Notar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish

Introduction

notar means "to notice" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows notar in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of notar, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.

Example sentences with notar

Noticing a change

Notar means to become aware of something, often suddenly: noto un cambio en su voz. It is the verb for the moment you realise something is different.

  1. Cada día, yo noto un cambio en su voz. — "Every day, I notice a change in his voice."
  2. Hoy, él / ella nota la diferencia entre las fotos. — "Today, he / she notices the difference between the photos."
  3. Ayer, yo noté que la puerta está abierta. — "Yesterday, I noticed that the door is open."
  4. Antes, yo notaba un error en el texto. — "Before, I used to notice a mistake in the text."
  5. Mañana, yo notaré un cambio en su voz. — "Tomorrow, I will notice a change in his voice."
  6. Hoy, yo he notado la diferencia entre las fotos. — "Today, I have noticed the difference between the photos."

Noticing with que

Notar que introduces a whole fact: noto que la puerta está abierta. This is one of the most useful structures in Spanish, because it lets you report what you noticed in a full clause.

  1. Cada día, yo noto que la puerta está abierta. — "Every day, I notice that the door is open."
  2. Hoy, él / ella nota un error en el texto. — "Today, he / she notices a mistake in the text."
  3. Ayer, yo noté un cambio en su voz. — "Yesterday, I noticed a change in his voice."
  4. Antes, yo notaba la diferencia entre las fotos. — "Before, I used to notice the difference between the photos."
  5. Mañana, yo notaré que la puerta está abierta. — "Tomorrow, I will notice that the door is open."
  6. Hoy, yo he notado un error en el texto. — "Today, I have noticed a mistake in the text."

Notar in conversation

The two dialogues below show notar in natural conversation. The first is about noticing a change, and the second is about noticing with que. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.

Dialogue 1

  • ¿Tú notas un cambio en su voz? — "Do you notice a change in his voice?"
  • Sí, yo noto un cambio en su voz cada día. — "Yes, I notice a change in his voice every day."
  • ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú notaste la diferencia entre las fotos? — "And yesterday? Did you notice the difference between the photos?"
  • Sí, ayer yo noté la diferencia entre las fotos. — "Yes, yesterday I noticed the difference between the photos."
  • Mañana yo notaré que la puerta está abierta también. — "Tomorrow I will notice that the door is open too."

Dialogue 2

  • ¿Vosotros notáis que la puerta está abierta? — "Do you notice that the door is open?"
  • Sí, nosotros notamos que la puerta está abierta los fines de semana. — "Yes, we notice that the door is open at the weekends."
  • ¿Y ellos? ¿Ellos notan un error en el texto? — "And them? Do they notice a mistake in the text?"
  • Sí, ellos notan un error en el texto también. — "Yes, they notice a mistake in the text too."
  • Mañana nosotros notaremos que la puerta está abierta otra vez. — "Tomorrow we will notice that the door is open again."

Common mistakes with notar in everyday use

Mistake 1

  • Wrong: Yo noto a un cambio.
  • Right: Yo noto un cambio.
  • Why: Notar takes a direct object with no preposition. There is no a before a thing: noto un cambio, noto la diferencia.

Mistake 2

  • Wrong: Yo noto que la puerta está abierta, pero no lo veo.
  • Right: Yo noto que la puerta está abierta.
  • Why: Notar que already means you became aware of a fact. Adding pero no lo veo contradicts it.

Mistake 3

  • Wrong: Notar es lo mismo que observar.
  • Right: Notar means to notice; observar means to observe.
  • Why: Notar is a single moment of realisation. Observar is watching carefully over time. You can notar something in a second; observar takes longer.

Mistake 4

  • Wrong: Cada día, yo noté un cambio en su voz.
  • Right: Cada día, yo noto un cambio en su voz.
  • Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.

Mistake 5

  • Wrong: Yo noto un cambio en su voz ayer por la mañana.
  • Right: Ayer por la mañana yo noté un cambio en su voz.
  • Why: Ayer por la mañana means yesterday morning, so the action is finished and needs the preterite, not the present.

Quiz: notar in use

Ten questions on notar across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.

1. What is the i form of notar in the present tense?

  • (a) nota
  • (b) notamos
  • (c) noto
  • (d) notas

Answer: (c) noto. The i form in the present is noto.

2. What is the he / she form of notar in the present tense?

  • (a) notamos
  • (b) nota
  • (c) noto
  • (d) notas

Answer: (b) nota. The he / she form in the present is nota.

3. What is the he / she form of notar in the preterite tense?

  • (a) notó
  • (b) noté
  • (c) notaste
  • (d) notamos

Answer: (a) notó. The he / she form in the preterite is notó.

4. What is the i form of notar in the imperfect tense?

  • (a) noto
  • (b) noté
  • (c) notaré
  • (d) notaba

Answer: (d) notaba. The i form in the imperfect is notaba. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.

5. What is the i form of notar in the future tense?

  • (a) notará
  • (b) notaremos
  • (c) notaré
  • (d) notarás

Answer: (c) notaré. The i form in the future is notaré.

6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?

  • (a) noté
  • (b) notaba
  • (c) noto
  • (d) he notado

Answer: (d) he notado. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he notado.

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ un cambio en su voz.

  • (a) notaba
  • (b) note
  • (c) nota
  • (d) notó

Answer: (b) note. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: note. The indicative form would be wrong here.

8. What is the we form of notar in the present tense?

  • (a) noto
  • (b) notas
  • (c) nota
  • (d) notamos

Answer: (d) notamos. The we form in the present is notamos.

9. What is the i form of notar in the preterite tense?

  • (a) notó
  • (b) notamos
  • (c) noté
  • (d) notaste

Answer: (c) noté. The i form in the preterite is noté.

10. What is the they form of notar in the present tense?

  • (a) nota
  • (b) notan
  • (c) noto
  • (d) notas

Answer: (b) notan. The they form in the present is notan.

Frequently asked questions about notar

Is notar regular?

Yes. Notar is a regular -ar verb: noto, notaste, notaba, notaré. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes.

What follows notar: que or de?

Notar takes a direct object or a que clause: noto un error, noto que la puerta está abierta. It does not take de.

What is the difference between notar and darse cuenta?

They are close: both mean to realise something. Notar is simpler and more direct; darse cuenta de algo is more idiomatic and slightly more emphatic.

How can I practise notar?

Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.

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