Apartar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb apartar means to move aside, to set apart, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, apartar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say aparto la silla de la mesa, and in the preterite you say aparté un dinero para el viaje. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: apartar
  • English: to move aside, to set apart
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: apartando
  • Past participle: apartado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + apartado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for apartar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Apartar is fully regular: aparté, apartaba, apartaré. Its reflexive partner apartarse means to step aside yourself.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for apartar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo aparto
tú apartas
él/ella/Ud. aparta
nosotros/as apartamos
vosotros/as apartáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. apartan

Preterite

Person Form
yo aparté
tú apartaste
él/ella/Ud. apartó
nosotros/as apartamos
vosotros/as apartasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. apartaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo apartaba
tú apartabas
él/ella/Ud. apartaba
nosotros/as apartábamos
vosotros/as apartabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. apartaban

Future

Person Form
yo apartaré
tú apartarás
él/ella/Ud. apartará
nosotros/as apartaremos
vosotros/as apartaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. apartarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo apartaría
tú apartarías
él/ella/Ud. apartaría
nosotros/as apartaríamos
vosotros/as apartaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. apartarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he apartado
tú has apartado
él/ella/Ud. ha apartado
nosotros/as hemos apartado
vosotros/as habéis apartado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han apartado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había apartado
tú habías apartado
él/ella/Ud. había apartado
nosotros/as habíamos apartado
vosotros/as habíais apartado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían apartado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré apartado
tú habrás apartado
él/ella/Ud. habrá apartado
nosotros/as habremos apartado
vosotros/as habréis apartado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán apartado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría apartado
tú habrías apartado
él/ella/Ud. habría apartado
nosotros/as habríamos apartado
vosotros/as habríais apartado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían apartado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo aparte
tú apartes
él/ella/Ud. aparte
nosotros/as apartemos
vosotros/as apartéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aparten

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo apartara
tú apartaras
él/ella/Ud. apartara
nosotros/as apartáramos
vosotros/as apartarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. apartaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú aparta
él/ella/Ud. aparte
nosotros/as apartemos
vosotros/as apartad
ellos/ellas/Uds. aparten

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú apartes
él/ella/Ud. aparte
nosotros/as apartemos
vosotros/as apartéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aparten

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund apartando with estar for the progressive: estoy apartando
Past participle apartado with haber for the perfect tenses: he apartado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apartar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Aparto la silla de la mesa. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apartar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, aparté los libros del escritorio. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apartar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, apartaba un dinero para el viaje. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apartar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, apartaré la mirada del espejo. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apartar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Apartaría la silla de la mesa si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apartar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he apartado los libros del escritorio. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apartar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había apartado un dinero para el viaje antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apartar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré apartado la mirada del espejo. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apartar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría apartado la silla de la mesa con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apartar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él aparte los libros del escritorio. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apartar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él apartara un dinero para el viaje, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apartar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡aparta la mirada del espejo! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apartar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No apartes la silla de la mesa. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with apartar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Aparto la silla de la mesa. — I move aside the chair from the table.
  2. Aparta los libros del escritorio. — He/she moves aside the books from the desk.
  3. Ayer, aparté un dinero para el viaje. — Yesterday, I moved aside some money for the trip.
  4. Antes, nosotros apartábamos la mirada del espejo. — Before, we used to move aside my gaze from the mirror.
  5. Mañana, tú apartarás la silla de la mesa. — Tomorrow, you will move aside the chair from the table.
  6. Yo apartaría los libros del escritorio si tuviera más tiempo. — I would move aside the books from the desk if I had more time.
  7. Él ha apartado un dinero para el viaje. — He has moved aside some money for the trip.
  8. Espero que él aparte la mirada del espejo. — I hope he moves aside my gaze from the mirror.
  9. Yo ya había apartado la silla de la mesa antes de salir. — I had already moved aside the chair from the table before leaving.
  10. Ellos apartaban los libros del escritorio cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to move aside the books from the desk when they were young.

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. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la silla de la mesa. (present tense) A. aparto B. apartas C. aparta D. apartamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ los libros del escritorio. (preterite) A. aparté B. apartaste C. apartaron D. apartó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ un dinero para el viaje. (imperfect) A. apartabas B. apartaban C. apartábamos D. apartaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la mirada del espejo. (future) A. apartaremos B. apartarás C. apartaré D. apartará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la silla de la mesa si pudiera. (conditional) A. apartaría B. apartarías C. apartarían D. aparto

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ los libros del escritorio. (present subjunctive) A. apartes B. apartemos C. aparto D. aparte

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ un dinero para el viaje, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. apartáramos B. aparto C. apartara D. apartaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la mirada del espejo. (present perfect) A. han apartado B. hemos apartado C. he apartado D. has apartado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ la silla de la mesa! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. aparta B. aparte C. apartemos D. apartad

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

Answer key

  1. aparto — The first-person present of apartar is aparto. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. apartó — The third-person preterite of apartar is apartó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. apartábamos — The nosotros imperfect of apartar is apartábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. apartarás — The second-person future of apartar is apartarás.
  5. apartaría — The first-person conditional of apartar is apartaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. aparte — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of apartar is aparte.
  7. apartara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of apartar is apartara.
  8. hemos apartado — The nosotros present perfect of apartar is hemos apartado: hemos + apartado.
  9. aparta — The affirmative tú imperative of apartar is aparta.
  10. apartando — The gerund of apartar is apartando: estoy apartando. The participle apartado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does apartar mean in English?

Apartar means to move aside, to set apart. It is used in everyday situations such as Aparto la silla de la mesa. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is apartar regular or irregular?

Apartar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including aparto in the present and aparté in the preterite.

What is the difference between apartar and alejar?

Apartar means to move aside, to set apart, while alejar means to move something away. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use apartar when you mean to move aside, to set apart, as in Aparto la silla de la mesa, and use alejar for to move something away. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I move aside” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo aparté los libros del escritorio. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo apartaba un dinero para el viaje. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he apartado los libros del escritorio.

How do I practise apartar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the apartar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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