Apuntarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

apuntarse means “to sign up” 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. Apuntarse means to sign up, and it is the reflexive verb for joining a course, a gym, a trip or a list: you sign up for English classes, for a marathon, for a school trip. It takes a for the activity, as in apuntarse a un curso. 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 apuntarse; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the apuntarse present tense page.

apuntarse in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo me apunto a un curso de inglés. — I sign up for an English course.
  2. Él/Ella se apunta al gimnasio en enero. — He signs up to the gym in January.
  3. Nosotros/as nos apuntamos a la excursión del sábado. — We sign up for Saturday's trip.
  4. Ellos/as se apuntan a la lista de voluntarios. — They sign up to the volunteers' list.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo me apunté a la excursión del sábado. — Yesterday, I signed up for Saturday's trip.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as nos apuntábamos a la lista de voluntarios. — Before, We used to sign up to the volunteers' list.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella se apuntó a un curso de inglés. — Yesterday, He signed up for an English course.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as se apuntaban al gimnasio en enero. — As children, They used to sign up to the gym in January.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú te apuntarás a un curso de inglés. — Tomorrow, You will sign up for an English course.
  2. Yo me apuntaría al gimnasio en enero. — I would sign up to the gym in January.
  3. Espero que él se apunte a la excursión del sábado. — I hope he signs up for Saturday's trip.
  4. Él/Ella se ha apuntado a la lista de voluntarios. — He has signed up to the volunteers' list.

apuntarse in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú te apuntas a un curso de inglés mañana? — Are you going to sign up for an English course tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo me apunto a un curso de inglés todos los días. — Yes, I sign up for an English course every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana te apuntarás al gimnasio en enero? — And tomorrow, will you sign up to the gym in January? Luis: Claro, mañana me apuntaré al gimnasio en enero sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will sign up to the gym in January without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo me apuntaré a la excursión del sábado también. — Perfect. I will sign up for Saturday's trip 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 apunté a la excursión del sábado. — Yesterday, I signed up for Saturday's trip. Ana: ¿Y antes te apuntabas a la lista de voluntarios? — And before, did you use to sign up to the volunteers' list? Luis: Sí, antes me apuntaba a la lista de voluntarios todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to sign up to the volunteers' list every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos se apuntaron a un curso de inglés? — And did your brothers signed up for an English course? Luis: Sí, ellos se apuntaron a un curso de inglés por la tarde. — Yes, they signed up for an English course in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo apunto a un curso de inglés. — Right: Yo me apunto a un curso de inglés. — Apuntarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Treating apuntarse and inscribirse as identical in every context. — Right: Apuntarse means to sign up, while inscribirse means to enrol in something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: apuntarse fits sentences such as Me apunto a un curso de inglés, while inscribirse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy apuntado al gimnasio en enero. — Right: Yo he apuntado al gimnasio en enero. — 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 a la excursión del sábado todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo apuntaba a la excursión del sábado 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 apuntarse in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ a la lista de voluntarios. (present tense) A. se apuntan B. me apunto C. te apuntas D. se apunta

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ a un curso de inglés. (preterite tense) A. me apunté B. te apuntaste C. se apuntó D. nos apuntamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ al gimnasio en enero. (imperfect tense) A. se apuntaba B. nos apuntábamos C. te apuntabas D. me apuntaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ a la excursión del sábado. (future tense) A. nos apuntaremos B. se apuntará C. me apuntaré D. te apuntarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ a la lista de voluntarios. (conditional tense) A. nos apuntaríamos B. me apuntaría C. te apuntarías D. se apuntaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ a un curso de inglés. (present-perfect tense) A. te has apuntado B. se ha apuntado C. nos hemos apuntado D. me he apuntado

  7. What does apuntarse mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to sign up D. to enrol in something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo me apunté a la excursión del sábado. B. Yo apunto a un curso de inglés. C. Yo me apunto a un curso de inglés. D. Él/Ella se apunta al gimnasio en enero.

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

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

Answer key

  1. se apuntan — The correct form here is se apuntan.
  2. nos apuntamos — The correct form here is nos apuntamos.
  3. te apuntabas — The correct form here is te apuntabas.
  4. se apuntará — The correct form here is se apuntará.
  5. nos apuntaríamos — The correct form here is nos apuntaríamos.
  6. me he apuntado — The correct form here is me he apuntado.
  7. to sign up — Apuntarse means to sign up. Inscribirse means to enrol in something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo apunto a un curso de inglés. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo me apunto a un curso de inglés.. Apuntarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  9. apuntando — The gerund of apuntarse is apuntando: estoy apuntando.
  10. apuntado — The past participle of apuntarse is apuntado: he apuntado, has apuntado, ha apuntado.

Frequently asked questions

What does apuntarse mean?

Apuntarse means to sign up. Apuntarse means to sign up, and it is the reflexive verb for joining a course, a gym, a trip or a list: you sign up for English classes, for a marathon, for a school trip. It takes a for the activity, as in apuntarse a un curso.

When do people use apuntarse most?

People use apuntarse most in everyday situations such as Yo me apunto a un curso de inglés. and Ayer, Yo me apunté a la excursión del sábado.. 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 apuntarse and inscribirse?

Apuntarse means to sign up, while inscribirse means to enrol in something. 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 apuntarse?

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

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