Mencionar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish

mencionar means to mention, and it is a verb you will meet in everyday Spanish again and again. Mencionar means to mention, and it is used for mentioning a name in passing, bringing up a topic briefly and referring to something in a letter or a talk. It is shorter and lighter than comentar, and it is a fully regular -ar verb. This page puts mencionar to work: twelve example sentences in different tenses and persons, grouped by use, then two short dialogues where the verb appears naturally, then the common mistakes to avoid, and finally a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Every Spanish form on this page comes from the verified conjugation tables for mencionar, and the full tables are on the mencionar conjugation page if you need to check a form.

Example sentences

Everyday uses

  1. Yo menciono el nombre del autor en el artículo. — I mention the author's name in the article.
  2. Él menciona el tema al final de la reunión. — He/she mentions the subject at the end of the meeting.
  3. Ayer, yo mencioné el problema en su carta. — Yesterday, I mentioned the problem in his letter.
  4. Antes, nosotros mencionábamos a su madre en la conversación. — Before, we used to mention his mother in the conversation.

In other tenses

  1. Mañana, tú mencionarás el nombre del autor en el artículo. — Tomorrow, you will mention the author's name in the article.
  2. Yo mencionaría el tema al final de la reunión. — I would mention the subject at the end of the meeting.
  3. Él ha mencionado el problema en su carta. — He/she has mentioned the problem in his letter.
  4. Espero que él mencione a su madre en la conversación. — I hope he/she mentions his mother in the conversation.

With other people

  1. Nosotros mencionamos el nombre del autor en el artículo. — We mention the author's name in the article.
  2. Vosotros mencionáis el tema al final de la reunión. — You all mention the subject at the end of the meeting.
  3. Antes, ellos mencionaban el problema en su carta. — Before, they used to mention the problem in his letter.
  4. Mañana, él mencionará a su madre en la conversación. — Tomorrow, he/she will mention his mother in the conversation.

Mencionar in context

Two short dialogues that use mencionar the way people really use it. Read them aloud — the verb forms will stick much faster in a conversation than in a table.

Dialogue 1: today and yesterday

  • Ana: "Hola, ¿qué tal?" — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Luis: "Hoy menciono el nombre del autor en el artículo." — "Today I mention the author's name in the article."
  • Ana: "¿Y ayer?" — "And yesterday?"
  • Luis: "Ayer, mencioné el problema en su carta." — "Yesterday I mentioned the problem in his letter."
  • Ana: "¿Y mañana, tú mencionarás el tema al final de la reunión?" — "And tomorrow, will you will mention the subject at the end of the meeting?"
  • Luis: "Sí, claro. Y tú también." — "Yes, of course. And you too."

Dialogue 2: making plans

  • Marta: "Mañana, nosotros mencionamos a su madre en la conversación." — "Tomorrow we mention his mother in the conversation."
  • Carlos: "Perfecto. Yo mencionaría el tema al final de la reunión si tuviera más tiempo." — "Perfect. I would would mention the subject at the end of the meeting if I had more time."
  • Marta: "Espero que él mencione el nombre del autor en el artículo." — "I hope he mentions the author's name in the article."
  • Carlos: "Seguro que sí. Él ya ha mencionado el problema en su carta." — "Surely. He has already has mentioned the problem in his letter."
  • Marta: "Vale, nos vemos mañana." — "OK, see you tomorrow."

Notice how the same verb changes with the tense: the present for the plan, the conditional for the wish, the subjunctive after espero que, and the present perfect for what has already happened. That is the whole point of learning a verb across its tenses, not just in one form.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo menciona el nombre del autor en el artículo. — Right: Yo menciono el nombre del autor en el artículo. — The person matters: menciona is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is menciono. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Vosotros mencionais el tema al final de la reunión. — Right: Vosotros mencionáis el tema al final de la reunión. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: mencionáis, not mencionais. The accent marks the stressed vowel.
  3. Wrong: Treating mencionar and comentar as identical in every context. — Right: Mencionar means to mention, while comentar means to comment at length. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: mencionar fits sentences such as Menciono el nombre del autor en el artículo, while comentar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy mencionado el tema al final de la reunión. — Right: Yo he mencionado el tema al final de la reunión. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he mencionado, has mencionado, ha mencionado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo mencioné el problema en su carta todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo mencionaba el problema en su carta todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (mencionaba), not the preterite. The preterite (mencioné) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on mencionar: four on the forms, three on the meaning, and three on spotting the correct sentence. Check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el nombre del autor en el artículo. (present tense) A. menciono B. mencionas C. menciona D. mencionamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ___ el tema al final de la reunión. (preterite tense) A. mencioné B. mencionaste C. mencionamos D. mencionó

  3. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el problema en su carta. (future tense) A. mencionará B. mencionaremos C. mencionarás D. mencionaré

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a su madre en la conversación. (imperfect tense) A. mencionabais B. mencionábamos C. mencionaba D. mencionabas

  5. What does "Yo menciono el nombre del autor en el artículo." mean in English? A. I mention the author's name in the article. B. I mention the subject at the end of the meeting. C. I mention the problem in his letter. D. I mention his mother in the conversation.

  6. What does "Él mencionó el tema al final de la reunión." mean in English? A. He/she mentioned the author's name in the article. B. He/she mentioned the problem in his letter. C. He/she mentioned his mother in the conversation. D. He/she mentioned the subject at the end of the meeting.

  7. What does "Nosotros mencionaremos el problema en su carta." mean in English? A. We will mention the subject at the end of the meeting. B. We will mention his mother in the conversation. C. We will mention the problem in his letter. D. We will mention the author's name in the article.

  8. Which sentence is correct? A. Yo mencionan el tema al final de la reunión. B. Yo menciona el tema al final de la reunión. C. Yo menciono el tema al final de la reunión.

  9. Which sentence is correct? A. Él mencioné el problema en su carta. B. Él mencionó el problema en su carta. C. Él mencionaron el problema en su carta.

  10. Which sentence is correct? A. Espero que yo mencione a su madre en la conversación. B. Yo mencionen a su madre en la conversación. C. Yo mencione a su madre en la conversación.

Answer key

  1. menciono — The yo present form of mencionar is menciono.
  2. mencionó — The el preterite form of mencionar is mencionó.
  3. mencionarás — The tu future form of mencionar is mencionarás.
  4. mencionábamos — The nosotros imperfect form of mencionar is mencionábamos.
  5. I mention the author's name in the article. — The Spanish sentence uses the present form menciono, so the English is "I mention the author's name in the article." The other options use a different object or situation.
  6. He/she mentioned the subject at the end of the meeting. — The Spanish sentence uses the preterite form mencionó, so the English is "He/she mentioned the subject at the end of the meeting." The other options use a different object or situation.
  7. We will mention the problem in his letter. — The Spanish sentence uses the future form mencionaremos, so the English is "We will mention the problem in his letter." The other options use a different object or situation.
  8. Yo menciono el tema al final de la reunión. — The correct sentence is "Yo menciono el tema al final de la reunión." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  9. Él mencionó el problema en su carta. — The correct sentence is "Él mencionó el problema en su carta." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.
  10. Espero que yo mencione a su madre en la conversación. — The correct sentence is "Espero que yo mencione a su madre en la conversación." The other sentences use the wrong form or the wrong person for the subject.

Frequently asked questions

What does mencionar mean, and when do I use it?

Mencionar means to mention. Mencionar means to mention, and it is used for mentioning a name in passing, bringing up a topic briefly and referring to something in a letter or a talk. It is shorter and lighter than comentar, and it is a fully regular -ar verb. A good first sentence to remember is Yo menciono el nombre del autor en el artículo. — "I mention the author's name in the article."

What is the difference between mencionar and comentar?

Mencionar means to mention, while comentar means to comment at length. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use mencionar when you mean to mention, as in Yo menciono el tema al final de la reunión., and use comentar for to comment at length.

How do I say "I mention" in the past?

For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo mencioné el tema al final de la reunión.. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo mencionaba el problema en su carta.. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he mencionado el tema al final de la reunión..

How do I practise mencionar?

Start with the mencionar conjugation page for the full tables, then the mencionar in the present tense page for the tense in focus, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure. Mencionar is fully regular: mencioné, mencionaba, mencionaré. Mencionar algo is a brief reference, not a full discussion.

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