Apelar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

apelar means “to appeal” 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. Apelar means to appeal, and it is used in law for appealing against a sentence and in everyday life for appealing to someone's kindness, common sense or generosity. It takes a for the person appealed to and contra for the decision appealed against. 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 apelar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the apelar present tense page.

apelar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo apelo la sentencia del juez. — I appeal the judge's sentence.
  2. Él/Ella apela a su buen corazón. — He appeals to his kind heart.
  3. Nosotros/as apelamos la decisión ante el tribunal. — We appeal the decision before the court.
  4. Ellos/as apelan al sentido común. — They appeal to common sense.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo apelé la decisión ante el tribunal. — Yesterday, I appealed the decision before the court.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as apelábamos al sentido común. — Before, We used to appeal to common sense.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella apeló la sentencia del juez. — Yesterday, He appealed the judge's sentence.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as apelaban a su buen corazón. — As children, They used to appeal to his kind heart.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú apelarás la sentencia del juez. — Tomorrow, You will appeal the judge's sentence.
  2. Yo apelaría a su buen corazón. — I would appeal to his kind heart.
  3. Espero que él apele la decisión ante el tribunal. — I hope he appeals the decision before the court.
  4. Él/Ella ha apelado al sentido común. — He has appealed to common sense.

apelar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú apelas la sentencia del juez mañana? — Are you going to appeal the judge's sentence tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo apelo la sentencia del juez todos los días. — Yes, I appeal the judge's sentence every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana apelarás a su buen corazón? — And tomorrow, will you appeal to his kind heart? Luis: Claro, mañana apelaré a su buen corazón sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will appeal to his kind heart without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo apelaré la decisión ante el tribunal también. — Perfect. I will appeal the decision before the court too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer apelé la decisión ante el tribunal. — Yesterday, I appealed the decision before the court. Ana: ¿Y antes apelabas al sentido común? — And before, did you use to appeal to common sense? Luis: Sí, antes apelaba al sentido común todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to appeal to common sense every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos apelaron la sentencia del juez? — And did your brothers appealed the judge's sentence? Luis: Sí, ellos apelaron la sentencia del juez por la tarde. — Yes, they appealed the judge's sentence in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo apela la sentencia del juez. — Right: Yo apelo la sentencia del juez. — The person matters: apela is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is apelo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating apelar and recurrir as identical in every context. — Right: Apelar means to appeal, while recurrir means to appeal to a higher court or authority. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: apelar fits sentences such as Apelo la sentencia del juez, while recurrir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy apelado a su buen corazón. — Right: Yo he apelado a su buen corazón. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he apelado, has apelado, ha apelado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo apelé la decisión ante el tribunal todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo apelaba la decisión ante el tribunal todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (apelaba), not the preterite. The preterite (apelé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ al sentido común. (present tense) A. apelan B. apelo C. apelas D. apela

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la sentencia del juez. (preterite tense) A. apelé B. apelaste C. apeló D. apelamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ a su buen corazón. (imperfect tense) A. apelábamos B. apelabais C. apelabas D. apelaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la decisión ante el tribunal. (future tense) A. apelaremos B. apelará C. apelaré D. apelarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ al sentido común. (conditional tense) A. apelaríamos B. apelaría C. apelarías D. apelaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la sentencia del juez. (present-perfect tense) A. has apelado B. ha apelado C. hemos apelado D. he apelado

  7. What does apelar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to appeal D. to appeal to a higher court or authority

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo apelé la decisión ante el tribunal. B. Yo apela la sentencia del juez. C. Yo apelo la sentencia del juez. D. Él/Ella apela a su buen corazón.

  9. Which is the gerund of apelar, used with estar for the progressive? A. apelando B. apelado C. apelo D. apelé

  10. Which is the past participle of apelar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. apelando B. apelo C. apelé D. apelado

Answer key

  1. apelan — The correct form here is apelan.
  2. apelamos — The correct form here is apelamos.
  3. apelabas — The correct form here is apelabas.
  4. apelará — The correct form here is apelará.
  5. apelaríamos — The correct form here is apelaríamos.
  6. he apelado — The correct form here is he apelado.
  7. to appeal — Apelar means to appeal. Recurrir means to appeal to a higher court or authority, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo apela la sentencia del juez. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo apelo la sentencia del juez.. The person matters: apela is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is apelo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. apelando — The gerund of apelar is apelando: estoy apelando.
  10. apelado — The past participle of apelar is apelado: he apelado, has apelado, ha apelado.

Frequently asked questions

What does apelar mean?

Apelar means to appeal. Apelar means to appeal, and it is used in law for appealing against a sentence and in everyday life for appealing to someone's kindness, common sense or generosity. It takes a for the person appealed to and contra for the decision appealed against.

When do people use apelar most?

People use apelar most in everyday situations such as Yo apelo la sentencia del juez. and Ayer, Yo apelé la decisión ante el tribunal.. 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 apelar and recurrir?

Apelar means to appeal, while recurrir means to appeal to a higher court or authority. 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 apelar?

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

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