Asaltar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of asaltar — “to assault, to rob” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for asaltar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. Asaltar is a regular -ar verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Asalto el banco a medianoche.
Present tense conjugation table: asaltar
Every person of asaltar in the present tense. The gerund is asaltando and the past participle is asaltado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | asalto |
| tú | asaltas |
| él/ella/Ud. | asalta |
| nosotros/as | asaltamos |
| vosotros/as | asaltáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | asaltan |
How the present of asaltar is formed
The present of asaltar is built from the stem asalt- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | asalto |
| tú | -as | asaltas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | asalta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | asaltamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | asaltáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | asaltan |
For asaltar there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem asalt- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.
When to use the present tense with asaltar
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo asalto el banco a medianoche. — I rob the bank at midnight.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella asalta a los turistas en la calle. — He robs the tourists in the street.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as asaltamos la tienda con una pistola. — Right now, We rob the shop with a gun.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú asaltas el castillo al amanecer. — Tomorrow, You rob the castle at dawn.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella asalta el banco a medianoche. — He robs the bank at midnight.
The present vs the preterite
The present and the preterite answer different questions: the present says what happens regularly or right now, while the preterite says what happened once and finished. Compare the same idea in both tenses with asaltar.
- Yo asalto el banco a medianoche. — I rob the bank at midnight. / Ayer, Yo asalté el banco a medianoche. — Yesterday, I robbed the bank at midnight.
- Yo asalto a los turistas en la calle. — I rob the tourists in the street. / Ayer, Yo asalté a los turistas en la calle. — Yesterday, I robbed the tourists in the street.
- Yo asalto la tienda con una pistola. — I rob the shop with a gun. / Ayer, Yo asalté la tienda con una pistola. — Yesterday, I robbed the shop with a gun.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with asaltar in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo asalto el banco a medianoche. — I rob the bank at midnight.
- Tú asaltas a los turistas en la calle. — You rob the tourists in the street.
- Él/Ella asalta la tienda con una pistola. — He robs the shop with a gun.
- Nosotros/as asaltamos el castillo al amanecer. — We rob the castle at dawn.
- Vosotros/as asaltáis el banco a medianoche. — You rob the bank at midnight.
- Ellos/as asaltan a los turistas en la calle. — They rob the tourists in the street.
- Yo asalto la tienda con una pistola. — I rob the shop with a gun.
Common mistakes
- 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.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo asalto a los turistas en la calle. — Right: Ayer, yo asalté a los turistas en la calle. — With ayer, use the preterite (asalté), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Using asaltar where robar belongs. — Right: Asaltar means to assault, to rob, while robar means to steal something. — Check the meaning before you choose: asaltar fits Asalto el banco a medianoche.
- Wrong: Espero que él asalta a los turistas en la calle. — Right: Espero que él asalte a los turistas en la calle. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: asalte, not the present indicative asalta.
Quiz: the present tense of asaltar
Eight questions on the present tense of asaltar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el banco a medianoche. (present tense, yo) A. asalto B. asaltas C. asalta D. asaltamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ a los turistas en la calle. (present tense, tú) A. asalto B. asalta C. asaltamos D. asaltas
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ la tienda con una pistola. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. asaltas B. asaltamos C. asalta D. asalto
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el castillo al amanecer. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. asalta B. asaltamos C. asalto D. asaltas
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ el banco a medianoche. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. asaltáis B. asalto C. asaltas D. asalta
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ a los turistas en la calle. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. asalto B. asaltas C. asalta D. asaltan
Which is the gerund of asaltar? A. asalto B. asalté C. asaltando D. asaltado
Which is the past participle of asaltar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. asalté B. asaltado C. asaltando D. asalto
Answer key
- asalto — The yo present form of asaltar is asalto.
- asaltas — The tú present form of asaltar is asaltas.
- asalta — The él/ella/Ud. present form of asaltar is asalta.
- asaltamos — The nosotros/as present form of asaltar is asaltamos.
- asaltáis — The vosotros/as present form of asaltar is asaltáis.
- asaltan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of asaltar is asaltan.
- asaltando — The gerund of asaltar is asaltando: estoy asaltando.
- asaltado — The past participle of asaltar is asaltado: he asaltado, has asaltado, ha asaltado.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of asaltar formed?
Take the infinitive asaltar, drop the -ar ending to get the stem asalt-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of asaltar is fully regular: the stem asalt- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of asaltar?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Asalto el banco a medianoche.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of asaltar?
The present (asalto) and the preterite (asalté) answer different questions: the present is for habits and for right now, while the preterite is for one finished action. Compare them in the contrast section above.
How do I practise the present of asaltar?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of asaltar to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the asaltar examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Asaltar conjugation — the full conjugation tables for asaltar.
- Asaltar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for asaltar.
- Spanish present tense guide — when and how to use the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Present-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.