Odiar means 'to hate', and it is a regular -ar verb that is the strong opposite of gustar and encantar, useful for expressing strong opinions. Odio madrugar (I hate getting up early), odia el frío (he hates the cold). Unlike gustar, odiar works like a normal verb — the subject is the person who hates — which makes it structurally simple. Because strong opinions add colour and earn marks, odiar is genuinely useful, though worth balancing with milder phrases. As a regular -ar verb the conjugation is predictable, and the related noun is el odio ('hatred').
Quick facts
Odiar (to hate) is a regular -ar verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Odio madrugar (I hate getting up early).
The opposite of encantar.
Unlike gustar, the person is the subject.
El odio (hatred).
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
odiar is a regular -ar verb — it follows the standard -ar pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know odiar, you know the template for all regular -ar verbs.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice odiar now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: odio, tú: odias, él: odia, nosotros: odiamos, vosotros: odiáis, ellos: odian
The past participle is odiado (he odiado) and the gerund is odiando (estoy odiando).
Verbs that are easy to confuse with odiar or that behave like it.
Odiar is on the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.