Ofender Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

ofender means "to offend" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Ofender means to offend someone: ofender a su amiga con sus palabras. With se it means to take offence: ofenderse por un comentario. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of ofender; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the ofender present tense page.

ofender in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo ofiendo a su amiga con sus palabras — "I offend his friend with his words"
  2. Mi amigo ofiende a su familia con el comentario — "My friend offends his family with the remark"
  3. Mañana, tú ofenderás los sentimientos de su novia — "Tomorrow, you will offend his girlfriend's feelings"
  4. Yo ofendería a su jefe con la broma si pudiera — "I would offend his boss with the joke if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo ofendí a su amiga con sus palabras — "Yesterday, I offended his friend with his words"
  2. Antes, nosotros ofendíamos a su familia con el comentario — "Before, we used to offend his family with the remark"
  3. Él ha ofendido los sentimientos de su novia — "He has offended his girlfriend's feelings"
  4. Yo ya había ofendido a su jefe con la broma antes de salir — "I already had offended his boss with the joke before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él ofienda a su amiga con sus palabras — "I hope he offends his friend with his words"
  2. Si yo ofendiera a su familia con el comentario, todo cambiaría — "If I offended his family with the remark, everything would change"
  3. Ofiende los sentimientos de su novia. — "Offend his girlfriend's feelings."
  4. Yo habría ofendido a su jefe con la broma con más tiempo — "I would have offended his boss with the joke with more time"

ofender in conversation

Two short dialogues that use ofender the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo ofiendo a su amiga con sus palabras — "I offend his friend with his words"
  • Marcos: Él ofiende a su familia con el comentario — "He offends his family with the remark"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo ofendí los sentimientos de su novia — "Yesterday, I offended his girlfriend's feelings"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú ofenderás a su jefe con la broma — "Tomorrow, you will offend his boss with the joke"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Ofiende a los invitados con su actitud. — "Offend the guests with his attitude."
  • Lucía: Él ha ofendido a su amiga con sus palabras — "He has offended his friend with his words"
  • Marcos: Espero que él ofienda a su familia con el comentario — "I hope he offends his family with the remark"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo ofendía los sentimientos de su novia — "Before, I used to offend his girlfriend's feelings"

Common mistakes with ofender

The errors learners actually make with ofender, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo ofendo a su jefe con la broma.

✓ Correct: Yo ofiendo a su jefe con la broma.

ofender is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is ofiendo, not ofendo.

✗ *Espero que él ofiende a su jefe con la broma

✓ Correct: Espero que él ofienda a su jefe con la broma

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él ofienda a su jefe con la broma — not the indicative Espero que él ofiende a su jefe con la broma.

✗ *Ayer, yo ofiendo a los invitados con su actitud

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo ofendí a los invitados con su actitud

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo ofendí a los invitados con su actitud.

✗ *De niño, yo ofendí a su amiga con sus palabras todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo ofendía a su amiga con sus palabras todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo ofendía a su amiga con sus palabras todos los días.

✗ *Yo ofiendo en los sentimientos de su novia.

✓ Correct: Yo ofiendo los sentimientos de su novia.

ofender takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo ofiendo los sentimientos de su novia.

Quiz: ofender in use

Ten questions on ofender — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a su amiga con sus palabras — "I offend his friend with his words" (present) A. ofiendo B. ofiendes C. ofiende D. ofendemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ a su familia con el comentario — "Yesterday, I offended his family with the remark" (preterite) A. ofendió B. ofendimos C. ofendí D. ofendiste

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ los sentimientos de su novia — "Before, we used to offend his girlfriend's feelings" (imperfect) A. ofendía B. ofendías C. ofendíais D. ofendíamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ a su jefe con la broma — "Tomorrow, you will offend his boss with the joke" (future) A. ofenderá B. ofenderemos C. ofenderás D. ofenderé

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a los invitados con su actitud — "I would offend the guests with his attitude" (conditional) A. ofendería B. ofenderías C. ofenderíamos D. ofenderíais

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a su amiga con sus palabras — "He has offended his friend with his words" (present perfect) A. hemos ofendido B. ha ofendido C. he ofendido D. has ofendido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ a su familia con el comentario — "I hope he offends his family with the remark" (present subjunctive) A. ofendáis B. ofienda C. ofiendas D. ofendamos

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ los sentimientos de su novia. — "Offend his girlfriend's feelings." (affirmative imperative) A. ofienda B. ofendamos C. ofended D. ofiende

  9. Which is the gerund of ofender, used with estar for the progressive? A. ofendido B. ofiendo C. ofendí D. ofendiendo

  10. What does ofender mean in English? A. to cross B. to offend C. to insult D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. ofiendo — The present form for yo is ofiendo.
  2. ofendí — The preterite form for yo is ofendí.
  3. ofendíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is ofendíamos.
  4. ofenderás — The future form for tú is ofenderás.
  5. ofendería — The conditional form for yo is ofendería.
  6. ha ofendido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha ofendido.
  7. ofienda — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is ofienda.
  8. ofiende — The affirmative imperative form is ofiende.
  9. ofendiendo — The gerund of ofender is ofendiendo: estoy ofendiendo. The participle ofendido is used with haber instead.
  10. to offend — ofender means to offend.

Frequently asked questions

What does ofender mean in English?

ofender means to offend. For example: Yo ofiendo a su amiga con sus palabras — "I offend his friend with his words". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with ofender?

ofender takes a before this kind of complement, as in the examples above. Keep the preposition with the verb — dropping it is one of the most common learner errors with ofender.

Is ofender regular?

No. ofender is a stem-changing -er verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: ofiendo, ofiendes, ofiende and ofienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: ofendemos, ofendéis.

How do I practise ofender?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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