Anticipar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

anticipar means “to anticipate, to bring forward” 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. Anticipar means to anticipate or to bring forward, to do something earlier than planned or to expect what will happen. It is used for money, trips and events, 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 anticipar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the anticipar present tense page.

anticipar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo anticipo el pago de la factura. — “I anticipate paying the bill.”
  2. Él anticipa el viaje a la semana que viene. — “He anticipates the trip to next week.”
  3. Nosotros anticipamos la reunión al lunes. — “We anticipate the meeting to Monday.”
  4. Ellos anticipan la llegada del tren. — “They anticipate the train's arrival.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo anticipé el viaje a la semana que viene. — “Yesterday, I anticipated the trip to next week.”
  2. Antes, nosotros anticipábamos la reunión al lunes. — “Before, we used to anticipate the meeting to Monday.”
  3. Él anticipó la llegada del tren. — “He anticipated the train's arrival.”
  4. Yo ya había anticipado el pago de la factura antes de salir. — “I had already anticipated paying the bill before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú anticiparás el pago de la factura. — “Tomorrow, you will anticipate paying the bill.”
  2. Yo anticiparía el viaje a la semana que viene si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would anticipate the trip to next week if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha anticipado la reunión al lunes. — “He has anticipated the meeting to Monday.”
  4. Espero que él anticipe la llegada del tren. — “I hope he anticipates the train's arrival.”

anticipar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use anticipar 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 anticipo el pago de la factura. — “I anticipate paying the bill.”
  • Bea: Él anticipa el viaje a la semana que viene. — “He anticipates the trip to next week.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo anticipé el viaje a la semana que viene. — “Yesterday, I anticipated the trip to next week.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú anticiparás el pago de la factura. — “Tomorrow, you will anticipate paying the bill.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros anticipamos la reunión al lunes. — “We anticipate the meeting to Monday.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros anticipábamos la reunión al lunes. — “Before, we used to anticipate the meeting to Monday.”
  • Luis: Yo anticiparía el viaje a la semana que viene si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would anticipate the trip to next week if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él anticipe la llegada del tren. — “I hope he anticipates the train's arrival.”

A short scene with anticipar

A short scene shows how anticipar works across the day. In the morning: Anticipo el pago de la factura. In the afternoon: Anticipa el viaje a la semana que viene. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, anticipé la reunión al lunes. And tomorrow: Mañana, anticiparé la llegada del tren. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how anticipar 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 anticipar

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

✗ Yo anticipa el pago de la factura.

✓ Correct: Yo anticipo el pago de la factura.

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

✗ Ayer yo anticipo el viaje a la semana que viene.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo anticipé el viaje a la semana que viene.

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

✗ Treating anticipar and prever as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Anticipar means to anticipate, to bring forward, while prever means to foresee.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: anticipar fits sentences such as Anticipo el pago de la factura, while prever belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy anticipado el viaje a la semana que viene.

✓ Correct: Yo he anticipado el viaje a la semana que viene.

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

✗ De niño, yo anticipé la reunión al lunes todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo anticipaba la reunión al lunes todos los días.

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

Quiz: anticipar in use

Ten questions on anticipar — 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 ______ el viaje a la semana que viene. — “He/she anticipates the trip to next week.”

  • a) anticipa
  • b) anticipo
  • c) anticipas
  • d) anticipamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la reunión al lunes. — “Yesterday, I anticipated the meeting to Monday.”

  • a) anticipaste
  • b) anticipó
  • c) anticiparon
  • d) anticipé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la llegada del tren cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to anticipate the train's arrival when they were young.”

  • a) anticipabas
  • b) anticipábamos
  • c) anticipaban
  • d) anticipaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ el pago de la factura. — “Tomorrow, we will anticipate paying the bill.”

  • a) anticiparán
  • b) anticiparemos
  • c) anticiparé
  • d) anticiparás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el viaje a la semana que viene si pudiera. — “He would anticipate the trip to next week if he could.”

  • a) anticiparía
  • b) anticiparías
  • c) anticiparíamos
  • d) anticipo

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la reunión al lunes. — “I have anticipated the meeting to Monday.”

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

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ la llegada del tren. — “I hope you anticipate the train's arrival.”

  • a) anticipemos
  • b) anticipo
  • c) anticipes
  • d) anticipe

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

  • a) anticipé
  • b) anticipado
  • c) anticipando
  • d) anticipo

9. What does anticipar mean in English?

  • a) to anticipate, to bring forward
  • b) to foresee
  • c) to anticipate, to get ahead
  • d) to get off, to alight

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él anticipa el viaje a la semana que viene.
  • b) Él anticipo el viaje a la semana que viene.
  • c) Nosotros anticipa la reunión al lunes.
  • d) Yo anticipa el pago de la factura.

Answer key

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  9. a) to anticipate, to bring forward — anticipar means to anticipate, to bring forward. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él anticipa el viaje a la semana que viene. — Él anticipa el viaje a la semana que viene. 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 anticipar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Anticipo el pago de la factura and Anticipa el viaje a la semana que viene. 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 anticipar and prever?

Anticipar means “to anticipate, to bring forward”, while prever means “to foresee”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use anticipar when you mean “to anticipate, to bring forward” and prever when you mean “to foresee”.

Which tense do I need most with anticipar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use anticipar 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 anticipar formal or informal?

Anticipar 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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