Ofender Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb ofender means to offend, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Ofender means to offend someone: ofender a su amiga con sus palabras. With se it means to take offence: ofenderse por un comentario. Like every Spanish verb, ofender 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 Yo ofiendo a su amiga con sus palabras — "I offend his friend with his words". 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.

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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: ofender
  • English: to offend
  • Verb type: stem-changing -er verb (e → ie)
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: ofendiendo
  • Past participle: ofendido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + ofendido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for ofender, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for ofender. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ofiendo | | tú | ofiendes | | él/ella/Ud. | ofiende | | nosotros/as | ofendemos | | vosotros/as | ofendéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ofienden |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ofendí | | tú | ofendiste | | él/ella/Ud. | ofendió | | nosotros/as | ofendimos | | vosotros/as | ofendisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ofendieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ofendía | | tú | ofendías | | él/ella/Ud. | ofendía | | nosotros/as | ofendíamos | | vosotros/as | ofendíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ofendían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ofenderé | | tú | ofenderás | | él/ella/Ud. | ofenderá | | nosotros/as | ofenderemos | | vosotros/as | ofenderéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ofenderán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ofendería | | tú | ofenderías | | él/ella/Ud. | ofendería | | nosotros/as | ofenderíamos | | vosotros/as | ofenderíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ofenderían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he ofendido | | tú | has ofendido | | él/ella/Ud. | ha ofendido | | nosotros/as | hemos ofendido | | vosotros/as | habéis ofendido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han ofendido |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había ofendido | | tú | habías ofendido | | él/ella/Ud. | había ofendido | | nosotros/as | habíamos ofendido | | vosotros/as | habíais ofendido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían ofendido |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré ofendido | | tú | habrás ofendido | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá ofendido | | nosotros/as | habremos ofendido | | vosotros/as | habréis ofendido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán ofendido |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría ofendido | | tú | habrías ofendido | | él/ella/Ud. | habría ofendido | | nosotros/as | habríamos ofendido | | vosotros/as | habríais ofendido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían ofendido |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ofienda | | tú | ofiendas | | él/ella/Ud. | ofienda | | nosotros/as | ofendamos | | vosotros/as | ofendáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ofiendan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | ofendiera | | tú | ofendieras | | él/ella/Ud. | ofendiera | | nosotros/as | ofendiéramos | | vosotros/as | ofendierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ofendieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | ofiende | | él/ella/Ud. | ofienda | | nosotros/as | ofendamos | | vosotros/as | ofended | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ofiendan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | ofiendas | | él/ella/Ud. | ofienda | | nosotros/as | ofendamos | | vosotros/as | ofendáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | ofiendan |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund ofendiendo with estar for the progressive: está ofendiendo
Past participle ofendido with haber for the perfect tenses: he ofendido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. 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. For ofender, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ofiendo a su amiga con sus palabras — "I offend his friend with his words".

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 ofender, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo ofendí a su familia con el comentario — "Yesterday, I offended his family with the remark".

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 ofender, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo ofendía los sentimientos de su novia — "As a child, I used to offend his girlfriend's feelings".

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 ofender, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo ofenderé a su jefe con la broma — "Tomorrow, I will offend his boss with the joke".

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 ofender, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ofendería a su amiga con sus palabras si pudiera — "I would offend his friend with his words if I could".

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 ofender, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he ofendido a su familia con el comentario — "Today, I have offended his family with the remark".

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 ofender, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había ofendido los sentimientos de su novia antes de salir — "I already had offended his girlfriend's feelings before leaving".

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 ofender, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré ofendido a su jefe con la broma — "By tomorrow, I will have offended his boss with the joke".

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 ofender, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría ofendido a su amiga con sus palabras con más tiempo — "I would have offended his friend with his words with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. 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. For ofender, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él ofienda a su familia con el comentario — "I hope he offends his family with the remark".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are 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 ofender, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo ofendiera los sentimientos de su novia, todo cambiaría — "If I offended his girlfriend's feelings, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. 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. For ofender, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Ofiende a su jefe con la broma. — "Offend his boss with the joke.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. 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. For ofender, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No ofiendas a su amiga con sus palabras. — "Do not offend his friend with his words.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with ofender, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  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. Ayer, yo ofendí los sentimientos de su novia — "Yesterday, I offended his girlfriend's feelings"
  4. Antes, nosotros ofendíamos a su jefe con la broma — "Before, we used to offend his boss with the joke"
  5. Mañana, tú ofenderás a los invitados con su actitud — "Tomorrow, you will offend the guests with his attitude"
  6. Yo ofendería a su amiga con sus palabras si tuviera más tiempo — "I would offend his friend with his words if I had more time"
  7. Él ha ofendido a su familia con el comentario — "He has offended his family with the remark"
  8. Espero que él ofienda los sentimientos de su novia — "I hope he offends his girlfriend's feelings"
  9. Yo ya había ofendido a su jefe con la broma antes de salir — "I already had offended his boss with the joke before leaving"
  10. Ellos ofendían a los invitados con su actitud cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to offend the guests with his attitude when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo ofendo a su familia con el comentario. — Right: Yo ofiendo a su familia con el comentario. — 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.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él ofiende a su familia con el comentario — Right: Espero que él ofienda a su familia con el comentario — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él ofienda a su familia con el comentario — not the indicative Espero que él ofiende a su familia con el comentario.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo ofiendo los sentimientos de su novia — Right: Ayer, yo ofendí los sentimientos de su novia — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo ofendí los sentimientos de su novia.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo ofendí a su jefe con la broma todos los días — Right: De niño, yo ofendía a su jefe con la broma todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo ofendía a su jefe con la broma todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo ofiendo su amiga con sus palabras. — Right: Yo ofiendo a su amiga con sus palabras. — ofender takes a before this complement: Yo ofiendo a su amiga con sus palabras. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on ofender. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  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: Él ______ a su familia con el comentario — "He offended his family with the remark" (preterite) A. ofendió B. ofendí C. ofendiste D. ofendimos

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ a su jefe con la broma — "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: Espero que él ______ a su amiga con sus palabras — "I hope he offends his friend with his words" (present subjunctive) A. ofienda B. ofiendas C. ofendamos D. ofendáis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ a su familia con el comentario, todo cambiaría — "If I offended his family with the remark, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. ofendiera B. ofendieras C. ofendiéramos D. ofendierais

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ los sentimientos de su novia — "We have offended his girlfriend's feelings" (present perfect) A. ha ofendido B. hemos ofendido C. he ofendido D. has ofendido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ a su jefe con la broma. — "Do not offend his boss with the joke." (negative imperative) A. ofendamos B. ofendáis C. ofiendas D. ofienda

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

Answer key

  1. ofiendo — The present form for yo is ofiendo.
  2. ofendió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is ofendió.
  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. ofienda — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is ofienda.
  7. ofendiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is ofendiera.
  8. hemos ofendido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos ofendido.
  9. ofiendas — The negative imperative form is ofiendas.
  10. ofendiendo — The gerund of ofender is ofendiendo: estoy ofendiendo. The participle ofendido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does ofender mean in English?

ofender means to offend. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of ofender?

The gerund is ofendiendo and the past participle is ofendido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I offend" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo ofendí a su familia con el comentario — "Yesterday, I offended his family with the remark". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo ofendía los sentimientos de su novia — "As a child, I used to offend his girlfriend's feelings". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he ofendido a su familia con el comentario — "Today, I have offended his family with the remark".

What is the difference between ofender and insultar?

Insultar is to insult someone directly with abusive words. Ofender is wider — a remark, a joke or an attitude can ofender without being an insult. Ofender means to offend someone: ofender a su amiga con sus palabras. With se it means to take offence: ofenderse por un comentario.

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