Asignar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

asignar means “to assign” 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. Asignar means to assign, and it is used for giving tasks, numbers, dates and seats: a teacher assigns homework, a boss assigns a project, a system assigns a number. It takes a for the person who receives the task, as in asignar la tarea a María. 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 asignar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the asignar present tense page.

asignar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo asigno la tarea a María. — I assign the task to María.
  2. Él/Ella asigna un número a cada alumno. — He assigns a number to each student.
  3. Nosotros/as asignamos el trabajo al equipo. — We assign the work to the team.
  4. Ellos/as asignan una fecha al examen. — They assign a date to the exam.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo asigné el trabajo al equipo. — Yesterday, I assigned the work to the team.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as asignábamos una fecha al examen. — Before, We used to assign a date to the exam.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella asignó la tarea a María. — Yesterday, He assigned the task to María.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as asignaban un número a cada alumno. — As children, They used to assign a number to each student.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú asignarás la tarea a María. — Tomorrow, You will assign the task to María.
  2. Yo asignaría un número a cada alumno. — I would assign a number to each student.
  3. Espero que él asigne el trabajo al equipo. — I hope he assigns the work to the team.
  4. Él/Ella ha asignado una fecha al examen. — He has assigned a date to the exam.

asignar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú asignas la tarea a María mañana? — Are you going to assign the task to María tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo asigno la tarea a María todos los días. — Yes, I assign the task to María every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana asignarás un número a cada alumno? — And tomorrow, will you assign a number to each student? Luis: Claro, mañana asignaré un número a cada alumno sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will assign a number to each student without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo asignaré el trabajo al equipo también. — Perfect. I will assign the work to the team too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer asigné el trabajo al equipo. — Yesterday, I assigned the work to the team. Ana: ¿Y antes asignabas una fecha al examen? — And before, did you use to assign a date to the exam? Luis: Sí, antes asignaba una fecha al examen todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to assign a date to the exam every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos asignaron la tarea a María? — And did your brothers assigned the task to María? Luis: Sí, ellos asignaron la tarea a María por la tarde. — Yes, they assigned the task to María in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo asigna la tarea a María. — Right: Yo asigno la tarea a María. — The person matters: asigna is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is asigno. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating asignar and encargar as identical in every context. — Right: Asignar means to assign, while encargar means to put someone in charge of something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: asignar fits sentences such as Asigno la tarea a María, while encargar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy asignado un número a cada alumno. — Right: Yo he asignado un número a cada alumno. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he asignado, has asignado, ha asignado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo asigné el trabajo al equipo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo asignaba el trabajo al equipo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (asignaba), not the preterite. The preterite (asigné) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ una fecha al examen. (present tense) A. asignan B. asigno C. asignas D. asigna

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la tarea a María. (preterite tense) A. asigné B. asignaste C. asignó D. asignamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ un número a cada alumno. (imperfect tense) A. asignábamos B. asignabais C. asignabas D. asignaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ el trabajo al equipo. (future tense) A. asignaremos B. asignará C. asignaré D. asignarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ una fecha al examen. (conditional tense) A. asignaríamos B. asignaría C. asignarías D. asignaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la tarea a María. (present-perfect tense) A. has asignado B. ha asignado C. hemos asignado D. he asignado

  7. What does asignar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to assign D. to put someone in charge of something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo asigné el trabajo al equipo. B. Yo asigna la tarea a María. C. Yo asigno la tarea a María. D. Él/Ella asigna un número a cada alumno.

  9. Which is the gerund of asignar, used with estar for the progressive? A. asignando B. asignado C. asigno D. asigné

  10. Which is the past participle of asignar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. asignando B. asigno C. asigné D. asignado

Answer key

  1. asignan — The correct form here is asignan.
  2. asignamos — The correct form here is asignamos.
  3. asignabas — The correct form here is asignabas.
  4. asignará — The correct form here is asignará.
  5. asignaríamos — The correct form here is asignaríamos.
  6. he asignado — The correct form here is he asignado.
  7. to assign — Asignar means to assign. Encargar means to put someone in charge of something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo asigna la tarea a María. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo asigno la tarea a María.. The person matters: asigna is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is asigno. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. asignando — The gerund of asignar is asignando: estoy asignando.
  10. asignado — The past participle of asignar is asignado: he asignado, has asignado, ha asignado.

Frequently asked questions

What does asignar mean?

Asignar means to assign. Asignar means to assign, and it is used for giving tasks, numbers, dates and seats: a teacher assigns homework, a boss assigns a project, a system assigns a number. It takes a for the person who receives the task, as in asignar la tarea a María.

When do people use asignar most?

People use asignar most in everyday situations such as Yo asigno la tarea a María. and Ayer, Yo asigné el trabajo al equipo.. 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 asignar and encargar?

Asignar means to assign, while encargar means to put someone in charge of 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 asignar?

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

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