Exceptuar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

exceptuar means "to except" 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. Exceptuar means to except or exempt someone from something: exceptuar a su hijo de la norma. It takes a person as its object and de for the rule or payment. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, 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 exceptuar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the exceptuar present tense page.

exceptuar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo exceptúo a su hijo de la norma — "I except his son from the rule"
  2. Mi amigo exceptúa a los niños del pago — "My friend excepts the children from the payment"
  3. Mañana, tú exceptuarás a nadie de la obligación — "Tomorrow, you will except nobody from the obligation"
  4. Yo exceptuaría a su amigo de la lista si pudiera — "I would except his friend from the list if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo exceptué a su hijo de la norma — "Yesterday, I excepted his son from the rule"
  2. Antes, nosotros exceptuábamos a los niños del pago — "Before, we used to except the children from the payment"
  3. Él ha exceptuado a nadie de la obligación — "He has excepted nobody from the obligation"
  4. Yo ya había exceptuado a su amigo de la lista antes de salir — "I already had excepted his friend from the list before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él exceptúe a su hijo de la norma — "I hope he excepts his son from the rule"
  2. Si yo exceptuara a los niños del pago, todo cambiaría — "If I excepted the children from the payment, everything would change"
  3. Exceptúa a nadie de la obligación. — "Except nobody from the obligation."
  4. Yo habría exceptuado a su amigo de la lista con más tiempo — "I would have excepted his friend from the list with more time"

exceptuar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use exceptuar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo exceptúo a su hijo de la norma — "I except his son from the rule"
  • Marcos: Él exceptúa a los niños del pago — "He excepts the children from the payment"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo exceptué a nadie de la obligación — "Yesterday, I excepted nobody from the obligation"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú exceptuarás a su amigo de la lista — "Tomorrow, you will except his friend from the list"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Exceptúa a los ancianos del impuesto. — "Except elderly people from the tax."
  • Lucía: Él ha exceptuado a su hijo de la norma — "He has excepted his son from the rule"
  • Marcos: Espero que él exceptúe a los niños del pago — "I hope he excepts the children from the payment"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo exceptuaba a nadie de la obligación — "Before, I used to except nobody from the obligation"

Common mistakes with exceptuar

The errors learners actually make with exceptuar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Espero que él exceptúa a su amigo de la lista

✓ Correct: Espero que él exceptúe a su amigo de la lista

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él exceptúe a su amigo de la lista — not the indicative Espero que él exceptúa a su amigo de la lista.

✗ *Ayer, yo exceptúo a los ancianos del impuesto

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo exceptué a los ancianos del impuesto

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo exceptué a los ancianos del impuesto.

✗ *De niño, yo exceptué a su hijo de la norma todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo exceptuaba a su hijo de la norma todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo exceptuaba a su hijo de la norma todos los días.

✗ *Yo exceptúo nadie de la obligación.

✓ Correct: Yo exceptúo a nadie de la obligación.

exceptuar takes a before this complement: Yo exceptúo a nadie de la obligación. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

✗ *Vosotros exceptuais a los niños del pago.

✓ Correct: Vosotros exceptuáis a los niños del pago.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: exceptuáis, not exceptuais.

Quiz: exceptuar in use

Ten questions on exceptuar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a su hijo de la norma — "I except his son from the rule" (present) A. exceptúa B. exceptuamos C. exceptúo D. exceptúas

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ a los niños del pago — "Yesterday, I excepted the children from the payment" (preterite) A. exceptué B. exceptuaste C. exceptuó D. exceptuamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ a nadie de la obligación — "Before, we used to except nobody from the obligation" (imperfect) A. exceptuábamos B. exceptuaba C. exceptuabas D. exceptuabais

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ a su amigo de la lista — "Tomorrow, you will except his friend from the list" (future) A. exceptuaré B. exceptuará C. exceptuaremos D. exceptuarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a los ancianos del impuesto — "I would except elderly people from the tax" (conditional) A. exceptuaríais B. exceptuaría C. exceptuarías D. exceptuaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a su hijo de la norma — "He has excepted his son from the rule" (present perfect) A. he exceptuado B. has exceptuado C. hemos exceptuado D. ha exceptuado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ a los niños del pago — "I hope he excepts the children from the payment" (present subjunctive) A. exceptúes B. exceptuemos C. exceptuéis D. exceptúe

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ a nadie de la obligación. — "Except nobody from the obligation." (affirmative imperative) A. exceptúa B. exceptúe C. exceptuemos D. exceptuad

  9. Which is the gerund of exceptuar, used with estar for the progressive? A. exceptué B. exceptuando C. exceptuado D. exceptúo

  10. What does exceptuar mean in English? A. to exclude B. to enjoy C. to cross D. to except

Answer key

  1. exceptúo — The present form for yo is exceptúo.
  2. exceptué — The preterite form for yo is exceptué.
  3. exceptuábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is exceptuábamos.
  4. exceptuarás — The future form for tú is exceptuarás.
  5. exceptuaría — The conditional form for yo is exceptuaría.
  6. ha exceptuado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha exceptuado.
  7. exceptúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is exceptúe.
  8. exceptúa — The affirmative imperative form is exceptúa.
  9. exceptuando — The gerund of exceptuar is exceptuando: estoy exceptuando. The participle exceptuado is used with haber instead.
  10. to except — exceptuar means to except.

Frequently asked questions

What does exceptuar mean in English?

exceptuar means to except. For example: Yo exceptúo a su hijo de la norma — "I except his son from the rule". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with exceptuar?

exceptuar takes a before this kind of complement, as in the examples above. Keep the preposition with the verb — dropping it is one of the most common learner errors with exceptuar.

Is exceptuar regular?

Yes. exceptuar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense.

How do I practise exceptuar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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