Apoyarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

apoyarse means “to lean on” 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. Apoyarse means to lean on, and it is reflexive: you lean on a wall, on a friend's shoulder, on your elbows, and figuratively you lean on someone for support. It takes en for the support, as in apoyarse en un amigo, and it is a verb of rest and of trust. 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 apoyarse; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the apoyarse present tense page.

apoyarse in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo me apoyo en la pared del pasillo. — I lean on on the corridor wall.
  2. Él/Ella se apoya en el hombro de mi amigo. — He leans on on my friend's shoulder.
  3. Nosotros/as nos apoyamos en mis codos en la mesa. — We lean on on my elbows on the table.
  4. Ellos/as se apoyan en mi familia en los malos momentos. — They lean on on my family in bad times.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo me apoyé en mis codos en la mesa. — Yesterday, I leaned on on my elbows on the table.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as nos apoyábamos en mi familia en los malos momentos. — Before, We used to lean on on my family in bad times.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella se apoyó en la pared del pasillo. — Yesterday, He leaned on on the corridor wall.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as se apoyaban en el hombro de mi amigo. — As children, They used to lean on on my friend's shoulder.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú te apoyarás en la pared del pasillo. — Tomorrow, You will lean on on the corridor wall.
  2. Yo me apoyaría en el hombro de mi amigo. — I would lean on on my friend's shoulder.
  3. Espero que él se apoye en mis codos en la mesa. — I hope he leans on on my elbows on the table.
  4. Él/Ella se ha apoyado en mi familia en los malos momentos. — He has leaned on on my family in bad times.

apoyarse in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú te apoyas en la pared del pasillo mañana? — Are you going to lean on on the corridor wall tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo me apoyo en la pared del pasillo todos los días. — Yes, I lean on on the corridor wall every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana te apoyarás en el hombro de mi amigo? — And tomorrow, will you lean on on my friend's shoulder? Luis: Claro, mañana me apoyaré en el hombro de mi amigo sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will lean on on my friend's shoulder without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo me apoyaré en mis codos en la mesa también. — Perfect. I will lean on on my elbows on the table 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 apoyé en mis codos en la mesa. — Yesterday, I leaned on on my elbows on the table. Ana: ¿Y antes te apoyabas en mi familia en los malos momentos? — And before, did you use to lean on on my family in bad times? Luis: Sí, antes me apoyaba en mi familia en los malos momentos todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to lean on on my family in bad times every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos se apoyaron en la pared del pasillo? — And did your brothers leaned on on the corridor wall? Luis: Sí, ellos se apoyaron en la pared del pasillo por la tarde. — Yes, they leaned on on the corridor wall in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo apoyo en la pared del pasillo. — Right: Yo me apoyo en la pared del pasillo. — Apoyarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Treating apoyarse and sostenerse as identical in every context. — Right: Apoyarse means to lean on, while sostenerse means to hold yourself up. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: apoyarse fits sentences such as Me apoyo en la pared del pasillo, while sostenerse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy apoyado en el hombro de mi amigo. — Right: Yo he apoyado en el hombro de mi amigo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he apoyado, has apoyado, ha apoyado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo apoyé en mis codos en la mesa todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo apoyaba en mis codos en la mesa todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (apoyaba), not the preterite. The preterite (apoyé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ en mi familia en los malos momentos. (present tense) A. se apoyan B. me apoyo C. te apoyas D. se apoya

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ en la pared del pasillo. (preterite tense) A. me apoyé B. te apoyaste C. se apoyó D. nos apoyamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ en el hombro de mi amigo. (imperfect tense) A. se apoyaba B. nos apoyábamos C. te apoyabas D. me apoyaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ en mis codos en la mesa. (future tense) A. nos apoyaremos B. se apoyará C. me apoyaré D. te apoyarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ en mi familia en los malos momentos. (conditional tense) A. nos apoyaríamos B. me apoyaría C. te apoyarías D. se apoyaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ en la pared del pasillo. (present-perfect tense) A. te has apoyado B. se ha apoyado C. nos hemos apoyado D. me he apoyado

  7. What does apoyarse mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to lean on D. to hold yourself up

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo me apoyé en mis codos en la mesa. B. Yo apoyo en la pared del pasillo. C. Yo me apoyo en la pared del pasillo. D. Él/Ella se apoya en el hombro de mi amigo.

  9. Which is the gerund of apoyarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. apoyando B. apoyado C. apoyo D. apoyé

  10. Which is the past participle of apoyarse, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. apoyando B. apoyo C. apoyé D. apoyado

Answer key

  1. se apoyan — The correct form here is se apoyan.
  2. nos apoyamos — The correct form here is nos apoyamos.
  3. te apoyabas — The correct form here is te apoyabas.
  4. se apoyará — The correct form here is se apoyará.
  5. nos apoyaríamos — The correct form here is nos apoyaríamos.
  6. me he apoyado — The correct form here is me he apoyado.
  7. to lean on — Apoyarse means to lean on. Sostenerse means to hold yourself up, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo apoyo en la pared del pasillo. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo me apoyo en la pared del pasillo.. Apoyarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  9. apoyando — The gerund of apoyarse is apoyando: estoy apoyando.
  10. apoyado — The past participle of apoyarse is apoyado: he apoyado, has apoyado, ha apoyado.

Frequently asked questions

What does apoyarse mean?

Apoyarse means to lean on. Apoyarse means to lean on, and it is reflexive: you lean on a wall, on a friend's shoulder, on your elbows, and figuratively you lean on someone for support. It takes en for the support, as in apoyarse en un amigo, and it is a verb of rest and of trust.

When do people use apoyarse most?

People use apoyarse most in everyday situations such as Yo me apoyo en la pared del pasillo. and Ayer, Yo me apoyé en mis codos en la mesa.. 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 apoyarse and sostenerse?

Apoyarse means to lean on, while sostenerse means to hold yourself up. 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 apoyarse?

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

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