Introduction
Insultar means “to insult”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Insultar means to insult, and it is the verb for saying something offensive to a person, in speech or in writing. It takes a direct object for the person insulted: insultar a un compañero. It is fully regular, and it appears in discussions about behaviour, school and social media. This page shows insultar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Insulto a su compañero en clase.” — I insult his classmate in class.
Insultar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how insultar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use insultar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Insulto a su compañero en clase.” — I insult his classmate in class.
“¿Insultas al árbitro durante el partido?” — Do you insult the referee during the match?
“Insulta a nadie en el trabajo.” — He/she insults nobody at work.
“Nosotros insultamos con palabras muy feas.” — We insult with very ugly words.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show insultar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo insulté a su compañero en clase.” — Yesterday, I insulted his classmate in class. (preterite)
“Antes, él insultaba al árbitro durante el partido.” — Before, he used to insult the referee during the match. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of insultar stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros insultaremos a nadie en el trabajo.” — Tomorrow, we will insult nobody at work. (future)
“¿Tú has insultado con palabras muy feas?” — Have you insulted with very ugly words? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros insultáis a su compañero en clase.” — You insult his classmate in class.
“Ellos insultan al árbitro durante el partido.” — They insult the referee during the match.
“Yo insulto a nadie en el trabajo.” — I insult nobody at work.
“Mi padre insulta con palabras muy feas.” — My father insults with very ugly words.
Insultar in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how insultar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú insultas al árbitro durante el partido?” — Do you insult the referee during the match?
Pedro: “Sí, yo insulto a su compañero en clase.” — Yes, I insult his classmate in class.
Marta: “Nosotros insultamos con palabras muy feas.” — We insult with very ugly words.
Pedro: “Y ellos insultan al árbitro durante el partido.” — And they insult the referee during the match.
Marta: “Vosotros insultáis a nadie en el trabajo.” — You insult nobody at work.
Pedro: “Sí, y él insulta a su compañero en clase.” — Yes, and he insults his classmate in class.
A short paragraph
Insulta a su compañero en clase, y nosotros insultamos con palabras muy feas. Yo insulto al árbitro durante el partido, y ellos insultan a nadie en el trabajo. Insultar is part of everyday life, because insult is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with insultar
These are the errors learners actually make with insultar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo insulta a su compañero en clase.” Right: “Yo insulto a su compañero en clase.” Why: The person matters: insulta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is insulto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo insulto al árbitro durante el partido.” Right: “Ayer yo insulté al árbitro durante el partido.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: insulto is happening now, while insulté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating insultar and ofender as identical in every context.” Right: “Insultar means to insult, while ofender means to offend.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: insultar fits sentences such as Insulto a su compañero en clase, while ofender belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy insultado al árbitro durante el partido.” Right: “Yo he insultado al árbitro durante el partido.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he insultado, has insultado, ha insultado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo insulté a nadie en el trabajo todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo insultaba a nadie en el trabajo todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (insultaba), not the preterite. The preterite (insulté) is for one finished action.
Quiz: insultar in use
Ten questions on insultar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ a su compañero en clase.” (You insult his classmate in class.)
- (a) insultáis
- (b) insulto
- (c) insultas
Answer: insultáis — The vosotros/as form of insultar in the present tense is insultáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ al árbitro durante el partido.” (They insult the referee during the match.)
- (a) insultas
- (b) insultan
- (c) insulto
Answer: insultan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of insultar in the present tense is insultan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ a su compañero en clase.” (Yesterday I insulted his classmate in class.)
- (a) insultaste
- (b) insultó
- (c) insulté
Answer: insulté — In the preterite, the yo form of insultar is insulté.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ al árbitro durante el partido.” (Before, he used to insult the referee during the match.)
- (a) insultaba
- (b) insulto
- (c) insultabas
Answer: insultaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of insultar is insultaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ a nadie en el trabajo.” (Tomorrow we will insult nobody at work.)
- (a) insultarás
- (b) insultaremos
- (c) insultaré
Answer: insultaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of insultar is insultaremos.
6. What does insultar mean in English?
- (a) to insult
- (b) to install
- (c) to offend
Answer: to insult — Insultar means “to insult”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo insulta a su compañero en clase.
- (b) Ellos insulta al árbitro durante el partido.
- (c) Yo insulto a su compañero en clase.
Answer: Yo insulto a su compañero en clase. — “Yo insulto a su compañero en clase.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I insult his classmate in class.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre insulta con palabras muy feas.
- (b) Insulto a su compañero en clase.
- (c) Insultan a su compañero en clase.
Answer: Insulto a su compañero en clase. — “Insulto a su compañero en clase.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of insultar in the present tense?
- (a) insulto
- (b) insultas
- (c) insultamos
Answer: insultamos — The nosotros form is insultamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros insultaremos a nadie en el trabajo.
- (b) Insulto a su compañero en clase.
- (c) Ayer, yo insulté a su compañero en clase.
Answer: Insulto a su compañero en clase. — “Insulto a su compañero en clase.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I insult his classmate in class' in Spanish?
Say 'Insulto a su compañero en clase'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Insulto a su compañero en clase todos los días'.
How do you say 'He insults the referee during the match' in Spanish?
Say 'Él insulta al árbitro durante el partido'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes insulta.
What is the difference between insultar and ofender?
Insultar means to insult, while ofender means to offend. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use insultar when you mean to insult, as in 'Insulto a su compañero en clase', and use ofender for to offend.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of insultar — every tense of insultar in one place.
- Insultar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on insultar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of insultar until they are automatic.