Acuñar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

acuñar means “to mint, to coin” 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. Acuñar means to mint, to make coins in a mint, and also to coin a new word or phrase. It is used for money, language and history, and it is fully regular. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, 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 acuñar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the acuñar present tense page.

acuñar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo acuño monedas de oro en la ceca. — “I mint gold coins at the mint.”
  2. Él acuña una palabra nueva en el diccionario. — “He mints a new word in the dictionary.”
  3. Nosotros acuñamos el término en un artículo. — “We mint the term in an article.”
  4. Ellos acuñan medallas para los ganadores. — “They mint medals for the winners.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo acuñé una palabra nueva en el diccionario. — “Yesterday, I minted a new word in the dictionary.”
  2. Antes, nosotros acuñábamos el término en un artículo. — “Before, we used to mint the term in an article.”
  3. Él acuñó medallas para los ganadores. — “He minted medals for the winners.”
  4. Yo ya había acuñado monedas de oro en la ceca antes de salir. — “I had already minted gold coins at the mint before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú acuñarás monedas de oro en la ceca. — “Tomorrow, you will mint gold coins at the mint.”
  2. Yo acuñaría una palabra nueva en el diccionario si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would mint a new word in the dictionary if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha acuñado el término en un artículo. — “He has minted the term in an article.”
  4. Espero que él acuñe medallas para los ganadores. — “I hope he mints medals for the winners.”

acuñar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use acuñar 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 their day.

  • Ana: Yo acuño monedas de oro en la ceca. — “I mint gold coins at the mint.”
  • Bea: Él acuña una palabra nueva en el diccionario. — “He mints a new word in the dictionary.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo acuñé una palabra nueva en el diccionario. — “Yesterday, I minted a new word in the dictionary.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú acuñarás monedas de oro en la ceca. — “Tomorrow, you will mint gold coins at the mint.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros acuñamos el término en un artículo. — “We mint the term in an article.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros acuñábamos el término en un artículo. — “Before, we used to mint the term in an article.”
  • Luis: Yo acuñaría una palabra nueva en el diccionario si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would mint a new word in the dictionary if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él acuñe medallas para los ganadores. — “I hope he mints medals for the winners.”

A short scene with acuñar

A short scene shows how acuñar works across the day. In the morning: Acuño monedas de oro en la ceca. In the afternoon: Acuña una palabra nueva en el diccionario. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, acuñé el término en un artículo. And tomorrow: Mañana, acuñaré medallas para los ganadores. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how acuñar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with acuñar

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

✗ Yo acuña monedas de oro en la ceca.

✓ Correct: Yo acuño monedas de oro en la ceca.

The person matters: acuña is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acuño. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo acuño una palabra nueva en el diccionario.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo acuñé una palabra nueva en el diccionario.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: acuño is happening now, while acuñé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating acuñar and crear as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Acuñar means to mint, to coin, while crear means to create.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: acuñar fits sentences such as Acuño monedas de oro en la ceca, while crear belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy acuñado una palabra nueva en el diccionario.

✓ Correct: Yo he acuñado una palabra nueva en el diccionario.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he acuñado, has acuñado, ha acuñado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo acuñé el término en un artículo todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo acuñaba el término en un artículo todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (acuñaba), not the preterite. The preterite (acuñé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: acuñar in use

Ten questions on acuñar — 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: Él ______ una palabra nueva en el diccionario. — “He/she mints a new word in the dictionary.”

  • a) acuña
  • b) acuño
  • c) acuñas
  • d) acuñamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el término en un artículo. — “Yesterday, I minted the term in an article.”

  • a) acuñaste
  • b) acuñó
  • c) acuñaron
  • d) acuñé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ medallas para los ganadores cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to mint medals for the winners when they were young.”

  • a) acuñabas
  • b) acuñábamos
  • c) acuñaban
  • d) acuñaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ monedas de oro en la ceca. — “Tomorrow, we will mint gold coins at the mint.”

  • a) acuñarán
  • b) acuñaremos
  • c) acuñaré
  • d) acuñarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ una palabra nueva en el diccionario si pudiera. — “He would mint a new word in the dictionary if he could.”

  • a) acuñaría
  • b) acuñarías
  • c) acuñaríamos
  • d) acuño

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el término en un artículo. — “I have minted the term in an article.”

  • a) has acuñado
  • b) ha acuñado
  • c) han acuñado
  • d) he acuñado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ medallas para los ganadores. — “I hope you mint medals for the winners.”

  • a) acuñemos
  • b) acuño
  • c) acuñes
  • d) acuñe

8. Which is the past participle of acuñar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) acuñé
  • b) acuñado
  • c) acuñando
  • d) acuño

9. What does acuñar mean in English?

  • a) to mint, to coin
  • b) to create
  • c) to go into, to venture into
  • d) to adhere, to stick to

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él acuña una palabra nueva en el diccionario.
  • b) Él acuño una palabra nueva en el diccionario.
  • c) Nosotros acuña el término en un artículo.
  • d) Yo acuña monedas de oro en la ceca.

Answer key

  1. a) acuña — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: acuña.

  2. d) acuñé — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: acuñé, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) acuñaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: acuñaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) acuñaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: acuñaremos.

  5. a) acuñaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: acuñaría.

  6. d) he acuñado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he acuñado, haber + acuñado.

  7. c) acuñes — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is acuñes.

  8. b) acuñado — The past participle is acuñado: he acuñado, has acuñado, ha acuñado. The gerund acuñando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to mint, to coin — acuñar means to mint, to coin. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él acuña una palabra nueva en el diccionario. — Él acuña una palabra nueva en el diccionario. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use acuñar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Acuño monedas de oro en la ceca and Acuña una palabra nueva en el diccionario. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between acuñar and crear?

Acuñar means “to mint, to coin”, while crear means “to create”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use acuñar when you mean “to mint, to coin” and crear when you mean “to create”.

Which tense do I need most with acuñar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use acuñar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is acuñar formal or informal?

Acuñar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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