Oponer Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Oponer means “to oppose”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Oponer means to oppose, and it is used for opposing a plan, opposing an idea and putting up resistance. It follows the pattern of poner, with the present opongo, the preterite opuse and the irregular participle opuesto, and it is often used reflexively as oponerse. This page shows oponer 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 opongo resistencia al proyecto.” — I oppose resistance to the project.
Oponer in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how oponer 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 oponer in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Opongo resistencia al proyecto.” — I oppose resistance to the project.
“¿Tú opones su opinión a la propuesta?” — Do you oppose his opinion to the proposal?
“Opone una objeción en la reunión.” — He/she opposes an objection in the meeting.
“Oponemos fuerza a la decisión.” — We oppose force to the decision.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show oponer in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo opuse resistencia al proyecto.” — Yesterday, I opposed resistance to the project. (preterite)
“Él oponía su opinión a la propuesta todos los días.” — He used to oppose his opinion to the proposal every day. (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 oponer stays the same.
“Nosotros opondremos una objeción en la reunión mañana.” — We will oppose an objection in the meeting tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has opuesto fuerza a la decisión?” — Have you opposed force to the decision? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Oponéis resistencia al proyecto.” — You oppose resistance to the project.
“Oponen su opinión a la propuesta.” — They oppose his opinion to the proposal.
“Opongo una objeción en la reunión.” — I oppose an objection in the meeting.
“Opone fuerza a la decisión.” — He/she opposes force to the decision.
Oponer 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 oponer appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú opones resistencia al proyecto?” — Do you oppose resistance to the project?
Carlos: “Sí, yo opongo resistencia al proyecto.” — Yes, I oppose resistance to the project.
Lucía: “Nosotros oponemos su opinión a la propuesta.” — We oppose his opinion to the proposal.
Carlos: “Y ellos oponen una objeción en la reunión.” — And they oppose an objection in the meeting.
Lucía: “Vosotros oponéis fuerza a la decisión.” — You oppose force to the decision.
Carlos: “Sí, y él opone su opinión a la propuesta.” — Yes, and he opposes his opinion to the proposal.
A short paragraph
Lucía opone resistencia al proyecto, y Carlos opone su opinión a la propuesta. Nosotros oponemos una objeción en la reunión, y ellos oponen fuerza a la decisión. Yo opongo una objeción en la reunión, y mi padre opone fuerza a la decisión. Oponer is part of everyday life, because to oppose is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with oponer
These are the errors learners actually make with oponer. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo opone resistencia al proyecto.” Right: “Yo opongo resistencia al proyecto.” Why: The person matters: opone is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is opongo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo oponí su opinión a la propuesta.” Right: “Ayer yo opuse su opinión a la propuesta.” Why: Oponer has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is opuse, not the regular oponí. Learn the preterite forms in the table as a set.
Wrong: “Treating oponer and apoyar as identical in every context.” Right: “Oponer means to oppose, while apoyar means to support.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: oponer fits sentences such as Opongo resistencia al proyecto, while apoyar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy opuesto su opinión a la propuesta.” Right: “Yo he opuesto su opinión a la propuesta.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he opuesto, has opuesto, ha opuesto. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo opuse una objeción en la reunión todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo oponía una objeción en la reunión todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (oponía), not the preterite. The preterite (opuse) is for one finished action.
Quiz: oponer in use
Ten questions on oponer in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ resistencia al proyecto.” (Resistance to the project.)
- (a) oponéis
- (b) opongo
- (c) opones
Answer: oponéis — The vosotros/as form of oponer in the present is oponéis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ su opinión a la propuesta.” (His opinion to the proposal.)
- (a) opongo
- (b) opones
- (c) oponen
Answer: oponen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of oponer in the present is oponen.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ resistencia al proyecto.” (Resistance to the project.)
- (a) opuso
- (b) opuse
- (c) opusiste
Answer: opuse — The yo form of oponer in the preterite is opuse.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ su opinión a la propuesta.” (His opinion to the proposal.)
- (a) oponía
- (b) oponías
- (c) oponíamos
Answer: oponía — The él/ella/Ud. form of oponer in the imperfect is oponía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ una objeción en la reunión.” (An objection in the meeting.)
- (a) opondré
- (b) opondrás
- (c) opondremos
Answer: opondremos — The nosotros/as form of oponer in the future is opondremos.
6. What does oponer mean in English?
- (a) to impose
- (b) to oppose
- (c) to support
Answer: to oppose — Oponer means “to oppose”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo opongo resistencia al proyecto.
- (b) Ellos opone resistencia al proyecto.
- (c) Yo opongo su opinión a la propuesta ayer.
Answer: Yo opongo resistencia al proyecto. — “Yo opongo resistencia al proyecto.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I oppose resistance to the project.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo oponen resistencia al proyecto.
- (b) Yo opuse resistencia al proyecto.
- (c) Yo opongo resistencia al proyecto.
Answer: Yo opongo resistencia al proyecto. — “Yo opongo resistencia al proyecto.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of oponer in the present tense?
- (a) opones
- (b) oponemos
- (c) opongo
Answer: oponemos — The nosotros form is oponemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo opuse resistencia al proyecto.
- (b) Nosotros opondremos resistencia al proyecto mañana.
- (c) Yo opongo resistencia al proyecto.
Answer: Yo opongo resistencia al proyecto. — “Yo opongo resistencia al proyecto.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I oppose' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo opongo resistencia al proyecto'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo opongo resistencia al proyecto todos los días'.
How do you say 'I oppose' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo opuse su opinión a la propuesta'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo oponía su opinión a la propuesta todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he opuesto su opinión a la propuesta'.
What is the difference between oponer and apoyar?
Oponer means to oppose, while apoyar means to support. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use oponer when you mean to oppose, as in Opongo resistencia al proyecto.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of oponer — every tense of oponer in one place.
- Oponer in the preterite 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 oponer and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of oponer until they are automatic.