Aplicarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

aplicarse means “to apply oneself” 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. Aplicarse means to apply oneself, and it is the reflexive verb for working hard at something: you apply yourself to your studies, to your work, to learning a language. It takes a or en for the task, as in aplicarse a los estudios, and it is a classic school and work verb. 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 aplicarse; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the aplicarse present tense page.

aplicarse in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo me aplico a los estudios este trimestre. — I apply oneself to my studies this term.
  2. Él/Ella se aplica en el trabajo con más ganas. — He applies oneself at work with more enthusiasm.
  3. Nosotros/as nos aplicamos a aprender español. — We apply oneself to learning Spanish.
  4. Ellos/as se aplican en el proyecto desde el lunes. — They apply oneself to the project since Monday.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo me apliqué a aprender español. — Yesterday, I applied oneself to learning Spanish.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as nos aplicábamos en el proyecto desde el lunes. — Before, We used to apply oneself to the project since Monday.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella se aplicó a los estudios este trimestre. — Yesterday, He applied oneself to my studies this term.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as se aplicaban en el trabajo con más ganas. — As children, They used to apply oneself at work with more enthusiasm.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú te aplicarás a los estudios este trimestre. — Tomorrow, You will apply oneself to my studies this term.
  2. Yo me aplicaría en el trabajo con más ganas. — I would apply oneself at work with more enthusiasm.
  3. Espero que él se aplique a aprender español. — I hope he applies oneself to learning Spanish.
  4. Él/Ella se ha aplicado en el proyecto desde el lunes. — He has applied oneself to the project since Monday.

aplicarse in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú te aplicas a los estudios este trimestre mañana? — Are you going to apply oneself to my studies this term tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo me aplico a los estudios este trimestre todos los días. — Yes, I apply oneself to my studies this term every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana te aplicarás en el trabajo con más ganas? — And tomorrow, will you apply oneself at work with more enthusiasm? Luis: Claro, mañana me aplicaré en el trabajo con más ganas sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will apply oneself at work with more enthusiasm without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo me aplicaré a aprender español también. — Perfect. I will apply oneself to learning Spanish too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer me apliqué a aprender español. — Yesterday, I applied oneself to learning Spanish. Ana: ¿Y antes te aplicabas en el proyecto desde el lunes? — And before, did you use to apply oneself to the project since Monday? Luis: Sí, antes me aplicaba en el proyecto desde el lunes todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to apply oneself to the project since Monday every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos se aplicaron a los estudios este trimestre? — And did your brothers applied oneself to my studies this term? Luis: Sí, ellos se aplicaron a los estudios este trimestre por la tarde. — Yes, they applied oneself to my studies this term in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo aplico a los estudios este trimestre. — Right: Yo me aplico a los estudios este trimestre. — Aplicarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo me aplicé a aprender español. — Right: Ayer, yo me apliqué a aprender español. — Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is me apliqué, never me aplicé.
  3. Wrong: Treating aplicarse and esforzarse as identical in every context. — Right: Aplicarse means to apply oneself, while esforzarse means to make an effort. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: aplicarse fits sentences such as Me aplico a los estudios este trimestre, while esforzarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy aplicado en el trabajo con más ganas. — Right: Yo he aplicado en el trabajo con más ganas. — 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 a aprender español todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo aplicaba a aprender español 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 aplicarse in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ en el proyecto desde el lunes. (present tense) A. se aplican B. me aplico C. te aplicas D. se aplica

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ a los estudios este trimestre. (preterite tense) A. me apliqué B. te aplicaste C. se aplicó D. nos aplicamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ en el trabajo con más ganas. (imperfect tense) A. se aplicaba B. nos aplicábamos C. te aplicabas D. me aplicaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ a aprender español. (future tense) A. nos aplicaremos B. se aplicará C. me aplicaré D. te aplicarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ en el proyecto desde el lunes. (conditional tense) A. nos aplicaríamos B. me aplicaría C. te aplicarías D. se aplicaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ a los estudios este trimestre. (present-perfect tense) A. te has aplicado B. se ha aplicado C. nos hemos aplicado D. me he aplicado

  7. What does aplicarse mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to apply oneself D. to make an effort

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo me apliqué a aprender español. B. Yo aplico a los estudios este trimestre. C. Yo me aplico a los estudios este trimestre. D. Él/Ella se aplica en el trabajo con más ganas.

  9. Which is the gerund of aplicarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. aplicando B. aplicado C. aplico D. apliqué

  10. Which is the past participle of aplicarse, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. aplicando B. aplico C. apliqué D. aplicado

Answer key

  1. se aplican — The correct form here is se aplican.
  2. nos aplicamos — The correct form here is nos aplicamos.
  3. te aplicabas — The correct form here is te aplicabas.
  4. se aplicará — The correct form here is se aplicará.
  5. nos aplicaríamos — The correct form here is nos aplicaríamos.
  6. me he aplicado — The correct form here is me he aplicado.
  7. to apply oneself — Aplicarse means to apply oneself. Esforzarse means to make an effort, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo aplico a los estudios este trimestre. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo me aplico a los estudios este trimestre.. Aplicarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  9. aplicando — The gerund of aplicarse is aplicando: estoy aplicando.
  10. aplicado — The past participle of aplicarse is aplicado: he aplicado, has aplicado, ha aplicado.

Frequently asked questions

What does aplicarse mean?

Aplicarse means to apply oneself. Aplicarse means to apply oneself, and it is the reflexive verb for working hard at something: you apply yourself to your studies, to your work, to learning a language. It takes a or en for the task, as in aplicarse a los estudios, and it is a classic school and work verb.

When do people use aplicarse most?

People use aplicarse most in everyday situations such as Yo me aplico a los estudios este trimestre. and Ayer, Yo me apliqué a aprender español.. 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 aplicarse and esforzarse?

Aplicarse means to apply oneself, while esforzarse means to make an effort. 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 aplicarse?

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

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