Introduction
Odiar means “to hate”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Odiar is the verb for hating something: a food, a noise, a chore. The thing hated is the direct object, with no preposition. Odiar + infinitive means to hate doing something. It is the strong opposite of amar + infinitive. This page shows odiar 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: “Yo odio el ruido.” — I hate noise.
Odiar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how odiar 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 odiar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Yo odio el ruido.” — I hate noise.
“¿Tú odias el frío?” — Do you hate the cold?
“Mi hermano odia madrugar.” — My brother hates getting up early.
“Nosotros odiamos a nadie.” — We hate nobody.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show odiar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Yo odié esa película.” — I hated that film. (preterite)
“Mi hermano odiaba madrugar siempre.” — My brother always hated getting up early. (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 odiar stays the same.
“Mañana mi hermano odiará madrugar.” — Tomorrow my brother will hate getting up early. (future)
“¿Tú has odiado alguna vez tanto?” — Have you ever hated so much? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros odiáis las colas.” — You hate queues.
“Ellos odian esperar.” — They hate waiting.
“Yo odio la mentira.” — I hate lies.
“Mi madre odia limpiar.” — My mother hates cleaning.
Odiar 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 odiar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú odias el frío?” — Do you hate the cold?
Pedro: “Sí, yo odio el ruido.” — Yes, I hate noise.
Marta: “Nosotros odiamos a nadie.” — We hate nobody.
Pedro: “Y ellos odian esperar.” — And they hate waiting.
Marta: “Vosotros odiáis las colas.” — You hate queues.
Pedro: “Sí, y mi hermano odia madrugar.” — Yes, and my brother hates getting up early.
A short paragraph
Marta odia el ruido, y su hermano odia madrugar. Nosotros odiamos a nadie, y ellos odian esperar. Yo odio la mentira, y mi madre odia limpiar. Odiar is the strong opposite of amar, because hating a thing, hating to do something and hating someone are all part of the same verb.
Common mistakes with odiar
These are the errors learners actually make with odiar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo odio a el ruido.” Right: “Yo odio el ruido.” Why: A thing takes no personal a: odio el ruido, not odio a el ruido. The a appears before people: odio a nadie is the fixed phrase for hating nobody.
Wrong: “Ellos odia esperar.” Right: “Ellos odian esperar.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form odian. The singular odia belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as mi hermano.
Wrong: “Yo odio esa película ayer.” Right: “Yo odié esa película.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished reaction yesterday. For a film you hated on one occasion, the preterite is right: 'Odié esa película'.
Wrong: “Nosotros odias las colas.” Right: “Nosotros odiamos a nadie.” Why: Nosotros needs odiamos. The tú form odias belongs with tú, and the fixed phrase for hating nobody is odiar a nadie, not odiar las colas with the wrong person.
Wrong: “Ellos odio todos los días.” Right: “Ellos odian todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form odian, not the yo form odio. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.
Quiz: odiar in use
Ten questions on odiar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ las colas.” (You hate queues.)
- (a) odias
- (b) odiáis
- (c) odio
Answer: odiáis — The vosotros/as form of odiar in the present tense is odiáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ esperar.” (They hate waiting.)
- (a) odian
- (b) odio
- (c) odias
Answer: odian — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of odiar in the present tense is odian.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Yo ______ esa película.” (I hated that film.)
- (a) odiaste
- (b) odió
- (c) odié
Answer: odié — In the preterite, the yo form of odiar is odié.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Mi hermano ______ madrugar siempre.” (My brother always hated getting up early.)
- (a) odiabas
- (b) odiaba
- (c) odiaba
Answer: odiaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of odiar is odiaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana mi hermano ______ madrugar.” (Tomorrow my brother will hate getting up early.)
- (a) odiará
- (b) odiaré
- (c) odiarás
Answer: odiará — In the future, the él/ella/Ud. form of odiar is odiará.
6. What does odiar mean in English?
- (a) to finish, to end
- (b) to serve
- (c) to hate
Answer: to hate — Odiar means “to hate”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo odio el ruido.
- (b) Yo odio a el ruido.
- (c) Ellos odia esperar.
Answer: Yo odio el ruido. — “Yo odio el ruido.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I hate lies.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo odian la mentira.
- (b) Yo odio la mentira.
- (c) Mi madre odia limpiar.
Answer: Yo odio la mentira. — “Yo odio la mentira.” is the correct translation. The second option means something different, and the third uses the wrong person's form.
9. What is the nosotros form of odiar in the present tense?
- (a) odio
- (b) odias
- (c) odiamos
Answer: odiamos — The nosotros form is odiamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Yo odié esa película.
- (b) Mañana mi hermano odiará madrugar.
- (c) Yo odio el ruido.
Answer: Yo odio el ruido. — “Yo odio el ruido.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I hate noise' in Spanish?
Say 'Odio el ruido'. The thing follows directly with no preposition. For a routine: 'Odio el ruido por la mañana'.
How do you say 'I hate waiting' in Spanish?
Say 'Odio esperar'. The infinitive follows directly with no preposition. It is the strong opposite of 'Amo viajar'.
Can odiar be used for people?
Yes, but carefully. 'Odio a nadie' means I hate nobody, and it is the common phrase. Saying you hate a specific person is very strong in Spanish, as it is in English, so the verb is used far more often for things and activities.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of odiar — every tense of odiar in one place.
- Odiar 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 odiar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of odiar until they are automatic.