Insultar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb insultar means to insult, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, insultar 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 insulto a su compañero en clase, and in the preterite you say insulté a nadie en el trabajo. 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.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: insultar
- English: to insult
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: insultando
- Past participle: insultado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + insultado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for insultar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Insultar takes a for the person: insultar a un compañero, never insultar un compañero.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for insultar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | insulto |
| tú | insultas |
| él/ella/Ud. | insulta |
| nosotros/as | insultamos |
| vosotros/as | insultáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | insultan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | insulté |
| tú | insultaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | insultó |
| nosotros/as | insultamos |
| vosotros/as | insultasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | insultaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | insultaba |
| tú | insultabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | insultaba |
| nosotros/as | insultábamos |
| vosotros/as | insultabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | insultaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | insultaré |
| tú | insultarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | insultará |
| nosotros/as | insultaremos |
| vosotros/as | insultaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | insultarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | insultaría |
| tú | insultarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | insultaría |
| nosotros/as | insultaríamos |
| vosotros/as | insultaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | insultarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he insultado |
| tú | has insultado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha insultado |
| nosotros/as | hemos insultado |
| vosotros/as | habéis insultado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han insultado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había insultado |
| tú | habías insultado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había insultado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos insultado |
| vosotros/as | habíais insultado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían insultado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré insultado |
| tú | habrás insultado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá insultado |
| nosotros/as | habremos insultado |
| vosotros/as | habréis insultado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán insultado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría insultado |
| tú | habrías insultado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría insultado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos insultado |
| vosotros/as | habríais insultado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían insultado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | insulte |
| tú | insultes |
| él/ella/Ud. | insulte |
| nosotros/as | insultemos |
| vosotros/as | insultéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | insulten |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | insultara |
| tú | insultaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | insultara |
| nosotros/as | insultáramos |
| vosotros/as | insultarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | insultaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | insulta |
| él/ella/Ud. | insulte |
| nosotros/as | insultemos |
| vosotros/as | insultad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | insulten |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | insultes |
| él/ella/Ud. | insulte |
| nosotros/as | insultemos |
| vosotros/as | insultéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | insulten |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | insultando | with estar for the progressive: estoy insultando |
| Past participle | insultado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he insultado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For insultar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Insulto a su compañero en clase. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For insultar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, insulté al árbitro durante el partido. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 insultar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, insultaba a nadie en el trabajo. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 insultar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, insultaré con palabras muy feas. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 insultar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Insultaría a su compañero en clase si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 insultar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he insultado al árbitro durante el partido. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 insultar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había insultado a nadie en el trabajo antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 insultar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré insultado con palabras muy feas. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 insultar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría insultado a su compañero en clase con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For insultar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él insulte al árbitro durante el partido. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For insultar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él insultara a nadie en el trabajo, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For insultar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Insulta con palabras muy feas! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For insultar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No insultes a su compañero en clase. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with insultar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Insulto a su compañero en clase. — I insult his classmate in class.
- Insulta al árbitro durante el partido. — He/she insults the referee during the match.
- Ayer, insulté a nadie en el trabajo. — Yesterday, I insulted nobody at work.
- Antes, nosotros insultábamos con palabras muy feas. — Before, we used to insult with very ugly words.
- Mañana, tú insultarás a su compañero en clase. — Tomorrow, you will insult his classmate in class.
- Yo insultaría al árbitro durante el partido si tuviera más tiempo. — I would insult the referee during the match if I had more time.
- Él ha insultado a nadie en el trabajo. — He has insulted nobody at work.
- Espero que él insulte con palabras muy feas. — I hope he insults with very ugly words.
- Yo ya había insultado a su compañero en clase antes de salir. — I had already insulted his classmate in class before leaving.
- Ellos insultaban al árbitro durante el partido cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to insult the referee during the match when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo insulta a su compañero en clase. — Right: Yo insulto a su compañero en clase. — 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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (insultaba), not the preterite. The preterite (insulté) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on insultar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a su compañero en clase. (present tense) A. insulto B. insultas C. insulta D. insultamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ al árbitro durante el partido. (preterite) A. insulté B. insultaste C. insultamos D. insultó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a nadie en el trabajo. (imperfect) A. insultabas B. insulto C. insultábamos D. insultaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ con palabras muy feas. (future) A. insultaremos B. insultarás C. insultaré D. insultará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a su compañero en clase si pudiera. (conditional) A. insultaría B. insultarías C. insultaríamos D. insulto
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ al árbitro durante el partido. (present subjunctive) A. insultes B. insultemos C. insulto D. insulte
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a nadie en el trabajo, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. insultáramos B. insulto C. insultara D. insultaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ con palabras muy feas. (present perfect) A. ha insultado B. hemos insultado C. he insultado D. has insultado
Complete the command: ¡___ a su compañero en clase! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. insulta B. insulte C. insultemos D. insultad
Which is the gerund of insultar, used with estar for the progressive? A. insultado B. insulto C. insulté D. insultando
Answer key
- insulto — The yo present tense of insultar is insulto.
- insultó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of insultar is insultó.
- insultábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of insultar is insultábamos.
- insultarás — The tú future of insultar is insultarás.
- insultaría — The yo conditional of insultar is insultaría.
- insulte — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of insultar is insulte.
- insultara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of insultar is insultara.
- hemos insultado — The nosotros/as present perfect of insultar is hemos insultado.
- insulta — The affirmative tú imperative of insultar is insulta.
- insultando — The gerund of insultar is insultando: estoy insultando. The participle insultado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does insultar mean in English?
Insultar means to insult. It is used in everyday situations such as Insulto a su compañero en clase. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is insultar regular or irregular?
Insultar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including insulto in the present and insulté in the preterite.
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. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I insult” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo insulté al árbitro durante el partido. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo insultaba a nadie en el trabajo. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he insultado al árbitro durante el partido.
How do I practise insultar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the insultar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Insultar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for insultar.
- Insultar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for insultar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Instalar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with insultar.
- Integrar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with insultar.
- Iniciar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with insultar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.