Apreciar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

apreciar means “to appreciate” 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. Apreciar means to appreciate, and it covers appreciating a favour, appreciating art, appreciating a person's qualities and noticing a small detail, as in apreciar la diferencia. It is a polite verb of gratitude and of taste, common in letters and in careful speech. 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 apreciar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the apreciar present tense page.

apreciar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo aprecio tu ayuda en este proyecto. — I appreciate your help with this project.
  2. Él/Ella aprecia la diferencia entre los dos vinos. — He appreciates the difference between the two wines.
  3. Nosotros/as apreciamos el arte moderno del museo. — We appreciate the modern art in the museum.
  4. Ellos/as aprecian a mis amigos de verdad. — They appreciate my true friends.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo aprecié el arte moderno del museo. — Yesterday, I appreciated the modern art in the museum.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as apreciábamos a mis amigos de verdad. — Before, We used to appreciate my true friends.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella apreció tu ayuda en este proyecto. — Yesterday, He appreciated your help with this project.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as apreciaban la diferencia entre los dos vinos. — As children, They used to appreciate the difference between the two wines.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú apreciarás tu ayuda en este proyecto. — Tomorrow, You will appreciate your help with this project.
  2. Yo apreciaría la diferencia entre los dos vinos. — I would appreciate the difference between the two wines.
  3. Espero que él aprecie el arte moderno del museo. — I hope he appreciates the modern art in the museum.
  4. Él/Ella ha apreciado a mis amigos de verdad. — He has appreciated my true friends.

apreciar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú aprecias tu ayuda en este proyecto mañana? — Are you going to appreciate your help with this project tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo aprecio tu ayuda en este proyecto todos los días. — Yes, I appreciate your help with this project every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana apreciarás la diferencia entre los dos vinos? — And tomorrow, will you appreciate the difference between the two wines? Luis: Claro, mañana apreciaré la diferencia entre los dos vinos sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will appreciate the difference between the two wines without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo apreciaré el arte moderno del museo también. — Perfect. I will appreciate the modern art in the museum too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer aprecié el arte moderno del museo. — Yesterday, I appreciated the modern art in the museum. Ana: ¿Y antes apreciabas a mis amigos de verdad? — And before, did you use to appreciate my true friends? Luis: Sí, antes apreciaba a mis amigos de verdad todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to appreciate my true friends every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos apreciaron tu ayuda en este proyecto? — And did your brothers appreciated your help with this project? Luis: Sí, ellos apreciaron tu ayuda en este proyecto por la tarde. — Yes, they appreciated your help with this project in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo aprecia tu ayuda en este proyecto. — Right: Yo aprecio tu ayuda en este proyecto. — The person matters: aprecia is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aprecio. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating apreciar and valorar as identical in every context. — Right: Apreciar means to appreciate, while valorar means to value something or someone. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: apreciar fits sentences such as Aprecio tu ayuda en este proyecto, while valorar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy apreciado la diferencia entre los dos vinos. — Right: Yo he apreciado la diferencia entre los dos vinos. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he apreciado, has apreciado, ha apreciado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo aprecié el arte moderno del museo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo apreciaba el arte moderno del museo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (apreciaba), not the preterite. The preterite (aprecié) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ a mis amigos de verdad. (present tense) A. aprecian B. aprecio C. aprecias D. aprecia

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ tu ayuda en este proyecto. (preterite tense) A. aprecié B. apreciaste C. apreció D. apreciamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ la diferencia entre los dos vinos. (imperfect tense) A. apreciábamos B. apreciabais C. apreciabas D. apreciaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ el arte moderno del museo. (future tense) A. apreciaremos B. apreciará C. apreciaré D. apreciarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ a mis amigos de verdad. (conditional tense) A. apreciaríamos B. apreciaría C. apreciarías D. apreciaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ tu ayuda en este proyecto. (present-perfect tense) A. has apreciado B. ha apreciado C. hemos apreciado D. he apreciado

  7. What does apreciar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to appreciate D. to value something or someone

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo aprecié el arte moderno del museo. B. Yo aprecia tu ayuda en este proyecto. C. Yo aprecio tu ayuda en este proyecto. D. Él/Ella aprecia la diferencia entre los dos vinos.

  9. Which is the gerund of apreciar, used with estar for the progressive? A. apreciando B. apreciado C. aprecio D. aprecié

  10. Which is the past participle of apreciar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. apreciando B. aprecio C. aprecié D. apreciado

Answer key

  1. aprecian — The correct form here is aprecian.
  2. apreciamos — The correct form here is apreciamos.
  3. apreciabas — The correct form here is apreciabas.
  4. apreciará — The correct form here is apreciará.
  5. apreciaríamos — The correct form here is apreciaríamos.
  6. he apreciado — The correct form here is he apreciado.
  7. to appreciate — Apreciar means to appreciate. Valorar means to value something or someone, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo aprecia tu ayuda en este proyecto. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo aprecio tu ayuda en este proyecto.. The person matters: aprecia is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aprecio. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. apreciando — The gerund of apreciar is apreciando: estoy apreciando.
  10. apreciado — The past participle of apreciar is apreciado: he apreciado, has apreciado, ha apreciado.

Frequently asked questions

What does apreciar mean?

Apreciar means to appreciate. Apreciar means to appreciate, and it covers appreciating a favour, appreciating art, appreciating a person's qualities and noticing a small detail, as in apreciar la diferencia. It is a polite verb of gratitude and of taste, common in letters and in careful speech.

When do people use apreciar most?

People use apreciar most in everyday situations such as Yo aprecio tu ayuda en este proyecto. and Ayer, Yo aprecié el arte moderno del museo.. 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 apreciar and valorar?

Apreciar means to appreciate, while valorar means to value something or someone. 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 apreciar?

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

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