How to Say "to insult" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “to insult” is “ofender” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
No quise ofenderte, solo expresé mi opinión.
I didn't mean to offend you, I just expressed my opinion.
Es fácil ofender a la gente si no piensas antes de hablar.
It's easy to offend people if you don't think before speaking.
El chiste ofendió a la mitad de la audiencia.
The joke offended half of the audience.
The Reflexive Form: Ofenderse
When you want to say someone 'gets offended' or 'takes offense,' you must use the reflexive form: 'ofenderse'. For example: 'Ella se ofendió' (She got offended).
Confusing Action vs. State
Mistake: “Using 'estar ofendido' to describe the action: 'Ella está ofendida por el chiste.'”
Correction: Use 'ofenderse' for the action of becoming offended, and 'estar ofendido' only for the resulting state: 'Ella se ofendió con el chiste' (Action). 'Ella está ofendida' (State).
Related Translations
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