Introduction

resultar means “to turn out, to result”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to turn out, to result” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows resultar 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 form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “El examen resulta difícil por la mañana.” — “The exam turns out difficult.”

resultar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how resultar 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 {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “El examen resulta difícil cada día.” — “The exam turns out difficult.”
  2. “El examen resulta difícil cada día.” — “The exam turns out difficult.”
  3. “El examen resulta difícil siempre.” — “The exam turns out difficult.”
  4. “El examen resulta difícil todos los días.” — “The exam turns out difficult.”

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “El examen resultó difícil ayer.” — “The exam turned out difficult.” (preterite) 6. “El examen resultó difícil ayer.” — “The exam turned out difficult.” (preterite) 7. “El examen resultaba difícil cuando era joven.” — “The exam used to turn out difficult.” (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 {verb} stays the same. 8. “El examen resultará difícil mañana.” — “The exam will turn out difficult.” (future) 9. “El examen ha resultado difícil hoy.” — “The exam has turned out difficult.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que el examen resulte difícil.” — “I hope that the exam turns out difficult.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “El examen resulta difícil cada semana.” — “The exam turns out difficult.” 12. “Los exámenes resultan difícil normalmente.” — “The exams turns out difficult.”

resultar 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 resultar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue at home in the evening

Ana: “¿El examen resulta difícil?” — The exam turns out difficult?

Luis: “Sí, el examen resulta difícil cada día.” — Yes, it turns out difficult every day.

Ana: “¿Y los exámenes? ¿También resultan difícil?” — And the others? They turn out difficult too?

Luis: “Sí, todos resultan difícil. Es normal.” — Yes, they all turn out difficult. It is normal.

A short paragraph

El examen resulta difícil cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how resultar works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo resulto difícil — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make resultar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is resulté, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — resulte — 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 resultar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For resultar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: resultamos. 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 resultado difícil. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy resultado is not the present perfect of resultar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing resultar with resumir

resultar and resumir 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 resultar — turn out — the sentence needs resultar; if it needs the meaning of resumir, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo resulte difícil. Using the indicative — Espero que yo resulto — is one of the most frequent learner errors with resultar. 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 resultar in the present?

  • A. resultas
  • B. resulta
  • C. resultamos
  • D. resulto

2. What is the tu form of resultar in the preterite?

  • A. resultamos
  • B. resultaste
  • C. resulté
  • D. resultó

3. What is the el form of resultar in the imperfect?

  • A. resultabas
  • B. resultábamos
  • C. resultabais
  • D. resultaba

4. What is the nosotros form of resultar in the future?

  • A. resultará
  • B. resultaremos
  • C. resultaré
  • D. resultarás

5. What is the vosotros form of resultar in the present perfect?

  • A. he resultado
  • B. has resultado
  • C. ha resultado
  • D. habéis resultado

6. What is the ellos form of resultar in the present subjunctive?

  • A. resulte
  • B. resulten
  • C. resulte
  • D. resultes

7. What is the yo form of resultar in the preterite?

  • A. resultaste
  • B. resultó
  • C. resultamos
  • D. resulté

8. What is the tu form of resultar in the imperfect?

  • A. resultábamos
  • B. resultabas
  • C. resultaba
  • D. resultaba

9. What is the el form of resultar in the future?

  • A. resultaré
  • B. resultarás
  • C. resultaremos
  • D. resultará

10. What is the nosotros form of resultar in the conditional?

  • A. resultaría
  • B. resultaríamos
  • C. resultaría
  • D. resultarías

Answer key

  1. resulto — The present table gives yo = resulto.
  2. resultaste — The preterite table gives tu = resultaste.
  3. resultaba — The imperfect table gives el = resultaba.
  4. resultaremos — The future table gives nosotros = resultaremos.
  5. habéis resultado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis resultado.
  6. resulten — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = resulten.
  7. resulté — The preterite table gives yo = resulté.
  8. resultabas — The imperfect table gives tu = resultabas.
  9. resultará — The future table gives el = resultará.
  10. resultaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = resultaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use resultar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “El examen resulta difícil.” — “The exam turns out difficult.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of resultar to learn first?

Learn the present yo form resulto first, then the preterite yo form resulté and the participle resultado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund resultando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is resultar reflexive?

No — resultar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo resulto difícil. Do not add me or se to it unless the sentence genuinely needs a pronoun for another reason.

Where can I see the full conjugation of resultar?

On the main conjugation page for resultar, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links