Regular -IR verb

insistir
to insist

Insistir is a regular -ir verb in Spanish.

Practice insistir free →

Insistir conjugation in Spanish

Insistir means 'to insist', and it is a regular -ir verb that adds force to opinions and requests. It takes en: insisto en pagar (I insist on paying), insistió en que viniera (she insisted that I come — note the subjunctive). Because insisting on a point is a way to develop and strengthen an argument, insistir en is useful in higher-level writing and speaking. As a regular -ir verb the conjugation is predictable; the key learning is the preposition en and the subjunctive that follows insistir en que.

Quick facts

Meaningto insist
Verb type-ir verb
Regular / IrregularRegular
CEFR levelB1

Insistir — conjugation tables

Insistir (to insist) is a regular -ir verb.

Indicative
Presente guide →
yoinsisto
insistes
élinsiste
nosinsistimos
vosinsistís
ellosinsisten
Pretérito Indefinido guide →
yoinsistí
insististe
élinsistió
nosinsistimos
vosinsististeis
ellosinsistieron
Pretérito Imperfecto guide →
yoinsistía
insistías
élinsistía
nosinsistíamos
vosinsistíais
ellosinsistían
Futuro guide →
yoinsistiré
insistirás
élinsistirá
nosinsistiremos
vosinsistiréis
ellosinsistirán
Condicional guide →
yoinsistiría
insistirías
élinsistiría
nosinsistiríamos
vosinsistiríais
ellosinsistirían
Pretérito Perfecto guide →
yohe insistido
has insistido
élha insistido
noshemos insistido
voshabéis insistido
elloshan insistido
Pluscuamperfecto guide →
yohabía insistido
habías insistido
élhabía insistido
noshabíamos insistido
voshabíais insistido
elloshabían insistido
Futuro Compuesto guide →
yohabré insistido
habrás insistido
élhabrá insistido
noshabremos insistido
voshabréis insistido
elloshabrán insistido
Presente Progresivo guide →
yoestoy insistiendo
estás insistiendo
élestá insistiendo
nosestamos insistiendo
vosestáis insistiendo
ellosestán insistiendo
Subjunctive
Pres. Subjuntivo guide →
yoinsista
insistas
élinsista
nosinsistamos
vosinsistáis
ellosinsistan
Imperf. Subjuntivo guide →
yoinsistiera
insistieras
élinsistiera
nosinsistiéramos
vosinsistierais
ellosinsistieran
Imperative
Imperativo guide →
yo
insiste
élinsista
nosinsistamos
vosinsistid
ellosinsistan

Example sentences with insistir

Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.

1.
insisto.
I insist.
2.
¿Insistes?
Do you insist?
3.
Insistió ayer.
He/she insisted yesterday.
4.
No insisto mucho.
I don't insist much.
5.
Siempre insisten juntos.
They always insist together.

How to use insistir

Insisting

Insisto en pagar (I insist on paying).

Preposition

Always insistir en.

Subjunctive

Insistió en que viniera (insisted I come).

Argument

Strengthens a point in writing.

Common phrases using insistir

Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.

insistir + infinitivoto to insist + another verb
no insistoI don't to insist
¿Insistes?question form

Idiomatic expressions

insistir ento insist on
insistir e insistirto keep on insisting

Common mistakes with insistir

Insistir is a regular verb. Make sure you know the endings for each tense — especially the preterite and subjunctive, which is where marks are most often lost.

Grammar notes

insistir is a regular -ir verb — it follows the standard -ir pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know insistir, you know the template for all regular -ir verbs.

Practice insistir — free

Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.

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Quick quiz — insistir

Three questions. Press Enter to check each answer.

ellos / ellas (Presente)
nosotros (Presente)
yo (Futuro)

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate insistir in the present tense?

yo: insisto, tú: insistes, él: insiste, nosotros: insistimos, vosotros: insistís, ellos: insisten

Is insistir a regular or irregular verb?

Insistir is a regular -ir verb following the standard -ir pattern.

How do you use insistir in a GCSE Spanish essay?

Use insistir in multiple tenses to show range — present, preterite and future at minimum. This is a key criterion for higher GCSE marks.

Similar verbs to insistir

Verbs that are easy to confuse with insistir or that behave like it.

repetirto repeat — insisting often means repeating.
persistirto persist — closely related to insisting.
exigirto demand — a stronger version of insisting.

Related verbs

hablar caminar trabajar escuchar

This reference is written for UK GCSE and A-Level Spanish learners and their teachers. It is designed for exam revision: every form is checked against standard conjugation rules, and the examples reflect the registers and topics that come up in the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas specifications. Insistir is a high-frequency verb and appears often in exam papers. For active recall, use the free practice tool rather than only reading the tables.