Apretar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

apretar means "to press, to squeeze" 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. Apretar means to press or squeeze: apretar el botón, apretar la mano. It is also used for things that fit too tightly: los zapatos aprietan means the shoes are tight. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, 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 apretar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the apretar present tense page.

apretar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo aprieto el botón del ascensor — "I press the lift button"
  2. Mi amigo aprieta la mano de su amigo — "My friend presses his friend's hand"
  3. Mañana, tú apretarás el tubo de pasta de dientes — "Tomorrow, you will press the toothpaste tube"
  4. Yo apretaría el cinturón de seguridad si pudiera — "I would press the seat belt if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo apreté el botón del ascensor — "Yesterday, I pressed the lift button"
  2. Antes, nosotros apretábamos la mano de su amigo — "Before, we used to press his friend's hand"
  3. Él ha apretado el tubo de pasta de dientes — "He has pressed the toothpaste tube"
  4. Yo ya había apretado el cinturón de seguridad antes de salir — "I already had pressed the seat belt before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él apriete el botón del ascensor — "I hope he presses the lift button"
  2. Si yo apretara la mano de su amigo, todo cambiaría — "If I pressed his friend's hand, everything would change"
  3. Aprieta el tubo de pasta de dientes. — "Press the toothpaste tube."
  4. Yo habría apretado el cinturón de seguridad con más tiempo — "I would have pressed the seat belt with more time"

apretar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use apretar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo aprieto el botón del ascensor — "I press the lift button"
  • Marcos: Él aprieta la mano de su amigo — "He presses his friend's hand"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo apreté el tubo de pasta de dientes — "Yesterday, I pressed the toothpaste tube"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú apretarás el cinturón de seguridad — "Tomorrow, you will press the seat belt"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Aprieta el gatillo con el dedo. — "Press the trigger with his finger."
  • Lucía: Él ha apretado el botón del ascensor — "He has pressed the lift button"
  • Marcos: Espero que él apriete la mano de su amigo — "I hope he presses his friend's hand"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo apretaba el tubo de pasta de dientes — "Before, I used to press the toothpaste tube"

Common mistakes with apretar

The errors learners actually make with apretar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo apreto el cinturón de seguridad.

✓ Correct: Yo aprieto el cinturón de seguridad.

apretar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is aprieto, not apreto.

✗ *Espero que él aprieta el cinturón de seguridad

✓ Correct: Espero que él apriete el cinturón de seguridad

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él apriete el cinturón de seguridad — not the indicative Espero que él aprieta el cinturón de seguridad.

✗ *Ayer, yo aprieto el gatillo con el dedo

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo apreté el gatillo con el dedo

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo apreté el gatillo con el dedo.

✗ *De niño, yo apreté el botón del ascensor todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo apretaba el botón del ascensor todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo apretaba el botón del ascensor todos los días.

✗ *Yo aprieto en el tubo de pasta de dientes.

✓ Correct: Yo aprieto el tubo de pasta de dientes.

apretar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo aprieto el tubo de pasta de dientes.

Quiz: apretar in use

Ten questions on apretar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el botón del ascensor — "I press the lift button" (present) A. aprietas B. aprieta C. apretamos D. aprieto

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la mano de su amigo — "Yesterday, I pressed his friend's hand" (preterite) A. apretaste B. apretó C. apretamos D. apreté

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ el tubo de pasta de dientes — "Before, we used to press the toothpaste tube" (imperfect) A. apretabais B. apretábamos C. apretaba D. apretabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ el cinturón de seguridad — "Tomorrow, you will press the seat belt" (future) A. apretarás B. apretaré C. apretará D. apretaremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el gatillo con el dedo — "I would press the trigger with his finger" (conditional) A. apretaríais B. apretaría C. apretarías D. apretaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el botón del ascensor — "He has pressed the lift button" (present perfect) A. ha apretado B. he apretado C. has apretado D. hemos apretado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la mano de su amigo — "I hope he presses his friend's hand" (present subjunctive) A. apretéis B. apriete C. aprietes D. apretemos

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ el tubo de pasta de dientes. — "Press the toothpaste tube." (affirmative imperative) A. apretad B. aprieta C. apriete D. apretemos

  9. Which is the gerund of apretar, used with estar for the progressive? A. apretado B. aprieto C. apreté D. apretando

  10. What does apretar mean in English? A. to draw B. to press C. to enjoy D. to cross

Answer key

  1. aprieto — The present form for yo is aprieto.
  2. apreté — The preterite form for yo is apreté.
  3. apretábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is apretábamos.
  4. apretarás — The future form for tú is apretarás.
  5. apretaría — The conditional form for yo is apretaría.
  6. ha apretado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha apretado.
  7. apriete — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is apriete.
  8. aprieta — The affirmative imperative form is aprieta.
  9. apretando — The gerund of apretar is apretando: estoy apretando. The participle apretado is used with haber instead.
  10. to press — apretar means to press.

Frequently asked questions

What does apretar mean in English?

apretar means to press, to squeeze. For example: Yo aprieto el botón del ascensor — "I press the lift button". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with apretar?

apretar takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is apretar regular?

No. apretar is a stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: aprieto, aprietas, aprieta and aprietan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: apretamos, apretáis.

How do I practise apretar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

Related links