Anotarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
anotarse means "to sign up" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see anotarse with the English course, the trip list, the neighbourhood gym and the school competition — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo me anoto en el curso de inglés. — "Every day, I sign up for the English course." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
anotarse in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with anotarse, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo me anoto en el curso de inglés. — "Every day, I sign up for the English course." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo me anoté en la lista del viaje. — "Yesterday, I signned up on the trip list." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo me anotaba en el gimnasio del barrio. — "In the past, I used to sign up in the neighbourhood gym." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros nos anotaremos en el concurso de la escuela. — "Tomorrow, we will sign up in the school competition." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú te anotarías en el curso de inglés. — "If you could, you would sign up for the English course." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo me he anotado en la lista del viaje. — "I have signned up on the trip list." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él se anota en el gimnasio del barrio. — "Normally, he/she signs up in the neighbourhood gym." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él se anotó en el concurso de la escuela. — "Yesterday, he/she signned up in the school competition." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros nos anotábamos en el curso de inglés. — "In the past, we used to sign up for the English course." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo me anotaré en la lista del viaje. — "Tomorrow, I will sign up on the trip list." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él se anote en el gimnasio del barrio. — "I hope that he/she signs up in the neighbourhood gym." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡No te anotes en el concurso de la escuela! — "Do not sign up in the school competition!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using anotarse naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the English course, the trip list, the neighbourhood gym and the school competition.
Dialogue 1: talking about the English course
Sofía: ¿Tú te anotas en el curso de inglés? — "Do you sign up for the English course?" Diego: Sí, yo me anoto en el curso de inglés. — "I sign up for the English course." Sofía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Diego: Ayer, yo me anoté en la lista del viaje. — "Yesterday, I signned up on the trip list." Sofía: Mañana, nosotros nos anotaremos en el gimnasio del barrio. — "Tomorrow, we will sign up in the neighbourhood gym." Diego: Si pudiera, yo me anotaría en el concurso de la escuela. — "If I could, I would sign up in the school competition." Sofía: Antes, yo me anotaba en la lista del viaje. — "In the past, I used to sign up on the trip list." Diego: Yo me he anotado en el curso de inglés. — "I have signned up for the English course." Sofía: ¡No te anotes en el gimnasio del barrio! — "Do not sign up in the neighbourhood gym!"
In this dialogue anotarse appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about the neighbourhood gym
Sofía: Él se anota en el gimnasio del barrio. — "he/she signs up in the neighbourhood gym." Diego: ¿De verdad? ¿Él se anota en el gimnasio del barrio todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she signs up in the neighbourhood gym every day?" Sofía: Sí, y ellos se anotan en el concurso de la escuela. — "they sign up in the school competition." Diego: Ayer, ellos se anotaron en el gimnasio del barrio. — "Yesterday, they signned up in the neighbourhood gym." Sofía: Espero que él se anote en el concurso de la escuela. — "I hope that he/she signs up in the school competition." Diego: Mañana, él se anotará en el gimnasio del barrio. — "Tomorrow, he/she will sign up in the neighbourhood gym." Sofía: Antes, nosotros nos anotábamos en el concurso de la escuela. — "In the past, we used to sign up in the school competition." Diego: Nosotros nos anotamos en el curso de inglés también. — "we sign up for the English course too."
This dialogue shows anotarse in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with anotarse
The errors learners actually make with anotarse in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo anoto en el curso de inglés.
- Right: Yo me anoto en el curso de inglés.
- Why: anotarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me anoto en el curso de inglés.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo anotarse en el curso de inglés.
- Right: Yo me anoto en el curso de inglés.
- Why: The infinitive anotarse is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form anoto.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me anoto en la lista del viaje.
- Right: Ayer, yo me anoté en la lista del viaje.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me anoté en la lista del viaje. — "Yesterday, I signned up on the trip list."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Me estoy anotado en el gimnasio del barrio.
- Right: Me estoy anotando en el gimnasio del barrio.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund anotando for the progressive. The participle anotado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (me he anotado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos anota en el curso de inglés.
- Right: Nosotros nos anotamos en el curso de inglés.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes anotamos, while anota belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: anotarse in use
Test yourself with ten questions on anotarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of anotarse in the present tense?
- (a) anoto
- (b) anotas
- (c) anota
- (d) anotamos
Answer: (a) anoto. The yo form is anoto.
2. What is the tú form of anotarse in the present tense?
- (a) anoto
- (b) anota
- (c) anotamos
- (d) anotas
Answer: (d) anotas. The tú form is anotas.
3. What is the él/ella form of anotarse in the present tense?
- (a) anotas
- (b) anotamos
- (c) anota
- (d) anoto
Answer: (c) anota. The él/ella form is anota.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ en el curso de inglés.
- (a) anotamos
- (b) anoto
- (c) anotas
- (d) anota
Answer: (b) anoto. The sentence needs the yo form anoto.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ en la lista del viaje.
- (a) anoté
- (b) anotaste
- (c) anotó
- (d) anotamos
Answer: (a) anoté. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is anoté.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ en el gimnasio del barrio.
- (a) anotabas
- (b) anotábamos
- (c) anotabais
- (d) anotaba
Answer: (d) anotaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is anotaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ en el concurso de la escuela.
- (a) anotará
- (b) anotaremos
- (c) anotaré
- (d) anotarás
Answer: (c) anotaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is anotaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el curso de inglés.
- (a) se ha anotado
- (b) nos hemos anotado
- (c) me he anotado
- (d) te has anotado
Answer: (c) me he anotado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: me he anotado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en el gimnasio del barrio.
- (a) anote
- (b) anotes
- (c) anotemos
- (d) anotéis
Answer: (a) anote. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is anote.
10. What does anotarse mean in English?
- (a) to sign up
- (b) to raise awareness
- (c) to crystallise
- (d) to electrify
Answer: (a) to sign up. anotarse means "to sign up" in English.
Frequently asked questions about anotarse
What does anotarse mean?
anotarse means "to sign up" in English. Use it when you talk about the English course, the trip list, the neighbourhood gym and the school competition — for example: Cada día, yo me anoto en el curso de inglés. — "Every day, I sign up for the English course."
Is anotarse reflexive?
Yes. anotarse is reflexive, so it always travels with a pronoun: me, te, se, nos, os, se. Cada día, yo me anoto en el curso de inglés. — "Every day, I sign up for the English course." If you drop the pronoun, the sentence is incomplete.
What is the most common mistake with anotarse?
Forgetting the reflexive pronoun. Learners write the bare form — for example, Yo anoto en el curso de inglés — when the verb needs its pronoun: Cada día, yo me anoto en el curso de inglés. — "Every day, I sign up for the English course." Keep the pronoun with the verb and the mistake disappears.
How can I practise anotarse?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.