Asaltar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb asaltar means to assault, to rob, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, asaltar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say asalto el banco a medianoche, and in the preterite you say asalté la tienda con una pistola. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: asaltar
  • English: to assault, to rob
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: asaltando
  • Past participle: asaltado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + asaltado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for asaltar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Asaltar is fully regular: asalté, asaltaba, asaltaré. Robar is stealing; asaltar is attacking to steal.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for asaltar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo asalto
tú asaltas
él/ella/Ud. asalta
nosotros/as asaltamos
vosotros/as asaltáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. asaltan

Preterite

Person Form
yo asalté
tú asaltaste
él/ella/Ud. asaltó
nosotros/as asaltamos
vosotros/as asaltasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. asaltaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo asaltaba
tú asaltabas
él/ella/Ud. asaltaba
nosotros/as asaltábamos
vosotros/as asaltabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. asaltaban

Future

Person Form
yo asaltaré
tú asaltarás
él/ella/Ud. asaltará
nosotros/as asaltaremos
vosotros/as asaltaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. asaltarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo asaltaría
tú asaltarías
él/ella/Ud. asaltaría
nosotros/as asaltaríamos
vosotros/as asaltaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. asaltarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he asaltado
tú has asaltado
él/ella/Ud. ha asaltado
nosotros/as hemos asaltado
vosotros/as habéis asaltado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han asaltado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había asaltado
tú habías asaltado
él/ella/Ud. había asaltado
nosotros/as habíamos asaltado
vosotros/as habíais asaltado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían asaltado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré asaltado
tú habrás asaltado
él/ella/Ud. habrá asaltado
nosotros/as habremos asaltado
vosotros/as habréis asaltado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán asaltado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría asaltado
tú habrías asaltado
él/ella/Ud. habría asaltado
nosotros/as habríamos asaltado
vosotros/as habríais asaltado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían asaltado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo asalte
tú asaltes
él/ella/Ud. asalte
nosotros/as asaltemos
vosotros/as asaltéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. asalten

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo asaltara
tú asaltaras
él/ella/Ud. asaltara
nosotros/as asaltáramos
vosotros/as asaltarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. asaltaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú asalta
él/ella/Ud. asalte
nosotros/as asaltemos
vosotros/as asaltad
ellos/ellas/Uds. asalten

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú asaltes
él/ella/Ud. asalte
nosotros/as asaltemos
vosotros/as asaltéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. asalten

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund asaltando with estar for the progressive: estoy asaltando
Past participle asaltado with haber for the perfect tenses: he asaltado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asaltar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Asalto el banco a medianoche. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asaltar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, asalté a los turistas en la calle. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asaltar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, asaltaba la tienda con una pistola. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asaltar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, asaltaré el castillo al amanecer. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asaltar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Asaltaría el banco a medianoche si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asaltar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he asaltado a los turistas en la calle. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asaltar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había asaltado la tienda con una pistola antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asaltar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré asaltado el castillo al amanecer. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asaltar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría asaltado el banco a medianoche con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asaltar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él asalte a los turistas en la calle. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asaltar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él asaltara la tienda con una pistola, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asaltar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡asalta el castillo al amanecer! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For asaltar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No asaltes el banco a medianoche. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with asaltar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Asalto el banco a medianoche. — I rob the bank at midnight.
  2. Asalta a los turistas en la calle. — He/she robs the tourists in the street.
  3. Ayer, asalté la tienda con una pistola. — Yesterday, I robbed the shop with a gun.
  4. Antes, nosotros asaltábamos el castillo al amanecer. — Before, we used to rob the castle at dawn.
  5. Mañana, tú asaltarás el banco a medianoche. — Tomorrow, you will rob the bank at midnight.
  6. Yo asaltaría a los turistas en la calle si tuviera más tiempo. — I would rob the tourists in the street if I had more time.
  7. Él ha asaltado la tienda con una pistola. — He has robbed the shop with a gun.
  8. Espero que él asalte el castillo al amanecer. — I hope he robs the castle at dawn.
  9. Yo ya había asaltado el banco a medianoche antes de salir. — I had already robbed the bank at midnight before leaving.
  10. Ellos asaltaban a los turistas en la calle cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to rob the tourists in the street when they were young.

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. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el banco a medianoche. (present tense) A. asalto B. asaltas C. asalta D. asaltamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a los turistas en la calle. (preterite) A. asalté B. asaltaste C. asaltaron D. asaltó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la tienda con una pistola. (imperfect) A. asaltabas B. asaltaban C. asaltábamos D. asaltaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el castillo al amanecer. (future) A. asaltaremos B. asaltarás C. asaltaré D. asaltará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el banco a medianoche si pudiera. (conditional) A. asaltaría B. asaltarías C. asaltarían D. asalto

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a los turistas en la calle. (present subjunctive) A. asaltes B. asaltemos C. asalto D. asalte

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la tienda con una pistola, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. asaltáramos B. asalto C. asaltara D. asaltaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el castillo al amanecer. (present perfect) A. han asaltado B. hemos asaltado C. he asaltado D. has asaltado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ el banco a medianoche! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. asalta B. asalte C. asaltemos D. asaltad

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

Answer key

  1. asalto — The first-person present of asaltar is asalto. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. asaltó — The third-person preterite of asaltar is asaltó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. asaltábamos — The nosotros imperfect of asaltar is asaltábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. asaltarás — The second-person future of asaltar is asaltarás.
  5. asaltaría — The first-person conditional of asaltar is asaltaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. asalte — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of asaltar is asalte.
  7. asaltara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of asaltar is asaltara.
  8. hemos asaltado — The nosotros present perfect of asaltar is hemos asaltado: hemos + asaltado.
  9. asalta — The affirmative tú imperative of asaltar is asalta.
  10. asaltando — The gerund of asaltar is asaltando: estoy asaltando. The participle asaltado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does asaltar mean in English?

Asaltar means to assault, to rob. It is used in everyday situations such as Asalto el banco a medianoche. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is asaltar regular or irregular?

Asaltar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including asalto in the present and asalté in the preterite.

What is the difference between asaltar and robar?

Asaltar means to assault, to rob, while robar means to steal something. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use asaltar when you mean to assault, to rob, as in Asalto el banco a medianoche, and use robar for to steal something. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I assault” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo asalté a los turistas en la calle. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo asaltaba la tienda con una pistola. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he asaltado a los turistas en la calle.

How do I practise asaltar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the asaltar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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