Apartar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

apartar means “to move aside, to set apart” 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. Apartar means to move aside or to set apart, and it covers moving a chair aside, setting money aside, keeping a person away from trouble and putting a thought aside. It is a practical verb for the home, for money and for keeping a distance. 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 apartar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the apartar present tense page.

apartar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with apartar in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo aparto la silla de la mesa. — I move aside the chair from the table.
  2. Él/Ella aparta los libros del escritorio. — He moves aside the books from the desk.
  3. Nosotros/as apartamos un dinero para el viaje. — We move aside some money for the trip.
  4. Ellos/as apartan la mirada del espejo. — They move aside my gaze from the mirror.

In the past

Four sentences with apartar in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo aparté un dinero para el viaje. — Yesterday, I moved aside some money for the trip.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as apartábamos la mirada del espejo. — Before, We used to move aside my gaze from the mirror.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella apartó la silla de la mesa. — Yesterday, He moved aside the chair from the table.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as apartaban los libros del escritorio. — As children, They used to move aside the books from the desk.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with apartar in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú apartarás la silla de la mesa. — Tomorrow, You will move aside the chair from the table.
  2. Yo apartaría los libros del escritorio. — I would move aside the books from the desk.
  3. Espero que él aparte un dinero para el viaje. — I hope he moves aside some money for the trip.
  4. Él/Ella ha apartado la mirada del espejo. — He has moved aside my gaze from the mirror.

apartar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú apartas la silla de la mesa mañana? — Are you going to move aside the chair from the table tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo aparto la silla de la mesa todos los días. — Yes, I move aside the chair from the table every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana apartarás los libros del escritorio? — And tomorrow, will you move aside the books from the desk? Luis: Claro, mañana apartaré los libros del escritorio sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will move aside the books from the desk without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo apartaré un dinero para el viaje también. — Perfect. I will move aside some money for the trip too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer aparté un dinero para el viaje. — Yesterday, I moved aside some money for the trip. Ana: ¿Y antes apartabas la mirada del espejo? — And before, did you use to move aside my gaze from the mirror? Luis: Sí, antes apartaba la mirada del espejo todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to move aside my gaze from the mirror every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos apartaron la silla de la mesa? — And did your brothers moved aside the chair from the table? Luis: Sí, ellos apartaron la silla de la mesa por la tarde. — Yes, they moved aside the chair from the table in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo aparta la silla de la mesa. — Right: Yo aparto la silla de la mesa. — The person matters: aparta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aparto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating apartar and alejar as identical in every context. — Right: Apartar means to move aside, to set apart, while alejar means to move something away. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: apartar fits sentences such as Aparto la silla de la mesa, while alejar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy apartado los libros del escritorio. — Right: Yo he apartado los libros del escritorio. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he apartado, has apartado, ha apartado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo aparté un dinero para el viaje todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo apartaba un dinero para el viaje todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (apartaba), not the preterite. The preterite (aparté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on apartar in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ la mirada del espejo. (present tense) A. apartan B. aparto C. apartas D. aparta

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la silla de la mesa. (preterite tense) A. aparté B. apartaste C. apartó D. apartamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ los libros del escritorio. (imperfect tense) A. apartábamos B. apartabais C. apartabas D. apartaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ un dinero para el viaje. (future tense) A. apartaremos B. apartará C. apartaré D. apartarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ la mirada del espejo. (conditional tense) A. apartaríamos B. apartaría C. apartarías D. apartaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la silla de la mesa. (present-perfect tense) A. has apartado B. ha apartado C. hemos apartado D. he apartado

  7. What does apartar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to move aside, to set apart D. to move something away

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo aparté un dinero para el viaje. B. Yo aparta la silla de la mesa. C. Yo aparto la silla de la mesa. D. Él/Ella aparta los libros del escritorio.

  9. Which is the gerund of apartar, used with estar for the progressive? A. apartando B. apartado C. aparto D. aparté

  10. Which is the past participle of apartar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. apartando B. aparto C. aparté D. apartado

Answer key

  1. apartan — The correct form here is apartan.
  2. apartamos — The correct form here is apartamos.
  3. apartabas — The correct form here is apartabas.
  4. apartará — The correct form here is apartará.
  5. apartaríamos — The correct form here is apartaríamos.
  6. he apartado — The correct form here is he apartado.
  7. to move aside, to set apart — Apartar means to move aside, to set apart. Alejar means to move something away, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo aparta la silla de la mesa. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo aparto la silla de la mesa.. The person matters: aparta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aparto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. apartando — The gerund of apartar is apartando: estoy apartando.
  10. apartado — The past participle of apartar is apartado: he apartado, has apartado, ha apartado.

Frequently asked questions

What does apartar mean?

Apartar means to move aside, to set apart. Apartar means to move aside or to set apart, and it covers moving a chair aside, setting money aside, keeping a person away from trouble and putting a thought aside. It is a practical verb for the home, for money and for keeping a distance.

When do people use apartar most?

People use apartar most in everyday situations such as Yo aparto la silla de la mesa. and Ayer, Yo aparté un dinero para el viaje.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between apartar and alejar?

Apartar means to move aside, to set apart, while alejar means to move something away. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of apartar?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of apartar as your reference, the apartar present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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