Resistirse in the Present Tense

Resistirse means “to resist”, and this page covers exactly one thing: resistirse in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about routines, facts and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for resistirse, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about resistirse in the present. For example: “Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche.” — I resist to eating chocolate at night. Everything on this page uses the forms of resistirse exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Resistirse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me resisto
tú te resistes
él/ella/Ud. se resiste
nosotros/as nos resistimos
vosotros/as os resistís
ellos/ellas/Uds. se resisten

Gerund: resistiendo · Past participle: resistido

The gerund is resistiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy resistiendo” means the action of resistirse is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is resistido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he resistido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how resistirse is used.

How the present of resistirse is formed

Resistirse is regular in the present tense. Take the stem resist and add the present endings for -ir verbs: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en, giving resisto, resistes, resiste, resistimos, resistís, resisten. Watch the accents: the yo form is resisto and the él/ella/Ud. form is resiste. Because resistirse is reflexive, put the pronoun before each form: me resisto, te resistes, se resiste, nos resistimos, os resistís, se resisten.

When to use the present of resistirse

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use resistirse in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Routines and habits

The present tense is the tense of what you do regularly. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the right choice, and resistirse is no exception. Example: “Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche todos los días.” — I resist to eating chocolate at night every day.

2. Facts and general truths

The present states facts that are true in general, not just right now. Use it to say what resistirse means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Se resiste a los cambios de la empresa.” — He/she resists to the company's changes.

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes actions in progress at this very moment. When something is happening as you speak, the present tense says so directly. Example: “Yo me resisto a la tentación de mirar el móvil ahora.” — I resist to the temptation to look at my phone now.

4. Scheduled events in the near future

Spanish often uses the present for things that are already arranged, such as plans for tomorrow or next week. The present sounds more certain than the future in these cases. Example: “Nosotros nos resistimos a salir de fiesta entre semana.” — We resist to going out on weeknights.

5. Instructions and everyday speech

In everyday speech the present gives instructions, makes offers and states what someone does. It is the tense you will hear most often in conversation. Example: “Tú te resistes a comer chocolate por la noche.” — You resist to eating chocolate at night.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present describes routines, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is a habit or a finished event. Time words help: todos los días and cada semana point to the present, while ayer and la semana pasada point to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche todos los días.” — I resist to eating chocolate at night every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo me resistí a comer chocolate por la noche.” — Yesterday, I resisted to eating chocolate at night.

  • The present sentence describes a habit; the preterite sentence reports one finished action. Todos los días points to the present, ayer points to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Él se resiste a los cambios de la empresa cada semana.” — He/she resists to the company's changes every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él se resistió a los cambios de la empresa.” — Last week, he resisted to the company's changes.

  • Cada semana describes a routine, so the present is right; la semana pasada names one finished week, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Nosotros nos resistimos a la tentación de mirar el móvil a menudo.” — We resist to the temptation to look at my phone often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros nos resistimos a la tentación de mirar el móvil.” — Yesterday, we resisted to the temptation to look at my phone.

  • The present sentence counts no single event; the preterite sentence counts one finished action. That difference — habit versus finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: resistirse in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche.” — I resist to eating chocolate at night.

  2. “Te resistes a los cambios de la empresa.” — You resist to the company's changes.

  3. “Se resiste a la tentación de mirar el móvil.” — He/she resists to the temptation to look at my phone.

  4. “Nos resistimos a salir de fiesta entre semana.” — We resist to going out on weeknights.

  5. “Os resistís a comer chocolate por la noche.” — You resist to eating chocolate at night.

  6. “Se resisten a los cambios de la empresa.” — They resist to the company's changes.

  7. “Me resisto a la tentación de mirar el móvil.” — I resist to the temptation to look at my phone.

  8. “Se resiste a salir de fiesta entre semana.” — He/she resists to going out on weeknights.

Common mistakes with resistirse in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. 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 before every form. Without it the sentence is incomplete.

  • Wrong: “Yo resisto a los cambios de la empresa ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo resistí a los cambios de la empresa.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to resistí.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros resistes a la tentación de mirar el móvil.” Right: “Nosotros nos resistimos a la tentación de mirar el móvil.” Why: Nosotros needs nos resistimos. The tú form resistes belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos resisto a salir de fiesta entre semana todos los días.” Right: “Ellos se resisten a salir de fiesta entre semana todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form se resisten, not the yo form resisto. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.

Quiz: resistirse in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ a comer chocolate por la noche.” (To eating chocolate at night.)

  • (a) me resisto
  • (b) te resistes
  • (c) se resiste

Answer: me resisto — The yo form of resistirse in the present is me resisto. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ a los cambios de la empresa?” (To the company's changes.)

  • (a) me resisto
  • (b) se resiste
  • (c) te resistes

Answer: te resistes — The tú form of resistirse in the present is te resistes. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ a la tentación de mirar el móvil.” (To the temptation to look at my phone.)

  • (a) te resistes
  • (b) se resiste
  • (c) me resisto

Answer: se resiste — The él/ella/Ud. form of resistirse in the present is se resiste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ a salir de fiesta entre semana.” (To going out on weeknights.)

  • (a) nos resistimos
  • (b) me resisto
  • (c) te resistes

Answer: nos resistimos — The nosotros/as form of resistirse in the present is nos resistimos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of resistirse in the present?

  • (a) me resisto
  • (b) te resistes
  • (c) os resistís

Answer: os resistís — From the table above: vosotros/as takes os resistís. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros os resistís a comer chocolate por la noche.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ a los cambios de la empresa.” (To the company's changes.)

  • (a) te resistes
  • (b) se resisten
  • (c) me resisto

Answer: se resisten — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of resistirse in the present is se resisten. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

7. Which is the correct yo form of resistirse in the present?

  • (a) me resisto
  • (b) te resistes
  • (c) se resiste

Answer: me resisto — The yo form is me resisto. The other two options are the forms for other persons.

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo me resistí a comer chocolate por la noche todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros nos resistiremos a comer chocolate por la noche mañana.
  • (c) Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche todos los días.

Answer: Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche todos los días. — “Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche todos los días.” describes a habit, so it takes the present. The second option reports a finished action in the past, and the third looks to the future.

Frequently asked questions

Is resistirse regular in the present?

Yes. Resistirse is regular in the present: resisto, resistes, resiste, resistimos, resistís, resisten. Watch the accents on the yo and él forms, and remember that only context tells the nosotros form apart from the present-tense nosotros form when they are identical.

What is the past participle of resistirse?

The past participle is resistido: 'He resistido' means 'I have resisted'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is resistiendo.

Does resistirse take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Resistirse always takes a: me resisto a comer chocolate. Without a, resistir means resisting something directly, as in resistir el frío. In the examples on this page, resistirse appears with complements such as a comer chocolate por la noche and a los cambios de la empresa, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of resistirse?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo me resisto, tú te resistes, él/ella/Ud. se resiste, nosotros/as nos resistimos, vosotros/as os resistís, ellos/ellas/Uds. se resisten. Then write three of your own sentences with resistirse in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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