Apostar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

apostar means “to bet” 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. Apostar means to bet, and it is used for betting money on a horse, a match or a lottery, and figuratively for betting on a person or an idea, as in apuesto por ti, I am betting on you. It is a stem-changing verb, o to ue, and a classic verb of games and risk. 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 apostar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the apostar present tense page.

apostar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo apuesto diez euros al caballo ganador. — I bet ten euros on the winning horse.
  2. Él/Ella apuesta por mi equipo en la final. — He bets on my team in the final.
  3. Nosotros/as apostamos a que llueve mañana. — We bet that it rains tomorrow.
  4. Ellos/as apuestan todo mi dinero en la partida. — They bet all my money on the game.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo aposté a que llueve mañana. — Yesterday, I bet that it rains tomorrow.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as apostábamos todo mi dinero en la partida. — Before, We used to bet all my money on the game.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella apostó diez euros al caballo ganador. — Yesterday, He bet ten euros on the winning horse.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as apostaban por mi equipo en la final. — As children, They used to bet on my team in the final.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú apostarás diez euros al caballo ganador. — Tomorrow, You will bet ten euros on the winning horse.
  2. Yo apostaría por mi equipo en la final. — I would bet on my team in the final.
  3. Espero que él apueste a que llueve mañana. — I hope he bets that it rains tomorrow.
  4. Él/Ella ha apostado todo mi dinero en la partida. — He has bet all my money on the game.

apostar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú apuestas diez euros al caballo ganador mañana? — Are you going to bet ten euros on the winning horse tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo apuesto diez euros al caballo ganador todos los días. — Yes, I bet ten euros on the winning horse every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana apostarás por mi equipo en la final? — And tomorrow, will you bet on my team in the final? Luis: Claro, mañana apostaré por mi equipo en la final sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will bet on my team in the final without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo apostaré a que llueve mañana también. — Perfect. I will bet that it rains tomorrow too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer aposté a que llueve mañana. — Yesterday, I bet that it rains tomorrow. Ana: ¿Y antes apostabas todo mi dinero en la partida? — And before, did you use to bet all my money on the game? Luis: Sí, antes apostaba todo mi dinero en la partida todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to bet all my money on the game every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos apostaron diez euros al caballo ganador? — And did your brothers bet ten euros on the winning horse? Luis: Sí, ellos apostaron diez euros al caballo ganador por la tarde. — Yes, they bet ten euros on the winning horse in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo apuesta diez euros al caballo ganador. — Right: Yo apuesto diez euros al caballo ganador. — The person matters: apuesta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is apuesto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo aposto por mi equipo en la final. — Right: Yo apuesto por mi equipo en la final. — Apostar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
  3. Wrong: Treating apostar and jugarse as identical in every context. — Right: Apostar means to bet, while jugarse means to gamble something, to risk it. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: apostar fits sentences such as Apuesto diez euros al caballo ganador, while jugarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy apostado por mi equipo en la final. — Right: Yo he apostado por mi equipo en la final. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he apostado, has apostado, ha apostado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo aposté a que llueve mañana todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo apostaba a que llueve mañana todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (apostaba), not the preterite. The preterite (aposté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ todo mi dinero en la partida. (present tense) A. apuestan B. apuesto C. apuestas D. apuesta

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ diez euros al caballo ganador. (preterite tense) A. aposté B. apostaste C. apostó D. apostamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ por mi equipo en la final. (imperfect tense) A. apostábamos B. apostabais C. apostabas D. apostaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ a que llueve mañana. (future tense) A. apostaremos B. apostará C. apostaré D. apostarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ todo mi dinero en la partida. (conditional tense) A. apostaríamos B. apostaría C. apostarías D. apostaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ diez euros al caballo ganador. (present-perfect tense) A. has apostado B. ha apostado C. hemos apostado D. he apostado

  7. What does apostar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to bet D. to gamble something, to risk it

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo aposté a que llueve mañana. B. Yo apuesta diez euros al caballo ganador. C. Yo apuesto diez euros al caballo ganador. D. Él/Ella apuesta por mi equipo en la final.

  9. Which is the gerund of apostar, used with estar for the progressive? A. apostando B. apostado C. apuesto D. aposté

  10. Which is the past participle of apostar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. apostando B. apuesto C. aposté D. apostado

Answer key

  1. apuestan — The correct form here is apuestan.
  2. apostamos — The correct form here is apostamos.
  3. apostabas — The correct form here is apostabas.
  4. apostará — The correct form here is apostará.
  5. apostaríamos — The correct form here is apostaríamos.
  6. he apostado — The correct form here is he apostado.
  7. to bet — Apostar means to bet. Jugarse means to gamble something, to risk it, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo apuesta diez euros al caballo ganador. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo apuesto diez euros al caballo ganador.. The person matters: apuesta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is apuesto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. apostando — The gerund of apostar is apostando: estoy apostando.
  10. apostado — The past participle of apostar is apostado: he apostado, has apostado, ha apostado.

Frequently asked questions

What does apostar mean?

Apostar means to bet. Apostar means to bet, and it is used for betting money on a horse, a match or a lottery, and figuratively for betting on a person or an idea, as in apuesto por ti, I am betting on you. It is a stem-changing verb, o to ue, and a classic verb of games and risk.

When do people use apostar most?

People use apostar most in everyday situations such as Yo apuesto diez euros al caballo ganador. and Ayer, Yo aposté a que llueve mañana.. 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 apostar and jugarse?

Apostar means to bet, while jugarse means to gamble something, to risk it. 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 apostar?

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

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