Embestir Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb embestir means to charge at, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, embestir 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 Yo embisto al toro en la plaza — "I charge at the bull in the ring". 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.

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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: embestir
  • English: to charge at
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ir verb (e → i)
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: embistiendo
  • Past participle: embestido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + embestido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for embestir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for embestir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | embisto | | tú | embistes | | él/ella/Ud. | embiste | | nosotros/as | embestimos | | vosotros/as | embestís | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | embisten |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | embestí | | tú | embestiste | | él/ella/Ud. | embistió | | nosotros/as | embestimos | | vosotros/as | embestisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | embistieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | embestía | | tú | embestías | | él/ella/Ud. | embestía | | nosotros/as | embestíamos | | vosotros/as | embestíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | embestían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | embestiré | | tú | embestirás | | él/ella/Ud. | embestirá | | nosotros/as | embestiremos | | vosotros/as | embestiréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | embestirán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | embestiría | | tú | embestirías | | él/ella/Ud. | embestiría | | nosotros/as | embestiríamos | | vosotros/as | embestiríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | embestirían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | embista | | tú | embistas | | él/ella/Ud. | embista | | nosotros/as | embistamos | | vosotros/as | embistáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | embistan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | embistiera | | tú | embistieras | | él/ella/Ud. | embistiera | | nosotros/as | embistiéramos | | vosotros/as | embistierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | embistieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | embiste | | él/ella/Ud. | embista | | nosotros/as | embistamos | | vosotros/as | embestid | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | embistan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | embistas | | él/ella/Ud. | embista | | nosotros/as | embistamos | | vosotros/as | embistáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | embistan |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund embistiendo with estar for the progressive: está embistiendo
Past participle embestido with haber for the perfect tenses: he embestido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. 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. For embestir, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo embisto al toro en la plaza — "I charge at the bull in the ring".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. In this tense the stem changes in the third person: embistió, embistieron. The gerund changes too: embistiendo. For embestir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo embestí la puerta con el hombro — "Yesterday, I charged at the door with his shoulder".

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 embestir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo embestía al enemigo en la batalla — "As a child, I used to charge at the enemy in battle".

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 embestir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo embestiré el portero en el partido — "Tomorrow, I will charge at the goalkeeper in the match".

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 embestir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo embestiría al toro en la plaza si pudiera — "I would charge at the bull in the ring if I could".

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 embestir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he embestido la puerta con el hombro — "Today, I have charged at the door with his shoulder".

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 embestir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había embestido al enemigo en la batalla antes de salir — "I already had charged at the enemy in battle before leaving".

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 embestir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré embestido el portero en el partido — "By tomorrow, I will have charged at the goalkeeper in the match".

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 embestir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría embestido al toro en la plaza con más tiempo — "I would have charged at the bull in the ring with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. 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. For embestir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él embista la puerta con el hombro — "I hope he charges at the door with his shoulder".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is irregular — see the table above. For embestir, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo embistiera al enemigo en la batalla, todo cambiaría — "If I charged at the enemy in battle, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. 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. For embestir, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Embiste el portero en el partido. — "Charge at the goalkeeper in the match.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. 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. For embestir, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No embistas al toro en la plaza. — "Do not charge at the bull in the ring.".

Example sentences

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

  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. Ayer, yo embestí al enemigo en la batalla — "Yesterday, I charged at the enemy in battle"
  4. Antes, nosotros embestíamos el portero en el partido — "Before, we used to charge at the goalkeeper in the match"
  5. Mañana, tú embestirás contra el muro — "Tomorrow, you will charge at against the wall"
  6. Yo embestiría al toro en la plaza si tuviera más tiempo — "I would charge at the bull in the ring if I had more time"
  7. Él ha embestido la puerta con el hombro — "He has charged at the door with his shoulder"
  8. Espero que él embista al enemigo en la batalla — "I hope he charges at the enemy in battle"
  9. Yo ya había embestido el portero en el partido antes de salir — "I already had charged at the goalkeeper in the match before leaving"
  10. Ellos embestían contra el muro cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to charge at against the wall when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo embesto la puerta con el hombro. — Right: Yo embisto la puerta con el hombro. — 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.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él embiste la puerta con el hombro — Right: Espero que él embista la puerta con el hombro — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él embista la puerta con el hombro — not the indicative Espero que él embiste la puerta con el hombro.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo embisto al enemigo en la batalla — Right: Ayer, yo embestí al enemigo en la batalla — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo embestí al enemigo en la batalla.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo embestí el portero en el partido todos los días — Right: De niño, yo embestía el portero en el partido todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo embestía el portero en el partido todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo embisto toro en la plaza. — Right: Yo embisto al toro en la plaza. — embestir takes al before this complement: Yo embisto al toro en la plaza. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on embestir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  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: Él ______ la puerta con el hombro — "He charged at the door with his shoulder" (preterite) A. embestiste B. embestimos C. embistió D. embestí

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el portero en el partido — "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: Espero que él ______ al toro en la plaza — "I hope he charges at the bull in the ring" (present subjunctive) A. embistamos B. embistáis C. embista D. embistas

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ la puerta con el hombro, todo cambiaría — "If I charged at the door with his shoulder, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. embistiéramos B. embistierais C. embistiera D. embistieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ al enemigo en la batalla — "We have charged at the enemy in battle" (present perfect) A. hemos embestido B. he embestido C. has embestido D. ha embestido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el portero en el partido. — "Do not charge at the goalkeeper in the match." (negative imperative) A. embista B. embistamos C. embistáis D. embistas

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

Answer key

  1. embisto — The present form for yo is embisto.
  2. embistió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is embistió.
  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. embista — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is embista.
  7. embistiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is embistiera.
  8. hemos embestido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos embestido.
  9. embistas — The negative imperative form is embistas.
  10. embistiendo — The gerund of embestir is embistiendo: estoy embistiendo. The participle embestido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does embestir mean in English?

embestir means to charge at. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

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 I say "I charge at" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo embestí la puerta con el hombro — "Yesterday, I charged at the door with his shoulder". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo embestía al enemigo en la batalla — "As a child, I used to charge at the enemy in battle". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he embestido la puerta con el hombro — "Today, I have charged at the door with his shoulder".

What is the difference between embestir and atacar?

Atacar is the general verb for attacking. Embestir is the physical charge — running at someone with force, like a bull. 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.

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