Apuntar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

apuntar means “to point, to note down” 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. Apuntar means to point or to note down, and the two senses share the idea of directing attention: you point at a door with your finger, you point a gun, and you note down a number in your diary. It also means to sign up in its reflexive form apuntarse, and to aim in shooting. 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 apuntar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the apuntar present tense page.

apuntar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo apunto la dirección en el mapa. — I note down the address on the map.
  2. Él/Ella apunta el número en la agenda. — He notes down the number in the diary.
  3. Nosotros/as apuntamos la fecha en el calendario. — We note down the date on the calendar.
  4. Ellos/as apuntan el teléfono en mi libreta. — They note down the phone number in my notebook.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo apunté la fecha en el calendario. — Yesterday, I noted down the date on the calendar.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as apuntábamos el teléfono en mi libreta. — Before, We used to note down the phone number in my notebook.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella apuntó la dirección en el mapa. — Yesterday, He noted down the address on the map.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as apuntaban el número en la agenda. — As children, They used to note down the number in the diary.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú apuntarás la dirección en el mapa. — Tomorrow, You will note down the address on the map.
  2. Yo apuntaría el número en la agenda. — I would note down the number in the diary.
  3. Espero que él apunte la fecha en el calendario. — I hope he notes down the date on the calendar.
  4. Él/Ella ha apuntado el teléfono en mi libreta. — He has noted down the phone number in my notebook.

apuntar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú apuntas la dirección en el mapa mañana? — Are you going to note down the address on the map tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo apunto la dirección en el mapa todos los días. — Yes, I note down the address on the map every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana apuntarás el número en la agenda? — And tomorrow, will you note down the number in the diary? Luis: Claro, mañana apuntaré el número en la agenda sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will note down the number in the diary without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo apuntaré la fecha en el calendario también. — Perfect. I will note down the date on the calendar too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer apunté la fecha en el calendario. — Yesterday, I noted down the date on the calendar. Ana: ¿Y antes apuntabas el teléfono en mi libreta? — And before, did you use to note down the phone number in my notebook? Luis: Sí, antes apuntaba el teléfono en mi libreta todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to note down the phone number in my notebook every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos apuntaron la dirección en el mapa? — And did your brothers noted down the address on the map? Luis: Sí, ellos apuntaron la dirección en el mapa por la tarde. — Yes, they noted down the address on the map in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo apunta la dirección en el mapa. — Right: Yo apunto la dirección en el mapa. — The person matters: apunta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is apunto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating apuntar and anotar as identical in every context. — Right: Apuntar means to point, to note down, while anotar means to note something down. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: apuntar fits sentences such as Apunto la dirección en el mapa, while anotar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy apuntado el número en la agenda. — Right: Yo he apuntado el número en la agenda. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he apuntado, has apuntado, ha apuntado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo apunté la fecha en el calendario todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo apuntaba la fecha en el calendario todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (apuntaba), not the preterite. The preterite (apunté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el teléfono en mi libreta. (present tense) A. apuntan B. apunto C. apuntas D. apunta

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la dirección en el mapa. (preterite tense) A. apunté B. apuntaste C. apuntó D. apuntamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ el número en la agenda. (imperfect tense) A. apuntábamos B. apuntabais C. apuntabas D. apuntaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la fecha en el calendario. (future tense) A. apuntaremos B. apuntará C. apuntaré D. apuntarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el teléfono en mi libreta. (conditional tense) A. apuntaríamos B. apuntaría C. apuntarías D. apuntaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la dirección en el mapa. (present-perfect tense) A. has apuntado B. ha apuntado C. hemos apuntado D. he apuntado

  7. What does apuntar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to point, to note down D. to note something down

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo apunté la fecha en el calendario. B. Yo apunta la dirección en el mapa. C. Yo apunto la dirección en el mapa. D. Él/Ella apunta el número en la agenda.

  9. Which is the gerund of apuntar, used with estar for the progressive? A. apuntando B. apuntado C. apunto D. apunté

  10. Which is the past participle of apuntar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. apuntando B. apunto C. apunté D. apuntado

Answer key

  1. apuntan — The correct form here is apuntan.
  2. apuntamos — The correct form here is apuntamos.
  3. apuntabas — The correct form here is apuntabas.
  4. apuntará — The correct form here is apuntará.
  5. apuntaríamos — The correct form here is apuntaríamos.
  6. he apuntado — The correct form here is he apuntado.
  7. to point, to note down — Apuntar means to point, to note down. Anotar means to note something down, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo apunta la dirección en el mapa. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo apunto la dirección en el mapa.. The person matters: apunta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is apunto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. apuntando — The gerund of apuntar is apuntando: estoy apuntando.
  10. apuntado — The past participle of apuntar is apuntado: he apuntado, has apuntado, ha apuntado.

Frequently asked questions

What does apuntar mean?

Apuntar means to point, to note down. Apuntar means to point or to note down, and the two senses share the idea of directing attention: you point at a door with your finger, you point a gun, and you note down a number in your diary. It also means to sign up in its reflexive form apuntarse, and to aim in shooting.

When do people use apuntar most?

People use apuntar most in everyday situations such as Yo apunto la dirección en el mapa. and Ayer, Yo apunté la fecha en el calendario.. 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 apuntar and anotar?

Apuntar means to point, to note down, while anotar means to note something down. 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 apuntar?

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

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