Apuntar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of apuntar — “to point, to note down” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for apuntar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. Apuntar is a regular -ar verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Apunto la dirección en el mapa.

Present tense conjugation table: apuntar

Every person of apuntar in the present tense. The gerund is apuntando and the past participle is apuntado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo apunto
tú apuntas
él/ella/Ud. apunta
nosotros/as apuntamos
vosotros/as apuntáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. apuntan

How the present of apuntar is formed

The present of apuntar is built from the stem apunt- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.

Person Ending Form
yo -o apunto
tú -as apuntas
él/ella/Ud. -a apunta
nosotros/as -amos apuntamos
vosotros/as -áis apuntáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an apuntan

For apuntar there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem apunt- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.

When to use the present tense with apuntar

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo apunto la dirección en el mapa. — I note down the address on the map.

General facts

Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.

Él/Ella apunta el número en la agenda. — He notes down the number in the diary.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as apuntamos la fecha en el calendario. — Right now, We note down the date on the calendar.

Near-future plans

Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.

Mañana, Tú apuntas el teléfono en mi libreta. — Tomorrow, You note down the phone number in my notebook.

Instructions and timeless statements

Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.

Él/Ella apunta la dirección en el mapa. — He notes down the address on the map.

The present vs the preterite

The present and the preterite answer different questions: the present says what happens regularly or right now, while the preterite says what happened once and finished. Compare the same idea in both tenses with apuntar.

  1. Yo apunto la dirección en el mapa. — I note down the address on the map. / Ayer, Yo apunté la dirección en el mapa. — Yesterday, I noted down the address on the map.
  2. Yo apunto el número en la agenda. — I note down the number in the diary. / Ayer, Yo apunté el número en la agenda. — Yesterday, I noted down the number in the diary.
  3. Yo apunto la fecha en el calendario. — I note down the date on the calendar. / Ayer, Yo apunté la fecha en el calendario. — Yesterday, I noted down the date on the calendar.

Example sentences in the present tense

Seven sentences with apuntar in the present tense only, covering all six persons.

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

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.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo apunto el número en la agenda. — Right: Ayer, yo apunté el número en la agenda. — With ayer, use the preterite (apunté), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using apuntar where anotar belongs. — Right: Apuntar means to point, to note down, while anotar means to note something down. — Check the meaning before you choose: apuntar fits Apunto la dirección en el mapa.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él apunta el número en la agenda. — Right: Espero que él apunte el número en la agenda. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: apunte, not the present indicative apunta.

Quiz: the present tense of apuntar

Eight questions on the present tense of apuntar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la dirección en el mapa. (present tense, yo) A. apunto B. apuntas C. apunta D. apuntamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el número en la agenda. (present tense, tú) A. apunto B. apunta C. apuntamos D. apuntas

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ la fecha en el calendario. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. apuntas B. apuntamos C. apunta D. apunto

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el teléfono en mi libreta. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. apunta B. apuntamos C. apunto D. apuntas

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ la dirección en el mapa. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. apuntáis B. apunto C. apuntas D. apunta

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el número en la agenda. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. apunto B. apuntas C. apunta D. apuntan

  7. Which is the gerund of apuntar? A. apunto B. apunté C. apuntando D. apuntado

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

Answer key

  1. apunto — The yo present form of apuntar is apunto.
  2. apuntas — The tú present form of apuntar is apuntas.
  3. apunta — The él/ella/Ud. present form of apuntar is apunta.
  4. apuntamos — The nosotros/as present form of apuntar is apuntamos.
  5. apuntáis — The vosotros/as present form of apuntar is apuntáis.
  6. apuntan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of apuntar is apuntan.
  7. apuntando — The gerund of apuntar is apuntando: estoy apuntando.
  8. apuntado — The past participle of apuntar is apuntado: he apuntado, has apuntado, ha apuntado.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of apuntar formed?

Take the infinitive apuntar, drop the -ar ending to get the stem apunt-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of apuntar is fully regular: the stem apunt- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.

When do I use the present tense of apuntar?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Apunto la dirección en el mapa.

What is the difference between the present and the preterite of apuntar?

The present (apunto) and the preterite (apunté) answer different questions: the present is for habits and for right now, while the preterite is for one finished action. Compare them in the contrast section above.

How do I practise the present of apuntar?

Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of apuntar to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the apuntar examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.

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