.
- Why: The infinitive abofetear is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form abofeteo.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo abofeteo al ladrón en la calle.
- Right: Ayer, yo abofeteé al ladrón en la calle.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo abofeteé al ladrón en la calle. — "Yesterday, I slapped the thief in the street."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy abofeteado a su compañero por la mentira.
- Right: Estoy abofeteando a su compañero por la mentira.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund abofeteando for the progressive. The participle abofeteado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he abofeteado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros abofetea a su hermano en la discusión.
- Right: Nosotros abofeteamos a su hermano en la discusión.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes abofeteamos, while abofetea belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: abofetear in use
Test yourself with ten questions on abofetear. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of abofetear in the present tense?
- (a) abofetea
- (b) abofeteamos
- (c) abofeteo
- (d) abofeteas
Answer: (c) abofeteo. The yo form is abofeteo.
2. What is the tú form of abofetear in the present tense?
- (a) abofeteamos
- (b) abofeteas
- (c) abofeteo
- (d) abofetea
Answer: (b) abofeteas. The tú form is abofeteas.
3. What is the él/ella form of abofetear in the present tense?
- (a) abofetea
- (b) abofeteo
- (c) abofeteas
- (d) abofeteamos
Answer: (a) abofetea. The él/ella form is abofetea.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ a su hermano en la discusión.
- (a) abofeteas
- (b) abofetea
- (c) abofeteamos
- (d) abofeteo
Answer: (d) abofeteo. The sentence needs the yo form abofeteo.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ al ladrón en la calle.
- (a) abofeteó
- (b) abofeteamos
- (c) abofeteé
- (d) abofeteaste
Answer: (c) abofeteé. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is abofeteé.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ a su compañero por la mentira.
- (a) abofeteabais
- (b) abofeteaba
- (c) abofeteabas
- (d) abofeteábamos
Answer: (b) abofeteaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is abofeteaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ al actor en la obra.
- (a) abofetearé
- (b) abofetearás
- (c) abofeteará
- (d) abofetearemos
Answer: (a) abofetearé. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is abofetearé.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a su hermano en la discusión.
- (a) he abofeteado
- (b) has abofeteado
- (c) ha abofeteado
- (d) hemos abofeteado
Answer: (a) he abofeteado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he abofeteado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a su compañero por la mentira.
- (a) abofeteemos
- (b) abofeteéis
- (c) abofetee
- (d) abofetees
Answer: (c) abofetee. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is abofetee.
10. What does abofetear mean in English?
- (a) to boast
- (b) to die, to pass away
- (c) to slap
- (d) to insist stubbornly
Answer: (c) to slap. abofetear means "to slap" in English.
Frequently asked questions about abofetear
What does abofetear mean?
abofetear means "to slap" in English. Use it when you talk about his brother in the argument, the thief in the street, his classmate over the lie and the actor in the play — for example: Cada día, yo abofeteo a su hermano en la discusión. — "Every day, I slap his brother in the argument."
Is there a reflexive form of abofetear?
No. abofetear is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo abofeteo a su hermano en la discusión. — "Every day, I slap his brother in the argument."
What is the most common mistake with abofetear?
The tense, not the form. Learners use the present tense for yesterday, or the preterite for a habit. Remember: Cada día, yo abofeteo a su hermano en la discusión. — "Every day, I slap his brother in the argument." is a habit, while Ayer, yo abofeteé a su hermano en la discusión is one finished action.
How can I practise abofetear?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.