Embestir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of embestir — "to charge at" 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 embestir 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. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Yo embisto al toro en la plaza — "I charge at the bull in the ring".
Present tense conjugation table: embestir
Every person of embestir in the present tense. The gerund is embistiendo and the past participle is embestido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | embisto |
| tú | embistes |
| él/ella/Ud. | embiste |
| nosotros/as | embestimos |
| vosotros/as | embestís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | embisten |
How the present of embestir is formed
The present of embestir is built from the stem embest- plus the present endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir 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 | embisto |
| tú | -es | embistes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | embiste |
| nosotros/as | -imos | embestimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | embestís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | embisten |
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.
The gerund of embestir is embistiendo and the past participle is embestido. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of embestir
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and embestir appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Habits and routines
The present describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, yo embisto al toro en la plaza" — "Every day, I charge at the bull in the ring"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo embiste la puerta con el hombro" — "My friend charges at the door with his shoulder"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo embisto al enemigo en la batalla" — "Right now, I charge at the enemy in battle"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros embestimos el portero en el partido" — "Tomorrow, we charge at the goalkeeper in the match"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos embisten contra el muro" — "They charge at against the wall"
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}yo embisto al toro en la plaza — "I charge at the bull in the ring"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo embestí al toro en la plaza — "I charged at the bull in the ring"
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: {}tú embistes la puerta con el hombro — "You charge at the door with his shoulder"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú embestías la puerta con el hombro — "You used to charge at the door with his shoulder"
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él embiste al enemigo en la batalla — "He charges at the enemy in battle"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él embestirá al enemigo en la batalla — "He will charge at the enemy in battle"
Examples: embestir in the present tense
Seven sentences that show embestir in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo embisto al toro en la plaza — "I charge at the bull in the ring"
- Tú embistes la puerta con el hombro — "You charge at the door with his shoulder"
- Él embiste al enemigo en la batalla — "He charges at the enemy in battle"
- Nosotros embestimos el portero en el partido — "We charge at the goalkeeper in the match"
- Vosotros embestís contra el muro — "You charge at against the wall"
- Ellos embisten al toro en la plaza — "They charge at the bull in the ring"
- Yo embisto la puerta con el hombro — "I charge at the door with his shoulder"
Common mistakes with embestir in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with embestir in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo embesto al toro en la plaza.
✓ Correct: Yo embisto al toro en la plaza.
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.
✗ *Tú embiste la puerta con el hombro.
✓ Correct: Tú embistes la puerta con el hombro.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes embistes, él takes embiste.
✗ *Cada día, yo embestí al enemigo en la batalla
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo embisto al enemigo en la batalla
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros embestis el portero en el partido.
✓ Correct: Vosotros embestís el portero en el partido.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: embestís, not embestis.
Quiz: embestir in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of embestir. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of embestir for tú? A. embestimos B. embistes C. embisto D. embiste
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
Complete the sentence: Él ______ la puerta con el hombro — "He charges at the door with his shoulder" (present) A. embistes B. embestimos C. embiste D. embisto
Which is the correct present form of embestir for nosotros? A. embestimos B. embistes C. embiste D. embisten
Which sentence uses embestir correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo embestía al enemigo en la batalla B. Mi amigo embestimos al enemigo en la batalla C. Mi amigo embiste al enemigo en la batalla D. Mi amigo embistes al enemigo en la batalla
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ el portero en el partido — "You charge at the goalkeeper in the match" (present) A. embestís B. embisto C. embistes D. embiste
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ contra el muro — "They charge at against the wall" (present) A. embisten B. embisto C. embistes D. embiste
What is the gerund of embestir? A. embestido B. embisto C. embestí D. embistiendo
Answer key
- embistes — The tú form in the present is embistes.
- embisto — The present form for yo is embisto.
- embiste — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is embiste.
- embestimos — The nosotros form in the present is embestimos.
- Mi amigo embiste al enemigo en la batalla — Mi amigo embiste al enemigo en la batalla is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- embestís — The present form for vosotros/as is embestís.
- embisten — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is embisten.
- embistiendo — The gerund is embistiendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle embestido.
Frequently asked questions
Is embestir regular in the present tense?
No — in the present the stem changes: 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. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem.
What is the gerund and the past participle of embestir?
The gerund is embistiendo and the past participle is embestido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I charge at" in the present tense?
Say embisto. For example: Yo embisto al toro en la plaza — "I charge at the bull in the ring".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of embestir?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo embisto al toro en la plaza — "I charge at the bull in the ring". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo embestí al toro en la plaza — "Yesterday, I charged at the bull in the ring". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of embestir — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- embestir examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.