Resistirse Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Resistirse means “to resist”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Resistirse means to resist, and it is used for resisting temptation, resisting pressure and resisting change. It is always used with a, as in resistirse a comer chocolate or resistirse a los cambios, and it describes holding out against something that pulls you the other way. This page shows resistirse 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 me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche.” — I resist to eating chocolate at night.
Resistirse in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how resistirse 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 resistirse in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche.” — I resist to eating chocolate at night.
“¿Tú te resistes a los cambios de la empresa?” — Do you resist to the company's changes?
“Se resiste a la tentación de mirar el móvil.” — He/she resists to the temptation to look at my phone.
“Nos resistimos a salir de fiesta entre semana.” — We resist to going out on weeknights.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show resistirse in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo me resistí a comer chocolate por la noche.” — Yesterday, I resisted to eating chocolate at night. (preterite)
“Él se resistía a los cambios de la empresa todos los días.” — He used to resist to the company's changes 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 resistirse stays the same.
“Nosotros nos resistiremos a la tentación de mirar el móvil mañana.” — We will resist to the temptation to look at my phone tomorrow. (future)
“¿Te has resistido a salir de fiesta entre semana?” — Have you resisted to going out on weeknights? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Os resistís a comer chocolate por la noche.” — You resist to eating chocolate at night.
“Se resisten a los cambios de la empresa.” — They resist to the company's changes.
“Me resisto a la tentación de mirar el móvil.” — I resist to the temptation to look at my phone.
“Se resiste a salir de fiesta entre semana.” — He/she resists to going out on weeknights.
Resistirse 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 resistirse appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú te resistes a comer chocolate por la noche?” — Do you resist to eating chocolate at night?
Carlos: “Sí, yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche.” — Yes, I resist to eating chocolate at night.
Lucía: “Nosotros nos resistimos a los cambios de la empresa.” — We resist to the company's changes.
Carlos: “Y ellos se resisten a la tentación de mirar el móvil.” — And they resist to the temptation to look at my phone.
Lucía: “Vosotros os resistís a salir de fiesta entre semana.” — You resist to going out on weeknights.
Carlos: “Sí, y él se resiste a los cambios de la empresa.” — Yes, and he resists to the company's changes.
A short paragraph
Lucía se resiste a comer chocolate por la noche, y Carlos se resiste a los cambios de la empresa. Nosotros nos resistimos a la tentación de mirar el móvil, y ellos se resisten a salir de fiesta entre semana. Yo me resisto a la tentación de mirar el móvil, y mi padre se resiste a salir de fiesta entre semana. Resistirse is part of everyday life, because to resist is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with resistirse
These are the errors learners actually make with resistirse. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo resisto a comer chocolate por la noche.” Right: “Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche.” Why: Resistirse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
Wrong: “Ayer yo resisto a los cambios de la empresa.” Right: “Ayer yo resistí a los cambios de la empresa.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: resisto is happening now, while resistí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating resistirse and rendirse as identical in every context.” Right: “Resistirse means to resist, while rendirse means to give up.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: resistirse fits sentences such as Me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche, while rendirse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy resistido a los cambios de la empresa.” Right: “Yo he resistido a los cambios de la empresa.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he resistido, has resistido, ha resistido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo resistí a la tentación de mirar el móvil todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo resistía a la tentación de mirar el móvil todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (resistía), not the preterite. The preterite (resistí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: resistirse in use
Ten questions on resistirse in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ a comer chocolate por la noche.” (To eating chocolate at night.)
- (a) os resistís
- (b) me resisto
- (c) te resistes
Answer: os resistís — The vosotros/as form of resistirse in the present is os resistís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ a los cambios de la empresa.” (To the company's changes.)
- (a) me resisto
- (b) te resistes
- (c) se resisten
Answer: se resisten — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of resistirse in the present is se resisten.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ a comer chocolate por la noche.” (To eating chocolate at night.)
- (a) se resistió
- (b) me resistí
- (c) te resististe
Answer: me resistí — The yo form of resistirse in the preterite is me resistí.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ a los cambios de la empresa.” (To the company's changes.)
- (a) se resistía
- (b) me resistía
- (c) te resistías
Answer: se resistía — The él/ella/Ud. form of resistirse in the imperfect is se resistía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ a la tentación de mirar el móvil.” (To the temptation to look at my phone.)
- (a) me resistiré
- (b) te resistirás
- (c) nos resistiremos
Answer: nos resistiremos — The nosotros/as form of resistirse in the future is nos resistiremos.
6. What does resistirse mean in English?
- (a) to get confused
- (b) to resist
- (c) to give up
Answer: to resist — Resistirse means “to resist”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche.
- (b) Ellos resiste a comer chocolate por la noche.
- (c) Yo me resisto a los cambios de la empresa ayer.
Answer: Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche. — “Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I resist to eating chocolate at night.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo se resisten a comer chocolate por la noche.
- (b) Yo me resistí a comer chocolate por la noche.
- (c) Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche.
Answer: Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche. — “Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche.” 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 resistirse in the present tense?
- (a) te resistes
- (b) nos resistimos
- (c) me resisto
Answer: nos resistimos — The nosotros form is nos resistimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo me resistí a comer chocolate por la noche.
- (b) Nosotros nos resistiremos a comer chocolate por la noche mañana.
- (c) Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche.
Answer: Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche. — “Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I resist' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche todos los días'.
How do you say 'I resist' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo me resistí a los cambios de la empresa'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo me resistía a los cambios de la empresa todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo me he resistido a los cambios de la empresa'.
What is the difference between resistirse and rendirse?
Resistirse means to resist, while rendirse means to give up. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use resistirse when you mean to resist, as in Me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of resistirse — every tense of resistirse in one place.
- Resistirse in the present 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 resistirse and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of resistirse until they are automatic.