Resistirse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb resistirse means to resist, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, resistirse changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche, and in the preterite you say me resistí a la tentación de mirar el móvil. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: resistirse
  • English: to resist
  • Verb type: regular -ir verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: resistiendo
  • Past participle: resistido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + resistido)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for resistirse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Resistirse always takes a: me resisto a comer chocolate. Without a, resistir means resisting something directly, as in resistir el frío.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for resistirse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

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

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me resistí
tú te resististe
él/ella/Ud. se resistió
nosotros/as nos resistimos
vosotros/as os resististeis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se resistieron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me resistía
tú te resistías
él/ella/Ud. se resistía
nosotros/as nos resistíamos
vosotros/as os resistíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se resistían

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me resistiré
tú te resistirás
él/ella/Ud. se resistirá
nosotros/as nos resistiremos
vosotros/as os resistiréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se resistirán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me resistiría
tú te resistirías
él/ella/Ud. se resistiría
nosotros/as nos resistiríamos
vosotros/as os resistiríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se resistirían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he resistido
tú te has resistido
él/ella/Ud. se ha resistido
nosotros/as nos hemos resistido
vosotros/as os habéis resistido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han resistido

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había resistido
tú te habías resistido
él/ella/Ud. se había resistido
nosotros/as nos habíamos resistido
vosotros/as os habíais resistido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían resistido

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré resistido
tú te habrás resistido
él/ella/Ud. se habrá resistido
nosotros/as nos habremos resistido
vosotros/as os habréis resistido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán resistido

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría resistido
tú te habrías resistido
él/ella/Ud. se habría resistido
nosotros/as nos habríamos resistido
vosotros/as os habríais resistido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían resistido

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me resista
tú te resistas
él/ella/Ud. se resista
nosotros/as nos resistamos
vosotros/as os resistáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se resistan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me resistiera
tú te resistieras
él/ella/Ud. se resistiera
nosotros/as nos resistiéramos
vosotros/as os resistierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se resistieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te resiste
él/ella/Ud. se resista
nosotros/as nos resistamos
vosotros/as os resistid
ellos/ellas/Uds. se resistan

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te resistas
él/ella/Ud. se resista
nosotros/as nos resistamos
vosotros/as os resistáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se resistan

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund resistiendo with estar for the progressive: estoy resistiendo (or me estoy resistiendo for this reflexive verb)
Past participle resistido with haber for the perfect tenses: he resistido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For resistirse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For resistirse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me resistí a los cambios de la empresa. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For resistirse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me resistía a la tentación de mirar el móvil. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For resistirse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me resistiré a salir de fiesta entre semana. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For resistirse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me resistiría a comer chocolate por la noche si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For resistirse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he resistido a los cambios de la empresa. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For resistirse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había resistido a la tentación de mirar el móvil antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For resistirse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré resistido a salir de fiesta entre semana. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For resistirse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría resistido a comer chocolate por la noche con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For resistirse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se resista a los cambios de la empresa. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For resistirse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se resistiera a la tentación de mirar el móvil, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For resistirse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se resista a salir de fiesta entre semana. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For resistirse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te resistas a comer chocolate por la noche. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with resistirse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche. — I resist to eating chocolate at night.
  2. Se resiste a los cambios de la empresa. — He/she resists to the company's changes.
  3. Ayer, me resistí a la tentación de mirar el móvil. — Yesterday, I resisted to the temptation to look at my phone.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos resistíamos a salir de fiesta entre semana. — Before, we used to resist to going out on weeknights.
  5. Mañana, tú te resistirás a comer chocolate por la noche. — Tomorrow, you will resist to eating chocolate at night.
  6. Yo me resistiría a los cambios de la empresa si tuviera más tiempo. — I would resist to the company's changes if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha resistido a la tentación de mirar el móvil. — He has resisted to the temptation to look at my phone.
  8. Espero que él se resista a salir de fiesta entre semana. — I hope he resists to going out on weeknights.
  9. Yo ya me había resistido a comer chocolate por la noche antes de salir. — I had already resisted to eating chocolate at night before leaving.
  10. Ellos se resistían a los cambios de la empresa cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to resist to the company's changes when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo resisto a comer chocolate por la noche. — Right: Yo me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche. — Resistirse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo resisto a los cambios de la empresa. — Right: Ayer yo resistí a los cambios de la empresa. — 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.
  3. Wrong: Treating resistirse and rendirse as identical in every context. — Right: Resistirse means to resist, while rendirse means to give up. — 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.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy resistido a los cambios de la empresa. — Right: Yo he resistido a los cambios de la empresa. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he resistido, has resistido, ha resistido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. 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. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (resistía), not the preterite. The preterite (resistí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on resistirse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a comer chocolate por la noche. (present tense) A. me resisto B. te resistes C. se resiste D. nos resistimos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a los cambios de la empresa. (preterite) A. me resistí B. te resististe C. se resistieron D. se resistió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a la tentación de mirar el móvil. (imperfect) A. te resistías B. se resistían C. nos resistíamos D. me resistía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a salir de fiesta entre semana. (future) A. nos resistiremos B. te resistirás C. me resistiré D. se resistirá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a comer chocolate por la noche si pudiera. (conditional) A. me resistiría B. te resistirías C. se resistiría D. se resistirían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a los cambios de la empresa. (present subjunctive) A. me resista B. te resistas C. nos resistamos D. se resista

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a la tentación de mirar el móvil, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se resistiera B. nos resistiéramos C. me resistiera D. te resistieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a salir de fiesta entre semana. (present perfect) A. se han resistido B. nos hemos resistido C. me he resistido D. te has resistido

  9. Complete the command: No ___ a comer chocolate por la noche. (negative imperative, tú) A. te resistas B. se resista C. nos resistamos D. os resistáis

  10. Which is the gerund of resistirse, used with estar for the progressive? A. resistido B. resisto C. resistí D. resistiendo

Answer key

  1. me resisto — The first-person present of resistirse is me resisto. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se resistió — The third-person preterite of resistirse is se resistió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos resistíamos — The nosotros imperfect of resistirse is nos resistíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te resistirás — The second-person future of resistirse is te resistirás.
  5. me resistiría — The first-person conditional of resistirse is me resistiría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se resista — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of resistirse is se resista.
  7. me resistiera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of resistirse is me resistiera.
  8. nos hemos resistido — The nosotros present perfect of resistirse is nos hemos resistido: hemos + resistido.
  9. te resistas — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te resistas.
  10. resistiendo — The gerund of resistirse is resistiendo: estoy resistiendo. The participle resistido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does resistirse mean in English?

Resistirse means to resist. It is used in everyday situations such as Me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is resistirse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Resistirse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me resisto a comer chocolate por la noche and él se resiste a los cambios de la empresa. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

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, and use rendirse for to give up. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I resist” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me resistí a los cambios de la empresa. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me resistía a la tentación de mirar el móvil. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he resistido a los cambios de la empresa.

How do I practise resistirse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the resistirse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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