Embestir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

embestir means "to charge at" 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. Embestir means to charge at someone or something: the bull embiste al torero, a player embiste al portero. It takes a person or object as its object, or contra + noun. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, 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 embestir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the embestir present tense page.

embestir in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo embisto al toro en la plaza — "I charge at the bull in the ring"
  2. Mi amigo embiste la puerta con el hombro — "My friend charges at the door with his shoulder"
  3. Mañana, tú embestirás al enemigo en la batalla — "Tomorrow, you will charge at the enemy in battle"
  4. Yo embestiría el portero en el partido si pudiera — "I would charge at the goalkeeper in the match if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo embestí al toro en la plaza — "Yesterday, I charged at the bull in the ring"
  2. Antes, nosotros embestíamos la puerta con el hombro — "Before, we used to charge at the door with his shoulder"
  3. Él ha embestido al enemigo en la batalla — "He has charged at the enemy in battle"
  4. Yo ya había embestido el portero en el partido antes de salir — "I already had charged at the goalkeeper in the match before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él embista al toro en la plaza — "I hope he charges at the bull in the ring"
  2. Si yo embistiera la puerta con el hombro, todo cambiaría — "If I charged at the door with his shoulder, everything would change"
  3. Embiste al enemigo en la batalla. — "Charge at the enemy in battle."
  4. Yo habría embestido el portero en el partido con más tiempo — "I would have charged at the goalkeeper in the match with more time"

embestir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use embestir 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 it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo embisto al toro en la plaza — "I charge at the bull in the ring"
  • Marcos: Él embiste la puerta con el hombro — "He charges at the door with his shoulder"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo embestí al enemigo en la batalla — "Yesterday, I charged at the enemy in battle"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú embestirás el portero en el partido — "Tomorrow, you will charge at the goalkeeper in the match"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Embiste contra el muro. — "Charge at against the wall."
  • Lucía: Él ha embestido al toro en la plaza — "He has charged at the bull in the ring"
  • Marcos: Espero que él embista la puerta con el hombro — "I hope he charges at the door with his shoulder"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo embestía al enemigo en la batalla — "Before, I used to charge at the enemy in battle"

Common mistakes with embestir

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

✗ *Yo embesto el portero en el partido.

✓ Correct: Yo embisto el portero en el partido.

embestir is a stem-changing verb (e → i): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is embisto, not embesto.

✗ *Espero que él embiste el portero en el partido

✓ Correct: Espero que él embista el portero en el partido

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él embista el portero en el partido — not the indicative Espero que él embiste el portero en el partido.

✗ *Ayer, yo embisto contra el muro

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo embestí contra el muro

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo embestí contra el muro.

✗ *De niño, yo embestí al toro en la plaza todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo embestía al toro en la plaza todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo embestía al toro en la plaza todos los días.

✗ *Yo embisto enemigo en la batalla.

✓ Correct: Yo embisto al enemigo en la batalla.

embestir takes al before this complement: Yo embisto al enemigo en la batalla. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: embestir in use

Ten questions on embestir — 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: Yo ______ al toro en la plaza — "I charge at the bull in the ring" (present) A. embiste B. embestimos C. embisto D. embistes

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la puerta con el hombro — "Yesterday, I charged at the door with his shoulder" (preterite) A. embestí B. embestiste C. embistió D. embestimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ al enemigo en la batalla — "Before, we used to charge at the enemy in battle" (imperfect) A. embestíais B. embestíamos C. embestía D. embestías

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ el portero en el partido — "Tomorrow, you will charge at the goalkeeper in the match" (future) A. embestiré B. embestirá C. embestiremos D. embestirás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ contra el muro — "I would charge at against the wall" (conditional) A. embestiríamos B. embestiríais C. embestiría D. embestirías

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al toro en la plaza — "He has charged at the bull in the ring" (present perfect) A. ha embestido B. he embestido C. has embestido D. hemos embestido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la puerta con el hombro — "I hope he charges at the door with his shoulder" (present subjunctive) A. embistamos B. embistáis C. embista D. embistas

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ al enemigo en la batalla. — "Charge at the enemy in battle." (affirmative imperative) A. embestid B. embiste C. embista D. embistamos

  9. Which is the gerund of embestir, used with estar for the progressive? A. embestido B. embisto C. embestí D. embistiendo

  10. What does embestir mean in English? A. to cross B. to charge at C. to attack D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. embisto — The present form for yo is embisto.
  2. embestí — The preterite form for yo is embestí.
  3. embestíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is embestíamos.
  4. embestirás — The future form for tú is embestirás.
  5. embestiría — The conditional form for yo is embestiría.
  6. ha embestido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha embestido.
  7. embista — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is embista.
  8. embiste — The affirmative imperative form is embiste.
  9. embistiendo — The gerund of embestir is embistiendo: estoy embistiendo. The participle embestido is used with haber instead.
  10. to charge at — embestir means to charge at.

Frequently asked questions

What does embestir mean in English?

embestir means to charge at. For example: Yo embisto al toro en la plaza — "I charge at the bull in the ring". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with embestir?

embestir takes al before this kind of complement, as in the examples above. Keep the preposition with the verb — dropping it is one of the most common learner errors with embestir.

Is embestir regular?

No. embestir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → i). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: embisto, embistes, embiste and embisten — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: embestimos, embestís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: embistió, embistieron, and the gerund is embistiendo.

How do I practise embestir?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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