Respetar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
respetar means "to respect" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows respetar in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of respetar, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with respetar
Respecting people
Respetar is used for the respect you show to parents, teachers, older people and anyone whose position or experience you recognise.
- Cada día, yo respeto a mis padres. — "Every day, I respect my parents."
- Hoy, él / ella respeta las normas de la casa. — "Today, he / she respects the house rules."
- Ayer, yo respeté la opinión de los demás. — "Yesterday, I respected other people's opinions."
- Antes, yo respetaba el turno en la cola. — "Before, I used to respect my turn in the queue."
- Mañana, yo respetaré a mis padres. — "Tomorrow, I will respect my parents."
- Hoy, yo he respetado las normas de la casa. — "Today, I have respected the house rules."
Respecting rules and opinions
The same verb covers rules, laws, timetables and opinions: you respetar las normas when you follow them, and you respetar una opinión when you accept it even if you disagree.
- Cada día, yo respeto la opinión de los demás. — "Every day, I respect other people's opinions."
- Hoy, él / ella respeta el turno en la cola. — "Today, he / she respects my turn in the queue."
- Ayer, yo respeté a mis padres. — "Yesterday, I respected my parents."
- Antes, yo respetaba las normas de la casa. — "Before, I used to respect the house rules."
- Mañana, yo respetaré la opinión de los demás. — "Tomorrow, I will respect other people's opinions."
- Hoy, yo he respetado el turno en la cola. — "Today, I have respected my turn in the queue."
Respetar in conversation
The two dialogues below show respetar in natural conversation. The first is about respecting people, and the second is about respecting rules and opinions. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Tú respetas a mis padres? — "Do you respect my parents?"
- Sí, yo respeto a mis padres cada día. — "Yes, I respect my parents every day."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú respetaste las normas de la casa? — "And yesterday? Did you respect the house rules?"
- Sí, ayer yo respeté las normas de la casa. — "Yes, yesterday I respected the house rules."
- Mañana yo respetaré la opinión de los demás también. — "Tomorrow I will respect other people's opinions too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Vosotros respetáis la opinión de los demás? — "Do you respect other people's opinions?"
- Sí, nosotros respetamos la opinión de los demás los fines de semana. — "Yes, we respect other people's opinions at the weekends."
- ¿Y ellos? ¿Ellos respetan el turno en la cola? — "And them? Do they respect my turn in the queue?"
- Sí, ellos respetan el turno en la cola también. — "Yes, they respect my turn in the queue too."
- Mañana nosotros respetaremos la opinión de los demás otra vez. — "Tomorrow we will respect other people's opinions again."
Common mistakes with respetar in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo respeto mis padres.
- Right: Yo respeto a mis padres.
- Why: When the object is a person, respetar needs the personal a. Without it the sentence sounds unfinished to a native speaker: respeto a mis padres, respeto a mi profesora.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Nosotros respetamos las normas, pero tú no respetas.
- Right: Nosotros respetamos las normas, pero tú no las respetas.
- Why: Spanish often repeats the object pronoun (las) when the object was already mentioned. The bare verb is not wrong, but las respetas is the natural, complete version.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Respetar es lo mismo que obedecer.
- Right: Respetar means to show respect; obedecer means to obey.
- Why: The two verbs overlap but they are not synonyms. You can respetar a rule without obeying it in the strict sense, and you can obey an order while showing no respect at all.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, yo respeté a mis padres.
- Right: Cada día, yo respeto a mis padres.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo respeto a mis padres ayer por la mañana.
- Right: Ayer por la mañana yo respeté a mis padres.
- Why: Ayer por la mañana means yesterday morning, so the action is finished and needs the preterite, not the present.
Quiz: respetar in use
Ten questions on respetar across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of respetar in the present tense?
- (a) respeta
- (b) respetamos
- (c) respeto
- (d) respetas
Answer: (c) respeto. The i form in the present is respeto.
2. What is the he / she form of respetar in the present tense?
- (a) respetamos
- (b) respeta
- (c) respeto
- (d) respetas
Answer: (b) respeta. The he / she form in the present is respeta.
3. What is the he / she form of respetar in the preterite tense?
- (a) respetó
- (b) respeté
- (c) respetaste
- (d) respetamos
Answer: (a) respetó. The he / she form in the preterite is respetó.
4. What is the i form of respetar in the imperfect tense?
- (a) respeto
- (b) respeté
- (c) respetaré
- (d) respetaba
Answer: (d) respetaba. The i form in the imperfect is respetaba. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of respetar in the future tense?
- (a) respetará
- (b) respetaremos
- (c) respetaré
- (d) respetarás
Answer: (c) respetaré. The i form in the future is respetaré.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) respeté
- (b) respetaba
- (c) respeto
- (d) he respetado
Answer: (d) he respetado. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he respetado.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a mis padres.
- (a) respetaba
- (b) respete
- (c) respeta
- (d) respetó
Answer: (b) respete. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: respete. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of respetar in the present tense?
- (a) respeto
- (b) respetas
- (c) respeta
- (d) respetamos
Answer: (d) respetamos. The we form in the present is respetamos.
9. What is the i form of respetar in the preterite tense?
- (a) respetó
- (b) respetamos
- (c) respeté
- (d) respetaste
Answer: (c) respeté. The i form in the preterite is respeté.
10. What is the they form of respetar in the present tense?
- (a) respeta
- (b) respetan
- (c) respeto
- (d) respetas
Answer: (b) respetan. The they form in the present is respetan.
Frequently asked questions about respetar
Does respetar always need the personal a?
Only when the direct object is a specific person or a pet treated as a person: respeto a mi madre, respeto a mi jefe. With things there is no a: respeto las normas, respeto el silencio.
What is the difference between respetar and obedecer?
Respetar is about attitude and recognition: you show that something or someone matters. Obedecer is about following an order or a rule. In practice the two often appear together, but they describe different things.
How do you say 'respect yourself' in Spanish?
With the reflexive form: respétate a ti mismo. It is the same verb with a reflexive pronoun, and it is a common piece of advice in Spanish: hay que respetarse a uno mismo.
How can I practise respetar?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.