Asesinar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

asesinar means “to murder” 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. Asesinar means to murder, to kill someone deliberately. It is a formal verb used in law, crime news and history, and it is fully regular. It is stronger and more specific than matar. 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 asesinar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the asesinar present tense page.

asesinar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo asesino a su rival por venganza. — “I murder his rival out of revenge.”
  2. Él asesina al presidente en un atentado. — “He murders the president in an attack.”
  3. Nosotros asesinamos a sangre fría en la novela. — “We murder in cold blood in the novel.”
  4. Ellos asesinan al testigo antes del juicio. — “They murder the witness before the trial.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo asesiné al presidente en un atentado. — “Yesterday, I murdered the president in an attack.”
  2. Antes, nosotros asesinábamos a sangre fría en la novela. — “Before, we used to murder in cold blood in the novel.”
  3. Él asesinó al testigo antes del juicio. — “He murdered the witness before the trial.”
  4. Yo ya había asesinado a su rival por venganza antes de salir. — “I had already murdered his rival out of revenge before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú asesinarás a su rival por venganza. — “Tomorrow, you will murder his rival out of revenge.”
  2. Yo asesinaría al presidente en un atentado si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would murder the president in an attack if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha asesinado a sangre fría en la novela. — “He has murdered in cold blood in the novel.”
  4. Espero que él asesine al testigo antes del juicio. — “I hope he murders the witness before the trial.”

asesinar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use asesinar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo asesino a su rival por venganza. — “I murder his rival out of revenge.”
  • Bea: Él asesina al presidente en un atentado. — “He murders the president in an attack.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo asesiné al presidente en un atentado. — “Yesterday, I murdered the president in an attack.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú asesinarás a su rival por venganza. — “Tomorrow, you will murder his rival out of revenge.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros asesinamos a sangre fría en la novela. — “We murder in cold blood in the novel.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros asesinábamos a sangre fría en la novela. — “Before, we used to murder in cold blood in the novel.”
  • Luis: Yo asesinaría al presidente en un atentado si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would murder the president in an attack if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él asesine al testigo antes del juicio. — “I hope he murders the witness before the trial.”

A short scene with asesinar

A short scene shows how asesinar works across the day. In the morning: Asesino a su rival por venganza. In the afternoon: Asesina al presidente en un atentado. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, asesiné a sangre fría en la novela. And tomorrow: Mañana, asesinaré al testigo antes del juicio. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how asesinar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with asesinar

The errors learners actually make with asesinar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo asesina a su rival por venganza.

✓ Correct: Yo asesino a su rival por venganza.

The person matters: asesina is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is asesino. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo asesino al presidente en un atentado.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo asesiné al presidente en un atentado.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: asesino is happening now, while asesiné is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating asesinar and matar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Asesinar means to murder, while matar means to kill, in general.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: asesinar fits sentences such as Asesino a su rival por venganza, while matar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy asesinado al presidente en un atentado.

✓ Correct: Yo he asesinado al presidente en un atentado.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he asesinado, has asesinado, ha asesinado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo asesiné a sangre fría en la novela todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo asesinaba a sangre fría en la novela todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (asesinaba), not the preterite. The preterite (asesiné) is for one finished action.

Quiz: asesinar in use

Ten questions on asesinar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al presidente en un atentado. — “He/she murders the president in an attack.”

  • a) asesina
  • b) asesino
  • c) asesinas
  • d) asesinamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ a sangre fría en la novela. — “Yesterday, I murdered in cold blood in the novel.”

  • a) asesinaste
  • b) asesinó
  • c) asesinaron
  • d) asesiné

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ al testigo antes del juicio cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to murder the witness before the trial when they were young.”

  • a) asesinabas
  • b) asesinábamos
  • c) asesinaban
  • d) asesinaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ a su rival por venganza. — “Tomorrow, we will murder his rival out of revenge.”

  • a) asesinarán
  • b) asesinaremos
  • c) asesinaré
  • d) asesinarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al presidente en un atentado si pudiera. — “He would murder the president in an attack if he could.”

  • a) asesinaría
  • b) asesinarías
  • c) asesinaríamos
  • d) asesino

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a sangre fría en la novela. — “I have murdered in cold blood in the novel.”

  • a) has asesinado
  • b) ha asesinado
  • c) han asesinado
  • d) he asesinado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ al testigo antes del juicio. — “I hope you murder the witness before the trial.”

  • a) asesinemos
  • b) asesino
  • c) asesines
  • d) asesine

8. Which is the past participle of asesinar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) asesiné
  • b) asesinado
  • c) asesinando
  • d) asesino

9. What does asesinar mean in English?

  • a) to murder
  • b) to kill, in general
  • c) to advise
  • d) to assimilate

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él asesina al presidente en un atentado.
  • b) Él asesino al presidente en un atentado.
  • c) Nosotros asesina a sangre fría en la novela.
  • d) Yo asesina a su rival por venganza.

Answer key

  1. a) asesina — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: asesina.

  2. d) asesiné — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: asesiné, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) asesinaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: asesinaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) asesinaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: asesinaremos.

  5. a) asesinaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: asesinaría.

  6. d) he asesinado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he asesinado, haber + asesinado.

  7. c) asesines — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is asesines.

  8. b) asesinado — The past participle is asesinado: he asesinado, has asesinado, ha asesinado. The gerund asesinando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to murder — asesinar means to murder. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él asesina al presidente en un atentado. — Él asesina al presidente en un atentado. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use asesinar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Asesino a su rival por venganza and Asesina al presidente en un atentado. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between asesinar and matar?

Asesinar means “to murder”, while matar means “to kill, in general”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use asesinar when you mean “to murder” and matar when you mean “to kill, in general”.

Which tense do I need most with asesinar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use asesinar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is asesinar formal or informal?

Asesinar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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