Introduction
Odiar means “to hate”, and this page covers exactly one thing: odiar in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for odiar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about odiar in the present. Odiar is the verb for hating something: a food, a noise, a chore. The thing hated is the direct object, with no preposition. For example: “Yo odio el ruido.” — I hate noise. Everything on this page uses the forms of odiar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Odiar in the Present Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | odio |
| tú | odias |
| él/ella/Ud. | odia |
| nosotros/as | odiamos |
| vosotros/as | odiáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | odian |
Gerund: odiando · Past participle: odiado
The gerund is odiando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy odiando” means the action of odiar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is odiado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he odiado” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how odiar is used.
How the present of odiar is formed
Odiar is a regular -ar verb, so the present follows the standard pattern with no surprises. Take the stem odi (the infinitive without its -ar ending) and add the present endings: -o for yo, -as or -es for tú, -a or -e for él/ella/Ud., -amos / -emos / -imos for nosotros, -áis for vosotros, and -an or -en for ellos/ellas/Uds.. That gives you odio, odias, odia, odiamos, odiáis and odian. Because the verb is regular, once you know the stem and the six endings you can produce every form without memorising a list, and the same pattern works for every other regular -ar verb you learn.
When to use the present of odiar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use odiar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. Hating a thing
Odiar is the verb for hating something: a food, a noise, a chore. The thing hated is the direct object, with no preposition. Example: “Yo odio el ruido.” — I hate noise.
2. Hating to do something
Odiar + infinitive means to hate doing something. It is the strong opposite of amar + infinitive. Example: “Mi hermano odia madrugar.” — My brother hates getting up early.
3. Hating someone
Odiar a + person means to hate someone. The personal a appears because the object is a person, although the verb is used less often for people than for things. Example: “Nosotros odiamos a nadie.” — We hate nobody.
4. Habits and routines
The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and odiar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos los días, siempre or cada semana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Yo odio el ruido.” — I hate noise.
5. What is happening right now
The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Spanish often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with odiar in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nosotros odiamos a nadie.” — We hate nobody.
Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the preterite describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as todos los días or siempre, while the preterite sentences use ayer or la semana pasada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.
Present Tense: “Yo odio el ruido todos los días.” — I hate noise every day.
Preterite: “Yo odié esa película.” — I hated that film.
The present sentence describes an ongoing feeling; the preterite sentence describes your reaction to one particular film. Odiar in the preterite is rarer, because hate is usually a state, not a finished event.
Present Tense: “Mi hermano odia madrugar siempre.” — My brother always hates getting up early.
Preterite: “Mi hermano odió madrugar ayer.” — My brother hated getting up early yesterday.
Siempre describes an ongoing feeling, so the present is right; ayer names one finished morning, so the preterite is right.
Present Tense: “Yo odio el ruido.” — I hate noise.
Preterite: “Ayer, yo odié el ruido.” — the same action, but finished yesterday instead of repeated as a habit.
The present sentence is true every day; the preterite sentence is true once, yesterday. That difference — routine versus one finished event — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: odiar in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“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.
“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.
Common mistakes with odiar in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. 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.
Quiz: odiar in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ el ruido.” (I hate noise.)
- (a) odias
- (b) odia
- (c) odio
Answer: odio — The yo form of odiar in the present is odio. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ el frío?” (Do you hate the cold?)
- (a) odia
- (b) odias
- (c) odio
Answer: odias — The tú form of odiar in the present is odias. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Mi hermano ______ madrugar.” (My brother hates getting up early.)
- (a) odia
- (b) odio
- (c) odias
Answer: odia — The él/ella/Ud. form of odiar in the present is odia. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ a nadie.” (We hate nobody.)
- (a) odio
- (b) odias
- (c) odiamos
Answer: odiamos — The nosotros/as form of odiar in the present is odiamos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
5. What is the vosotros/as form of odiar in the present?
- (a) odias
- (b) odiáis
- (c) odio
Answer: odiáis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes odiáis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros odiáis las colas.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ esperar.” (They hate waiting.)
- (a) odio
- (b) odias
- (c) odian
Answer: odian — The subject needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, which is odian.
7. Which is the correct yo form of odiar in the present?
- (a) odio
- (b) odia
- (c) odian
Answer: odio — The yo form is odio. The other two options are the él/ella and ellos/ellas forms.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something that happens regularly?
- (a) Yo odio el ruido todos los días.
- (b) Yo odié esa película.
- (c) Yo odié esa película.
Answer: Yo odio el ruido todos los días. — “Yo odio el ruido todos los días.” describes something repeated, so it takes the present tense. The other two sentences describe single finished occasions in the past, not habits.
Frequently asked questions
Is odiar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Odiar is a regular -ar verb: the stem is odi- and the present endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis and -an. There are no stem changes, so the whole table follows the standard pattern.
Does odiar take the personal a before a person?
Yes: odiar a nadie, odiar a alguien. Before a thing, there is no a: odio el ruido, odio el frío. Before an infinitive, there is no preposition either: odio madrugar.
What is the difference between odiar and no gustar?
Odiar means to hate, a strong feeling, while no gustar means not to like, which is much weaker. 'Odio el ruido' is far stronger than 'No me gusta el ruido'. Use odiar only when the feeling is really strong.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of odiar — every tense of odiar in one place.
- Odiar examples and quiz — more sentences with odiar and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on odiar and other verbs.