Acentuar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

acentuar means "to accentuate" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Acentuar means to accentuate or stress something: acentuar la sílaba tónica, acentuar las diferencias. It is also the verb for putting the written accent on a word. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of acentuar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the acentuar present tense page.

acentuar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo acentúo la sílaba tónica de la palabra — "I accentuate the stressed syllable of the word"
  2. Mi amigo acentúa las diferencias entre ambos — "My friend accentuates the differences between the two"
  3. Mañana, tú acentuarás la vocal en la última sílaba — "Tomorrow, you will accentuate the vowel in the last syllable"
  4. Yo acentuaría el problema con sus palabras si pudiera — "I would accentuate the problem with his words if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo acentué la sílaba tónica de la palabra — "Yesterday, I accentuated the stressed syllable of the word"
  2. Antes, nosotros acentuábamos las diferencias entre ambos — "Before, we used to accentuate the differences between the two"
  3. Él ha acentuado la vocal en la última sílaba — "He has accentuated the vowel in the last syllable"
  4. Yo ya había acentuado el problema con sus palabras antes de salir — "I already had accentuated the problem with his words before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él acentúe la sílaba tónica de la palabra — "I hope he accentuates the stressed syllable of the word"
  2. Si yo acentuara las diferencias entre ambos, todo cambiaría — "If I accentuated the differences between the two, everything would change"
  3. Acentúa la vocal en la última sílaba. — "Accentuate the vowel in the last syllable."
  4. Yo habría acentuado el problema con sus palabras con más tiempo — "I would have accentuated the problem with his words with more time"

acentuar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use acentuar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo acentúo la sílaba tónica de la palabra — "I accentuate the stressed syllable of the word"
  • Marcos: Él acentúa las diferencias entre ambos — "He accentuates the differences between the two"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo acentué la vocal en la última sílaba — "Yesterday, I accentuated the vowel in the last syllable"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú acentuarás el problema con sus palabras — "Tomorrow, you will accentuate the problem with his words"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Acentúa la importancia del tema. — "Accentuate the importance of the topic."
  • Lucía: Él ha acentuado la sílaba tónica de la palabra — "He has accentuated the stressed syllable of the word"
  • Marcos: Espero que él acentúe las diferencias entre ambos — "I hope he accentuates the differences between the two"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo acentuaba la vocal en la última sílaba — "Before, I used to accentuate the vowel in the last syllable"

Common mistakes with acentuar

The errors learners actually make with acentuar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Espero que él acentúa el problema con sus palabras

✓ Correct: Espero que él acentúe el problema con sus palabras

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él acentúe el problema con sus palabras — not the indicative Espero que él acentúa el problema con sus palabras.

✗ *Ayer, yo acentúo la importancia del tema

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo acentué la importancia del tema

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo acentué la importancia del tema.

✗ *De niño, yo acentué la sílaba tónica de la palabra todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo acentuaba la sílaba tónica de la palabra todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo acentuaba la sílaba tónica de la palabra todos los días.

✗ *Yo acentúo en la vocal en la última sílaba.

✓ Correct: Yo acentúo la vocal en la última sílaba.

acentuar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo acentúo la vocal en la última sílaba.

✗ *Vosotros acentuais las diferencias entre ambos.

✓ Correct: Vosotros acentuáis las diferencias entre ambos.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: acentuáis, not acentuais.

Quiz: acentuar in use

Ten questions on acentuar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la sílaba tónica de la palabra — "I accentuate the stressed syllable of the word" (present) A. acentuamos B. acentúo C. acentúas D. acentúa

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ las diferencias entre ambos — "Yesterday, I accentuated the differences between the two" (preterite) A. acentuó B. acentuamos C. acentué D. acentuaste

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ la vocal en la última sílaba — "Before, we used to accentuate the vowel in the last syllable" (imperfect) A. acentuabas B. acentuabais C. acentuábamos D. acentuaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ el problema con sus palabras — "Tomorrow, you will accentuate the problem with his words" (future) A. acentuarás B. acentuaré C. acentuará D. acentuaremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la importancia del tema — "I would accentuate the importance of the topic" (conditional) A. acentuarías B. acentuaríamos C. acentuaríais D. acentuaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la sílaba tónica de la palabra — "He has accentuated the stressed syllable of the word" (present perfect) A. he acentuado B. has acentuado C. hemos acentuado D. ha acentuado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ las diferencias entre ambos — "I hope he accentuates the differences between the two" (present subjunctive) A. acentúe B. acentúes C. acentuemos D. acentuéis

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ la vocal en la última sílaba. — "Accentuate the vowel in the last syllable." (affirmative imperative) A. acentuemos B. acentuad C. acentúa D. acentúe

  9. Which is the gerund of acentuar, used with estar for the progressive? A. acentuado B. acentúo C. acentué D. acentuando

  10. What does acentuar mean in English? A. to cross B. to accentuate C. to highlight D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. acentúo — The present form for yo is acentúo.
  2. acentué — The preterite form for yo is acentué.
  3. acentuábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is acentuábamos.
  4. acentuarás — The future form for tú is acentuarás.
  5. acentuaría — The conditional form for yo is acentuaría.
  6. ha acentuado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha acentuado.
  7. acentúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is acentúe.
  8. acentúa — The affirmative imperative form is acentúa.
  9. acentuando — The gerund of acentuar is acentuando: estoy acentuando. The participle acentuado is used with haber instead.
  10. to accentuate — acentuar means to accentuate.

Frequently asked questions

What does acentuar mean in English?

acentuar means to accentuate. For example: Yo acentúo la sílaba tónica de la palabra — "I accentuate the stressed syllable of the word". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with acentuar?

acentuar takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is acentuar regular?

Yes. acentuar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense.

How do I practise acentuar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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