Citar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

citar means “to quote, to summon” 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. Citar means to quote or to summon, and the two senses share the idea of calling something up: you quote Shakespeare in an essay, you quote a poet's words, a doctor summons a patient for tomorrow, a court summons witnesses. It is a formal verb of writing and of law. 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 citar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the citar present tense page.

citar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo cito a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. — I quote Shakespeare in my essay.
  2. Él/Ella cita las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo. — He quotes the poet's words in my essay.
  3. Nosotros/as citamos una frase famosa en el discurso. — We quote a famous phrase in the speech.
  4. Ellos/as citan las palabras del autor en el artículo. — They quote the author's words in the article.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo cité una frase famosa en el discurso. — Yesterday, I quoted a famous phrase in the speech.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as citábamos las palabras del autor en el artículo. — Before, We used to quote the author's words in the article.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella citó a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. — Yesterday, He quoted Shakespeare in my essay.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as citaban las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo. — As children, They used to quote the poet's words in my essay.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú citarás a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. — Tomorrow, You will quote Shakespeare in my essay.
  2. Yo citaría las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo. — I would quote the poet's words in my essay.
  3. Espero que él cite una frase famosa en el discurso. — I hope he quotes a famous phrase in the speech.
  4. Él/Ella ha citado las palabras del autor en el artículo. — He has quoted the author's words in the article.

citar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú citas a Shakespeare en mi trabajo mañana? — Are you going to quote Shakespeare in my essay tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo cito a Shakespeare en mi trabajo todos los días. — Yes, I quote Shakespeare in my essay every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana citarás las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo? — And tomorrow, will you quote the poet's words in my essay? Luis: Claro, mañana citaré las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will quote the poet's words in my essay without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo citaré una frase famosa en el discurso también. — Perfect. I will quote a famous phrase in the speech too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer cité una frase famosa en el discurso. — Yesterday, I quoted a famous phrase in the speech. Ana: ¿Y antes citabas las palabras del autor en el artículo? — And before, did you use to quote the author's words in the article? Luis: Sí, antes citaba las palabras del autor en el artículo todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to quote the author's words in the article every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos citaron a Shakespeare en mi trabajo? — And did your brothers quoted Shakespeare in my essay? Luis: Sí, ellos citaron a Shakespeare en mi trabajo por la tarde. — Yes, they quoted Shakespeare in my essay in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo cita a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. — Right: Yo cito a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. — The person matters: cita is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is cito. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating citar and mencionar as identical in every context. — Right: Citar means to quote, to summon, while mencionar means to mention something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: citar fits sentences such as Cito a Shakespeare en mi trabajo, while mencionar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy citado las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo. — Right: Yo he citado las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he citado, has citado, ha citado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo cité una frase famosa en el discurso todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo citaba una frase famosa en el discurso todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (citaba), not the preterite. The preterite (cité) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ las palabras del autor en el artículo. (present tense) A. citan B. cito C. citas D. cita

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. (preterite tense) A. cité B. citaste C. citó D. citamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo. (imperfect tense) A. citábamos B. citabais C. citabas D. citaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ una frase famosa en el discurso. (future tense) A. citaremos B. citará C. citaré D. citarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ las palabras del autor en el artículo. (conditional tense) A. citaríamos B. citaría C. citarías D. citaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. (present-perfect tense) A. has citado B. ha citado C. hemos citado D. he citado

  7. What does citar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to quote, to summon D. to mention something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo cité una frase famosa en el discurso. B. Yo cita a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. C. Yo cito a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. D. Él/Ella cita las palabras del poeta en mi trabajo.

  9. Which is the gerund of citar, used with estar for the progressive? A. citando B. citado C. cito D. cité

  10. Which is the past participle of citar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. citando B. cito C. cité D. citado

Answer key

  1. citan — The correct form here is citan.
  2. citamos — The correct form here is citamos.
  3. citabas — The correct form here is citabas.
  4. citará — The correct form here is citará.
  5. citaríamos — The correct form here is citaríamos.
  6. he citado — The correct form here is he citado.
  7. to quote, to summon — Citar means to quote, to summon. Mencionar means to mention something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo cita a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo cito a Shakespeare en mi trabajo.. The person matters: cita is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is cito. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. citando — The gerund of citar is citando: estoy citando.
  10. citado — The past participle of citar is citado: he citado, has citado, ha citado.

Frequently asked questions

What does citar mean?

Citar means to quote, to summon. Citar means to quote or to summon, and the two senses share the idea of calling something up: you quote Shakespeare in an essay, you quote a poet's words, a doctor summons a patient for tomorrow, a court summons witnesses. It is a formal verb of writing and of law.

When do people use citar most?

People use citar most in everyday situations such as Yo cito a Shakespeare en mi trabajo. and Ayer, Yo cité una frase famosa en el discurso.. 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 citar and mencionar?

Citar means to quote, to summon, while mencionar means to mention 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 citar?

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

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