Asaltar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

asaltar means “to assault, to rob” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Asaltar means to assault or to rob, and it is used for robbing a bank, mugging a person in the street and storming a castle. It is a verb of violent crime and of military attack, common in news reports. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of asaltar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the asaltar present tense page.

asaltar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with asaltar in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo asalto el banco a medianoche. — I rob the bank at midnight.
  2. Él/Ella asalta a los turistas en la calle. — He robs the tourists in the street.
  3. Nosotros/as asaltamos la tienda con una pistola. — We rob the shop with a gun.
  4. Ellos/as asaltan el castillo al amanecer. — They rob the castle at dawn.

In the past

Four sentences with asaltar in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo asalté la tienda con una pistola. — Yesterday, I robbed the shop with a gun.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as asaltábamos el castillo al amanecer. — Before, We used to rob the castle at dawn.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella asaltó el banco a medianoche. — Yesterday, He robbed the bank at midnight.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as asaltaban a los turistas en la calle. — As children, They used to rob the tourists in the street.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with asaltar in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú asaltarás el banco a medianoche. — Tomorrow, You will rob the bank at midnight.
  2. Yo asaltaría a los turistas en la calle. — I would rob the tourists in the street.
  3. Espero que él asalte la tienda con una pistola. — I hope he robs the shop with a gun.
  4. Él/Ella ha asaltado el castillo al amanecer. — He has robbed the castle at dawn.

asaltar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú asaltas el banco a medianoche mañana? — Are you going to rob the bank at midnight tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo asalto el banco a medianoche todos los días. — Yes, I rob the bank at midnight every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana asaltarás a los turistas en la calle? — And tomorrow, will you rob the tourists in the street? Luis: Claro, mañana asaltaré a los turistas en la calle sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will rob the tourists in the street without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo asaltaré la tienda con una pistola también. — Perfect. I will rob the shop with a gun too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer asalté la tienda con una pistola. — Yesterday, I robbed the shop with a gun. Ana: ¿Y antes asaltabas el castillo al amanecer? — And before, did you use to rob the castle at dawn? Luis: Sí, antes asaltaba el castillo al amanecer todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to rob the castle at dawn every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos asaltaron el banco a medianoche? — And did your brothers robbed the bank at midnight? Luis: Sí, ellos asaltaron el banco a medianoche por la tarde. — Yes, they robbed the bank at midnight in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo asalta el banco a medianoche. — Right: Yo asalto el banco a medianoche. — The person matters: asalta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is asalto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating asaltar and robar as identical in every context. — Right: Asaltar means to assault, to rob, while robar means to steal something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: asaltar fits sentences such as Asalto el banco a medianoche, while robar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy asaltado a los turistas en la calle. — Right: Yo he asaltado a los turistas en la calle. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he asaltado, has asaltado, ha asaltado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo asalté la tienda con una pistola todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo asaltaba la tienda con una pistola todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (asaltaba), not the preterite. The preterite (asalté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on asaltar in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el castillo al amanecer. (present tense) A. asaltan B. asalto C. asaltas D. asalta

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ el banco a medianoche. (preterite tense) A. asalté B. asaltaste C. asaltó D. asaltamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ a los turistas en la calle. (imperfect tense) A. asaltábamos B. asaltabais C. asaltabas D. asaltaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la tienda con una pistola. (future tense) A. asaltaremos B. asaltará C. asaltaré D. asaltarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el castillo al amanecer. (conditional tense) A. asaltaríamos B. asaltaría C. asaltarías D. asaltaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ el banco a medianoche. (present-perfect tense) A. has asaltado B. ha asaltado C. hemos asaltado D. he asaltado

  7. What does asaltar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to assault, to rob D. to steal something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo asalté la tienda con una pistola. B. Yo asalta el banco a medianoche. C. Yo asalto el banco a medianoche. D. Él/Ella asalta a los turistas en la calle.

  9. Which is the gerund of asaltar, used with estar for the progressive? A. asaltando B. asaltado C. asalto D. asalté

  10. Which is the past participle of asaltar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. asaltando B. asalto C. asalté D. asaltado

Answer key

  1. asaltan — The correct form here is asaltan.
  2. asaltamos — The correct form here is asaltamos.
  3. asaltabas — The correct form here is asaltabas.
  4. asaltará — The correct form here is asaltará.
  5. asaltaríamos — The correct form here is asaltaríamos.
  6. he asaltado — The correct form here is he asaltado.
  7. to assault, to rob — Asaltar means to assault, to rob. Robar means to steal something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo asalta el banco a medianoche. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo asalto el banco a medianoche.. The person matters: asalta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is asalto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. asaltando — The gerund of asaltar is asaltando: estoy asaltando.
  10. asaltado — The past participle of asaltar is asaltado: he asaltado, has asaltado, ha asaltado.

Frequently asked questions

What does asaltar mean?

Asaltar means to assault, to rob. Asaltar means to assault or to rob, and it is used for robbing a bank, mugging a person in the street and storming a castle. It is a verb of violent crime and of military attack, common in news reports.

When do people use asaltar most?

People use asaltar most in everyday situations such as Yo asalto el banco a medianoche. and Ayer, Yo asalté la tienda con una pistola.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between asaltar and robar?

Asaltar means to assault, to rob, while robar means to steal something. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of asaltar?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of asaltar as your reference, the asaltar present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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