Anotar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of anotar — “to note down” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for anotar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Anotar means to note down, and it is the verb of notebooks, agendas and margins: you note down an address, a phone number, a date, an idea. It is a regular -ar verb and one of the first verbs learners use in class. Anotar is a regular -ar verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Anoto la dirección en mi agenda.

Present tense conjugation table: anotar

Every person of anotar in the present tense. The gerund is anotando and the past participle is anotado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo anoto
tú anotas
él/ella/Ud. anota
nosotros/as anotamos
vosotros/as anotáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. anotan

How the present of anotar is formed

The present of anotar is built from the stem anot- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.

Person Ending Form
yo -o anoto
tú -as anotas
él/ella/Ud. -a anota
nosotros/as -amos anotamos
vosotros/as -áis anotáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an anotan

For anotar there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem anot- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.

When to use the present tense with anotar

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo anoto la dirección en mi agenda. — I note down the address in my diary.

General facts

Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.

Él/Ella anota el número de teléfono. — He notes down the phone number.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as anotamos la fecha del examen. — Right now, We note down the exam date.

Near-future plans

Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.

Mañana, Tú anotas una idea en el cuaderno. — Tomorrow, You note down an idea in the notebook.

Instructions and timeless statements

Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.

Él/Ella anota la dirección en mi agenda. — He notes down the address in my diary.

The present vs the preterite

The present and the preterite answer different questions: the present says what happens regularly or right now, while the preterite says what happened once and finished. Compare the same idea in both tenses with anotar.

  1. Yo anoto la dirección en mi agenda. — I note down the address in my diary. / Ayer, Yo anoté la dirección en mi agenda. — Yesterday, I noted down the address in my diary.
  2. Yo anoto el número de teléfono. — I note down the phone number. / Ayer, Yo anoté el número de teléfono. — Yesterday, I noted down the phone number.
  3. Yo anoto la fecha del examen. — I note down the exam date. / Ayer, Yo anoté la fecha del examen. — Yesterday, I noted down the exam date.

Example sentences in the present tense

Seven sentences with anotar in the present tense only, covering all six persons.

  1. Yo anoto la dirección en mi agenda. — I note down the address in my diary.
  2. Tú anotas el número de teléfono. — You note down the phone number.
  3. Él/Ella anota la fecha del examen. — He notes down the exam date.
  4. Nosotros/as anotamos una idea en el cuaderno. — We note down an idea in the notebook.
  5. Vosotros/as anotáis la dirección en mi agenda. — You note down the address in my diary.
  6. Ellos/as anotan el número de teléfono. — They note down the phone number.
  7. Yo anoto la fecha del examen. — I note down the exam date.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo anota la dirección en mi agenda. — Right: Yo anoto la dirección en mi agenda. — The person matters: anota is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is anoto.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo anoto el número de teléfono. — Right: Ayer, yo anoté el número de teléfono. — With ayer, use the preterite (anoté), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using anotar where apuntar belongs. — Right: Anotar means to note down, while apuntar means to note down, the close synonym. — Check the meaning before you choose: anotar fits Anoto la dirección en mi agenda.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él anota el número de teléfono. — Right: Espero que él anote el número de teléfono. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: anote, not the present indicative anota.

Quiz: the present tense of anotar

Eight questions on the present tense of anotar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la dirección en mi agenda. (present tense, yo) A. anoto B. anotas C. anota D. anotamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el número de teléfono. (present tense, tú) A. anoto B. anota C. anotamos D. anotas

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ la fecha del examen. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. anotas B. anotamos C. anota D. anoto

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ una idea en el cuaderno. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. anota B. anotamos C. anoto D. anotas

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ la dirección en mi agenda. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. anotáis B. anoto C. anotas D. anota

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el número de teléfono. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. anoto B. anotas C. anota D. anotan

  7. Which is the gerund of anotar? A. anoto B. anoté C. anotando D. anotado

  8. Which is the past participle of anotar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. anoté B. anotado C. anotando D. anoto

Answer key

  1. anoto — The yo present form of anotar is anoto.
  2. anotas — The tú present form of anotar is anotas.
  3. anota — The él/ella/Ud. present form of anotar is anota.
  4. anotamos — The nosotros/as present form of anotar is anotamos.
  5. anotáis — The vosotros/as present form of anotar is anotáis.
  6. anotan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of anotar is anotan.
  7. anotando — The gerund of anotar is anotando: estoy anotando.
  8. anotado — The past participle of anotar is anotado: he anotado, has anotado, ha anotado.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of anotar formed?

Take the infinitive anotar, drop the -ar ending to get the stem anot-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of anotar is fully regular: the stem anot- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.

When do I use the present tense of anotar?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Anoto la dirección en mi agenda.

What is the difference between the present and the preterite of anotar?

The present (anoto) and the preterite (anoté) answer different questions: the present is for habits and for right now, while the preterite is for one finished action. Compare them in the contrast section above.

How do I practise the present of anotar?

Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of anotar to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the anotar examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.

Related links