Aplicar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish

aplicar means to apply, and it is a verb you will meet in everyday Spanish again and again. Aplicar means to apply, and it covers applying cream to skin, applying a theory in practice, applying a new rule and applying a discount. It is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e. This page puts aplicar to work: twelve example sentences in different tenses and persons, grouped by use, then two short dialogues where the verb appears naturally, then the common mistakes to avoid, and finally a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Every Spanish form on this page comes from the verified conjugation tables for aplicar, and the full tables are on the aplicar conjugation page if you need to check a form.

Example sentences

Everyday uses

  1. Yo aplico la crema en la piel. — I apply the cream on the skin.
  2. Él aplica la teoría en la práctica. — He/she applies the theory in practice.
  3. Ayer, yo apliqué una norma nueva en el colegio. — Yesterday, I applied a new rule at school.
  4. Antes, nosotros aplicábamos el descuento a la factura. — Before, we used to apply the discount to the bill.

In other tenses

  1. Mañana, tú aplicarás la crema en la piel. — Tomorrow, you will apply the cream on the skin.
  2. Yo aplicaría la teoría en la práctica. — I would apply the theory in practice.
  3. Él ha aplicado una norma nueva en el colegio. — He/she has applied a new rule at school.
  4. Espero que él aplique el descuento a la factura. — I hope he/she applies the discount to the bill.

With other people

  1. Nosotros aplicamos la crema en la piel. — We apply the cream on the skin.
  2. Vosotros aplicáis la teoría en la práctica. — You all apply the theory in practice.
  3. Antes, ellos aplicaban una norma nueva en el colegio. — Before, they used to apply a new rule at school.
  4. Mañana, él aplicará el descuento a la factura. — Tomorrow, he/she will apply the discount to the bill.

Aplicar in context

Two short dialogues that use aplicar the way people really use it. Read them aloud — the verb forms will stick much faster in a conversation than in a table.

Dialogue 1: today and yesterday

  • Ana: "Hola, ¿qué tal?" — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Luis: "Hoy aplico la crema en la piel." — "Today I apply the cream on the skin."
  • Ana: "¿Y ayer?" — "And yesterday?"
  • Luis: "Ayer, apliqué una norma nueva en el colegio." — "Yesterday I applied a new rule at school."
  • Ana: "¿Y mañana, tú aplicarás la teoría en la práctica?" — "And tomorrow, will you will apply the theory in practice?"
  • Luis: "Sí, claro. Y tú también." — "Yes, of course. And you too."

Dialogue 2: making plans

  • Marta: "Mañana, nosotros aplicamos el descuento a la factura." — "Tomorrow we apply the discount to the bill."
  • Carlos: "Perfecto. Yo aplicaría la teoría en la práctica si tuviera más tiempo." — "Perfect. I would would apply the theory in practice if I had more time."
  • Marta: "Espero que él aplique la crema en la piel." — "I hope he applies the cream on the skin."
  • Carlos: "Seguro que sí. Él ya ha aplicado una norma nueva en el colegio." — "Surely. He has already has applied a new rule at school."
  • Marta: "Vale, nos vemos mañana." — "OK, see you tomorrow."

Notice how the same verb changes with the tense: the present for the plan, the conditional for the wish, the subjunctive after espero que, and the present perfect for what has already happened. That is the whole point of learning a verb across its tenses, not just in one form.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo aplica la crema en la piel. — Right: Yo aplico la crema en la piel. — The person matters: aplica is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aplico. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo aplicé la teoría en la práctica. — Right: Yo apliqué la teoría en la práctica. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is apliqué, not aplicé. aplicar is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating aplicar and usar as identical in every context. — Right: Aplicar means to apply, while usar means to use, the general verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: aplicar fits sentences such as Aplico la crema en la piel, while usar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy aplicado la teoría en la práctica. — Right: Yo he aplicado la teoría en la práctica. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he aplicado, has aplicado, ha aplicado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo apliqué una norma nueva en el colegio todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo aplicaba una norma nueva en el colegio todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (aplicaba), not the preterite. The preterite (apliqué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on aplicar: four on the forms, three on the meaning, and three on spotting the correct sentence. Check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la crema en la piel. (present tense) A. aplico B. aplicas C. aplica D. aplicamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ___ la teoría en la práctica. (preterite tense) A. apliqué B. aplicaste C. aplicamos D. aplicó

  3. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ una norma nueva en el colegio. (future tense) A. aplicará B. aplicaremos C. aplicarás D. aplicaré

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el descuento a la factura. (imperfect tense) A. aplicabais B. aplicábamos C. aplicaba D. aplicabas

  5. What does "Yo aplico la crema en la piel." mean in English? A. I apply the cream on the skin. B. I apply the theory in practice. C. I apply a new rule at school. D. I apply the discount to the bill.

  6. What does "Él aplicó la teoría en la práctica." mean in English? A. He/she applied the cream on the skin. B. He/she applied a new rule at school. C. He/she applied the discount to the bill. D. He/she applied the theory in practice.

  7. What does "Nosotros aplicaremos una norma nueva en el colegio." mean in English? A. We will apply the theory in practice. B. We will apply the discount to the bill. C. We will apply a new rule at school. D. We will apply the cream on the skin.

  8. Which sentence is correct? A. Yo aplican la teoría en la práctica. B. Yo aplica la teoría en la práctica. C. Yo aplico la teoría en la práctica.

  9. Which sentence is correct? A. Él apliqué una norma nueva en el colegio. B. Él aplicó una norma nueva en el colegio. C. Él aplicaron una norma nueva en el colegio.

  10. Which sentence is correct? A. Espero que yo aplique el descuento a la factura. B. Yo aplice el descuento a la factura. C. Yo aplique el descuento a la factura.

Answer key

  1. aplico — The yo present form of aplicar is aplico.
  2. aplicó — The el preterite form of aplicar is aplicó.
  3. aplicarás — The tu future form of aplicar is aplicarás.
  4. aplicábamos — The nosotros imperfect form of aplicar is aplicábamos.
  5. I apply the cream on the skin. — The Spanish sentence uses the present form aplico, so the English is "I apply the cream on the skin." The other options use a different object or situation.
  6. He/she applied the theory in practice. — The Spanish sentence uses the preterite form aplicó, so the English is "He/she applied the theory in practice." The other options use a different object or situation.
  7. We will apply a new rule at school. — The Spanish sentence uses the future form aplicaremos, so the English is "We will apply a new rule at school." The other options use a different object or situation.
  8. Yo aplico la teoría en la práctica. — The correct sentence is "Yo aplico la teoría en la práctica." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  9. Él aplicó una norma nueva en el colegio. — The correct sentence is "Él aplicó una norma nueva en el colegio." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  10. Espero que yo aplique el descuento a la factura. — The correct sentence is "Espero que yo aplique el descuento a la factura." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.

Frequently asked questions

What does aplicar mean, and when do I use it?

Aplicar means to apply. Aplicar means to apply, and it covers applying cream to skin, applying a theory in practice, applying a new rule and applying a discount. It is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e. A good first sentence to remember is Yo aplico la crema en la piel. — "I apply the cream on the skin."

What is the difference between aplicar and usar?

Aplicar means to apply, while usar means to use, the general verb. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use aplicar when you mean to apply, as in Yo aplico la teoría en la práctica., and use usar for to use, the general verb.

How do I say "I apply" in the past?

For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo apliqué la teoría en la práctica.. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo aplicaba una norma nueva en el colegio.. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he aplicado la teoría en la práctica..

How do I practise aplicar?

Start with the aplicar conjugation page for the full tables, then the aplicar in the present tense page for the tense in focus, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is apliqué and the subjunctive is aplique.

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