Introduction

resaltar means “to highlight, to stand out”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to highlight, to stand out” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows resaltar 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 form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo resalto lo importante por la mañana.” — “I highlight the important thing.”

resaltar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how resaltar 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 {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Yo resalto lo importante cada día.” — “I highlight the important thing.”
  2. “Tú resaltas lo importante cada día.” — “you highlight the important thing.”
  3. “Él resalta lo importante siempre.” — “He highlights the important thing.”
  4. “Nosotros resaltamos lo importante todos los días.” — “We highlight the important thing.”

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “Yo resalté lo importante ayer.” — “I highlighted the important thing.” (preterite) 6. “Él resaltó lo importante ayer.” — “He highlighted the important thing.” (preterite) 7. “Yo resaltaba lo importante cuando era joven.” — “I used to highlight the important thing.” (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 {verb} stays the same. 8. “Nosotros resaltaremos lo importante mañana.” — “We will highlight the important thing.” (future) 9. “Tú has resaltado lo importante hoy.” — “you have highlighted the important thing.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo resalte lo importante.” — “I hope that I highlight the important thing.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “Vosotros resaltáis lo importante cada semana.” — “You highlight the important thing.” 12. “Ellos resaltan lo importante normalmente.” — “They highlight the important thing.”

resaltar 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 resaltar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue at work during a coffee break

Marta: “¿Tú resaltas lo importante?” — Do you highlight the important thing?

Carlos: “Sí, yo resalto lo importante cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I highlight the important thing every day. It is part of my routine.

Marta: “¿Y ayer? ¿También resaltas lo importante?” — And yesterday? Did you highlight the important thing too?

Carlos: “Sí, ayer yo resalté lo importante. Mañana nosotros resaltaremos lo importante otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I highlighted the important thing. Tomorrow we will highlight the important thing again.

A short paragraph

Él resalta lo importante cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how resaltar works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo resalto lo importante — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make resaltar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is resalté, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — resalte — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of resaltar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For resaltar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: resaltamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he resaltado lo importante. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy resaltado is not the present perfect of resaltar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing resaltar with resultar

resaltar and resultar look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of resaltar — highlight — the sentence needs resaltar; if it needs the meaning of resultar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo resalte lo importante. Using the indicative — Espero que yo resalto — is one of the most frequent learner errors with resaltar. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of resaltar in the present?

  • A. resaltas
  • B. resalta
  • C. resaltamos
  • D. resalto

2. What is the tu form of resaltar in the preterite?

  • A. resaltamos
  • B. resaltaste
  • C. resalté
  • D. resaltó

3. What is the el form of resaltar in the imperfect?

  • A. resaltabas
  • B. resaltábamos
  • C. resaltabais
  • D. resaltaba

4. What is the nosotros form of resaltar in the future?

  • A. resaltará
  • B. resaltaremos
  • C. resaltaré
  • D. resaltarás

5. What is the vosotros form of resaltar in the present perfect?

  • A. he resaltado
  • B. has resaltado
  • C. ha resaltado
  • D. habéis resaltado

6. What is the ellos form of resaltar in the present subjunctive?

  • A. resalte
  • B. resalten
  • C. resalte
  • D. resaltes

7. What is the yo form of resaltar in the preterite?

  • A. resaltaste
  • B. resaltó
  • C. resaltamos
  • D. resalté

8. What is the tu form of resaltar in the imperfect?

  • A. resaltábamos
  • B. resaltabas
  • C. resaltaba
  • D. resaltaba

9. What is the el form of resaltar in the future?

  • A. resaltaré
  • B. resaltarás
  • C. resaltaremos
  • D. resaltará

10. What is the nosotros form of resaltar in the conditional?

  • A. resaltaría
  • B. resaltaríamos
  • C. resaltaría
  • D. resaltarías

Answer key

  1. resalto — The present table gives yo = resalto.
  2. resaltaste — The preterite table gives tu = resaltaste.
  3. resaltaba — The imperfect table gives el = resaltaba.
  4. resaltaremos — The future table gives nosotros = resaltaremos.
  5. habéis resaltado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis resaltado.
  6. resalten — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = resalten.
  7. resalté — The preterite table gives yo = resalté.
  8. resaltabas — The imperfect table gives tu = resaltabas.
  9. resaltará — The future table gives el = resaltará.
  10. resaltaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = resaltaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use resaltar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo resalto lo importante.” — “I highlight the important thing.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of resaltar to learn first?

Learn the present yo form resalto first, then the preterite yo form resalté and the participle resaltado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund resaltando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is resaltar reflexive?

No — resaltar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo resalto lo importante. Do not add me or se to it unless the sentence genuinely needs a pronoun for another reason.

Where can I see the full conjugation of resaltar?

On the main conjugation page for resaltar, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links