Introduction
resaltar means “to highlight, to stand out”. It belongs to the group of Spanish verbs that express “to highlight, to stand out”, and once you can conjugate it you can say a surprising amount with a single verb. This page is the complete reference for resaltar: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, with notes on usage, real example sentences, common mistakes, a quiz and frequently asked questions. resaltar is a regular -ar verb. If it is irregular in a tense, the note under that table says so plainly, and the forms in the table are the correct ones — copy them, do not guess them from the infinitive. A first example to fix the verb in your mind: “Yo resalto lo importante todos los días.” — “I highlight the important thing.”
Quick facts
| Infinitive | resaltar |
| English | to highlight, to stand out |
| Verb type | Regular -ar verb |
| Gerund | resaltando |
| Past participle | resaltado |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: resaltando · Past participle: resaltado
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | resalto |
| tú | resaltas |
| él/ella/Ud. | resalta |
| nosotros/as | resaltamos |
| vosotros/as | resaltáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | resaltan |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For resaltar, the yo form is resalto, as in “Yo resalto lo importante.” — “I highlight the important thing.”
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | resalté |
| tú | resaltaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | resaltó |
| nosotros/as | resaltamos |
| vosotros/as | resaltasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | resaltaron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For resaltar, the yo form is resalté, as in “Yo resalté lo importante.” — “I highlighted the important thing.”
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | resaltaba |
| tú | resaltabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | resaltaba |
| nosotros/as | resaltábamos |
| vosotros/as | resaltabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | resaltaban |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For resaltar, the yo form is resaltaba, as in “Yo resaltaba lo importante.” — “I used to highlight the important thing.”
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | resaltaré |
| tú | resaltarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | resaltará |
| nosotros/as | resaltaremos |
| vosotros/as | resaltaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | resaltarán |
The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For resaltar, the yo form is resaltaré, as in “Yo resaltaré lo importante.” — “I will highlight the important thing.”
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | resaltaría |
| tú | resaltarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | resaltaría |
| nosotros/as | resaltaríamos |
| vosotros/as | resaltaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | resaltarían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For resaltar, the yo form is resaltaría, as in “Yo resaltaría lo importante.” — “I would highlight the important thing.”
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he resaltado |
| tú | has resaltado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha resaltado |
| nosotros/as | hemos resaltado |
| vosotros/as | habéis resaltado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han resaltado |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For resaltar, the yo form is he resaltado, as in “Yo he resaltado lo importante.” — “I have highlighted the important thing.”
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había resaltado |
| tú | habías resaltado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había resaltado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos resaltado |
| vosotros/as | habíais resaltado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían resaltado |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For resaltar, the yo form is había resaltado, as in “Yo había resaltado lo importante.” — “I had highlighted the important thing.”
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré resaltado |
| tú | habrás resaltado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá resaltado |
| nosotros/as | habremos resaltado |
| vosotros/as | habréis resaltado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán resaltado |
The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For resaltar, the yo form is habré resaltado, as in “Yo habré resaltado lo importante.” — “I will have highlighted the important thing.”
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría resaltado |
| tú | habrías resaltado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría resaltado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos resaltado |
| vosotros/as | habríais resaltado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían resaltado |
The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For resaltar, the yo form is habría resaltado, as in “Yo habría resaltado lo importante.” — “I would have highlighted the important thing.”
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | resalte |
| tú | resaltes |
| él/ella/Ud. | resalte |
| nosotros/as | resaltemos |
| vosotros/as | resaltéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | resalten |
The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For resaltar, the yo form is resalte, as in “Espero que yo resalte lo importante.” — “I hope that I highlight the important thing.”
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | resaltara |
| tú | resaltaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | resaltara |
| nosotros/as | resaltáramos |
| vosotros/as | resaltarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | resaltaran |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For resaltar, the yo form is resaltara, as in “Si yo resaltara lo importante, ...” — “If I highlighted the important thing, ...”
The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: resaltara becomes resaltase, and the same change applies to every person. Both variants mean the same thing; -ra is more common in everyday speech.
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | resalta |
| Ud. | resalte |
| nosotros/as | resaltemos |
| vosotros/as | resaltad |
| Uds. | resalten |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | resaltes |
| Ud. | resalte |
| nosotros/as | resaltemos |
| vosotros/as | resaltéis |
| Uds. | resalten |
The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is resalta, as in “¡Resalta lo importante” — “Highlight the important thing” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no resaltes. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with resaltar.
Example sentences
Here are ten sentences with resaltar, covering different tenses and persons. Read each one out loud, then read the translation, and notice how the verb form changes while the meaning stays the same.
- “Yo resalto lo importante cada día.” — “I highlight the important thing.”
- “Él resalta lo importante todos los días.” — “He highlights the important thing.”
- “Yo resalté lo importante ayer.” — “I highlighted the important thing.”
- “Él resaltó lo importante ayer.” — “He highlighted the important thing.”
- “Yo resaltaba lo importante cuando era joven.” — “I used to highlight the important thing.”
- “Nosotros resaltaremos lo importante mañana.” — “We will highlight the important thing.”
- “Si pudiera, yo resaltaría lo importante.” — “If I could, i would highlight the important thing.”
- “Yo he resaltado lo importante hoy.” — “I have highlighted the important thing.”
- “Espero que yo resalte lo importante.” — “I hope that I highlight the important thing.”
- “estoy resaltando lo importante ahora mismo.” — “I am highlighting the important thing.”
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
- resalto — The present table gives yo = resalto.
- resaltaste — The preterite table gives tu = resaltaste.
- resaltaba — The imperfect table gives el = resaltaba.
- resaltaremos — The future table gives nosotros = resaltaremos.
- habéis resaltado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis resaltado.
- resalten — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = resalten.
- resalté — The preterite table gives yo = resalté.
- resaltabas — The imperfect table gives tu = resaltabas.
- resaltará — The future table gives el = resaltará.
- resaltaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = resaltaríamos.
Frequently asked questions
Is resaltar regular or irregular?
resaltar is a regular -ar verb. It follows the regular patterns for its ending in every tense. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.
What is the past participle of resaltar?
The past participle of resaltar is resaltado. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he resaltado, había resaltado, habré resaltado — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund resaltando and you have the two non-finite forms covered.
What is the gerund of resaltar?
The gerund of resaltar is resaltando. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy resaltando, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. Keep it distinct from the past participle resaltado, which belongs with haber, not with estar.
What is the yo form of resaltar in the present?
The yo form is resalto — “Yo resalto lo importante.” means “I highlight the important thing.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú resaltas, él resalta, nosotros resaltamos, ellos resaltan.
What is the difference between resaltar and resultar?
resaltar means “to highlight, to stand out”, while resultar means “to turn out, to result”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to highlight, to stand out”, use resaltar; if it is about the meaning of resultar, use resultar instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.
Related links
- resaltar in the present tense — the full present-tense page for this verb.
- resaltar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub with every verb on VerbFlow.
- resultar conjugation — another verb in the same family.
- resumir conjugation — another verb in the same family.
- reservar conjugation — another verb in the same family.
- Verb conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb instantly.
- Verb quiz — practise conjugations with timed questions.