Apearse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

apearse means “to get off, to alight” 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. Apearse means to get off or to alight, to step down from a horse, a bus or a train. It is a reflexive verb, slightly formal or old-fashioned in tone, 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 apearse; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the apearse present tense page.

apearse in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo me apeo del autobús en la plaza. — “I get off from the bus in the square.”
  2. Él se apea del caballo en el patio. — “He gets off from the horse in the yard.”
  3. Nosotros nos apeamos del tren en la estación. — “We get off from the train at the station.”
  4. Ellos se apean de la moto en la puerta. — “They get off from the motorbike at the door.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo me apeé del caballo en el patio. — “Yesterday, I got off from the horse in the yard.”
  2. Antes, nosotros nos apeábamos del tren en la estación. — “Before, we used to get off from the train at the station.”
  3. Él se apeó de la moto en la puerta. — “He got off from the motorbike at the door.”
  4. Yo ya me había apeado del autobús en la plaza antes de salir. — “I had already got off from the bus in the square before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú te apearás del autobús en la plaza. — “Tomorrow, you will get off from the bus in the square.”
  2. Yo me apearía del caballo en el patio si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would get off from the horse in the yard if I had more time.”
  3. Él se ha apeado del tren en la estación. — “He has got off from the train at the station.”
  4. Espero que él se apee de la moto en la puerta. — “I hope he gets off from the motorbike at the door.”

apearse in conversation

Two short dialogues that use apearse 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 me apeo del autobús en la plaza. — “I get off from the bus in the square.”
  • Bea: Él se apea del caballo en el patio. — “He gets off from the horse in the yard.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo me apeé del caballo en el patio. — “Yesterday, I got off from the horse in the yard.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú te apearás del autobús en la plaza. — “Tomorrow, you will get off from the bus in the square.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros nos apeamos del tren en la estación. — “We get off from the train at the station.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros nos apeábamos del tren en la estación. — “Before, we used to get off from the train at the station.”
  • Luis: Yo me apearía del caballo en el patio si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would get off from the horse in the yard if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él se apee de la moto en la puerta. — “I hope he gets off from the motorbike at the door.”

A short scene with apearse

A short scene shows how apearse works across the day. In the morning: Me apeo del autobús en la plaza. In the afternoon: Se apea del caballo en el patio. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, me apeé del tren en la estación. And tomorrow: Mañana, me apearé de la moto en la puerta. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how apearse 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 apearse

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

✗ Yo apeo del autobús en la plaza.

✓ Correct: Yo me apeo del autobús en la plaza.

Apearse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.

✗ Ayer yo apeo del caballo en el patio.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo apeé del caballo en el patio.

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

✗ Treating apearse and bajar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Apearse means to get off, to alight, while bajar means to get off, in general.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: apearse fits sentences such as Me apeo del autobús en la plaza, while bajar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy apeado del caballo en el patio.

✓ Correct: Yo he apeado del caballo en el patio.

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

✗ De niño, yo apeé del tren en la estación todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo apeaba del tren en la estación todos los días.

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

Quiz: apearse in use

Ten questions on apearse — 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 ______ del caballo en el patio. — “He/she gets off from the horse in the yard.”

  • a) se apea
  • b) me apeo
  • c) te apeas
  • d) nos apeamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ del tren en la estación. — “Yesterday, I got off from the train at the station.”

  • a) te apeaste
  • b) se apeó
  • c) se apearon
  • d) me apeé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ de la moto en la puerta cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to get off from the motorbike at the door when they were young.”

  • a) te apeabas
  • b) nos apeábamos
  • c) se apeaban
  • d) me apeaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ del autobús en la plaza. — “Tomorrow, we will get off from the bus in the square.”

  • a) se apearán
  • b) nos apearemos
  • c) me apearé
  • d) te apearás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ del caballo en el patio si pudiera. — “He would get off from the horse in the yard if he could.”

  • a) se apearía
  • b) me apearía
  • c) te apearías
  • d) nos apearíamos

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ del tren en la estación. — “I have got off from the train at the station.”

  • a) te has apeado
  • b) se ha apeado
  • c) se han apeado
  • d) me he apeado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ de la moto en la puerta. — “I hope you get off from the motorbike at the door.”

  • a) se apee
  • b) nos apeemos
  • c) te apees
  • d) me apee

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

  • a) apeé
  • b) apeado
  • c) apeando
  • d) apeo

9. What does apearse mean in English?

  • a) to get off, to alight
  • b) to get off, in general
  • c) to stink
  • d) to clean, to tidy (oneself)

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él apea del caballo en el patio.
  • b) Él apeo del caballo en el patio.
  • c) Nosotros apea del tren en la estación.
  • d) Yo apea del autobús en la plaza.

Answer key

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  9. a) to get off, to alight — apearse means to get off, to alight. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él apea del caballo en el patio. — Él apea del caballo en el patio. 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 apearse in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Me apeo del autobús en la plaza and Se apea del caballo en el patio. 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 apearse and bajar?

Apearse means “to get off, to alight”, while bajar means “to get off, in general”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use apearse when you mean “to get off, to alight” and bajar when you mean “to get off, in general”.

Which tense do I need most with apearse?

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

Apearse 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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