Apelar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb apelar means to appeal, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, apelar 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 apelo la sentencia del juez, and in the preterite you say apelé la decisión ante el tribunal. 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: apelar
- English: to appeal
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: apelando
- Past participle: apelado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + apelado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for apelar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Apelar is fully regular: apelé, apelaba, apelaré. In law, apelar la sentencia means to appeal against the sentence.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for apelar. 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 | apelo |
| tú | apelas |
| él/ella/Ud. | apela |
| nosotros/as | apelamos |
| vosotros/as | apeláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apelan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | apelé |
| tú | apelaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | apeló |
| nosotros/as | apelamos |
| vosotros/as | apelasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apelaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | apelaba |
| tú | apelabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | apelaba |
| nosotros/as | apelábamos |
| vosotros/as | apelabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apelaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | apelaré |
| tú | apelarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | apelará |
| nosotros/as | apelaremos |
| vosotros/as | apelaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apelarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | apelaría |
| tú | apelarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | apelaría |
| nosotros/as | apelaríamos |
| vosotros/as | apelaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apelarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he apelado |
| tú | has apelado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha apelado |
| nosotros/as | hemos apelado |
| vosotros/as | habéis apelado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han apelado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había apelado |
| tú | habías apelado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había apelado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos apelado |
| vosotros/as | habíais apelado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían apelado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré apelado |
| tú | habrás apelado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá apelado |
| nosotros/as | habremos apelado |
| vosotros/as | habréis apelado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán apelado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría apelado |
| tú | habrías apelado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría apelado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos apelado |
| vosotros/as | habríais apelado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían apelado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | apele |
| tú | apeles |
| él/ella/Ud. | apele |
| nosotros/as | apelemos |
| vosotros/as | apeléis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apelen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | apelara |
| tú | apelaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | apelara |
| nosotros/as | apeláramos |
| vosotros/as | apelarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apelaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | apela |
| él/ella/Ud. | apele |
| nosotros/as | apelemos |
| vosotros/as | apelad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apelen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | apeles |
| él/ella/Ud. | apele |
| nosotros/as | apelemos |
| vosotros/as | apeléis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apelen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | apelando | with estar for the progressive: estoy apelando |
| Past participle | apelado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he apelado |
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 apelar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Apelo la sentencia del juez. 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 apelar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, apelé a su buen corazón. 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 apelar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, apelaba la decisión ante el tribunal. 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 apelar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, apelaré al sentido común. 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 apelar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Apelaría la sentencia del juez 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 apelar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he apelado a su buen corazón. 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 apelar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había apelado la decisión ante el tribunal 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 apelar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré apelado al sentido común. 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 apelar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría apelado la sentencia del juez 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 apelar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él apele a su buen corazón. 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 apelar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él apelara la decisión ante el tribunal, 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 apelar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡apela al sentido común! 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 apelar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No apeles la sentencia del juez. 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 apelar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Apelo la sentencia del juez. — I appeal the judge's sentence.
- Apela a su buen corazón. — He/she appeals to his kind heart.
- Ayer, apelé la decisión ante el tribunal. — Yesterday, I appealed the decision before the court.
- Antes, nosotros apelábamos al sentido común. — Before, we used to appeal to common sense.
- Mañana, tú apelarás la sentencia del juez. — Tomorrow, you will appeal the judge's sentence.
- Yo apelaría a su buen corazón si tuviera más tiempo. — I would appeal to his kind heart if I had more time.
- Él ha apelado la decisión ante el tribunal. — He has appealed the decision before the court.
- Espero que él apele al sentido común. — I hope he appeals to common sense.
- Yo ya había apelado la sentencia del juez antes de salir. — I had already appealed the judge's sentence before leaving.
- Ellos apelaban a su buen corazón cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to appeal to his kind heart when they were young.
Common mistakes
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la sentencia del juez. (present tense) A. apelo B. apelas C. apela D. apelamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a su buen corazón. (preterite) A. apelé B. apelaste C. apelaron D. apeló
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la decisión ante el tribunal. (imperfect) A. apelabas B. apelaban C. apelábamos D. apelaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ al sentido común. (future) A. apelaremos B. apelarás C. apelaré D. apelará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la sentencia del juez si pudiera. (conditional) A. apelaría B. apelarías C. apelarían D. apelo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a su buen corazón. (present subjunctive) A. apeles B. apelemos C. apelo D. apele
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la decisión ante el tribunal, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. apeláramos B. apelo C. apelara D. apelaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ al sentido común. (present perfect) A. han apelado B. hemos apelado C. he apelado D. has apelado
Complete the command: ¡___ la sentencia del juez! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. apela B. apele C. apelemos D. apelad
Which is the gerund of apelar, used with estar for the progressive? A. apelado B. apelo C. apelé D. apelando
Answer key
- apelo — The first-person present of apelar is apelo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- apeló — The third-person preterite of apelar is apeló, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- apelábamos — The nosotros imperfect of apelar is apelábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- apelarás — The second-person future of apelar is apelarás.
- apelaría — The first-person conditional of apelar is apelaría, the form for what would happen.
- apele — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of apelar is apele.
- apelara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of apelar is apelara.
- hemos apelado — The nosotros present perfect of apelar is hemos apelado: hemos + apelado.
- apela — The affirmative tú imperative of apelar is apela.
- apelando — The gerund of apelar is apelando: estoy apelando. The participle apelado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does apelar mean in English?
Apelar means to appeal. It is used in everyday situations such as Apelo la sentencia del juez. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is apelar regular or irregular?
Apelar 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 apelo in the present and apelé in the preterite.
What is the difference between apelar and recurrir?
Apelar means to appeal, while recurrir means to appeal to a higher court or authority. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use apelar when you mean to appeal, as in Apelo la sentencia del juez, and use recurrir for to appeal to a higher court or authority. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I appeal” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo apelé a su buen corazón. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo apelaba la decisión ante el tribunal. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he apelado a su buen corazón.
How do I practise apelar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the apelar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Apelar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for apelar.
- Apelar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for apelar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Apasionar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with apelar.
- Apartar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with apelar.
- Añorar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with apelar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.