Puntuar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

puntuar means "to score, to punctuate" 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. Puntuar has two senses: to give marks — puntuar los exámenes — and to punctuate a text — puntuar el texto con comas. The context shows which one is meant. 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 puntuar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the puntuar present tense page.

puntuar 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 puntúo los exámenes de sus alumnos — "I score his pupils' exams"
  2. Mi amigo puntúa el texto con comas — "My friend scores the text with commas"
  3. Mañana, tú puntuarás alto en la competición — "Tomorrow, you will score high in the competition"
  4. Yo puntuaría la redacción con cuidado si pudiera — "I would score the essay carefully 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 puntué los exámenes de sus alumnos — "Yesterday, I scored his pupils' exams"
  2. Antes, nosotros puntuábamos el texto con comas — "Before, we used to score the text with commas"
  3. Él ha puntuado alto en la competición — "He has scored high in the competition"
  4. Yo ya había puntuado la redacción con cuidado antes de salir — "I already had scored the essay carefully 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 puntúe los exámenes de sus alumnos — "I hope he scores his pupils' exams"
  2. Si yo puntuara el texto con comas, todo cambiaría — "If I scored the text with commas, everything would change"
  3. Puntúa alto en la competición. — "Score high in the competition."
  4. Yo habría puntuado la redacción con cuidado con más tiempo — "I would have scored the essay carefully with more time"

puntuar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use puntuar 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 puntúo los exámenes de sus alumnos — "I score his pupils' exams"
  • Marcos: Él puntúa el texto con comas — "He scores the text with commas"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo puntué alto en la competición — "Yesterday, I scored high in the competition"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú puntuarás la redacción con cuidado — "Tomorrow, you will score the essay carefully"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Puntúa diez puntos en el concurso. — "Score ten points in the contest."
  • Lucía: Él ha puntuado los exámenes de sus alumnos — "He has scored his pupils' exams"
  • Marcos: Espero que él puntúe el texto con comas — "I hope he scores the text with commas"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo puntuaba alto en la competición — "Before, I used to score high in the competition"

Common mistakes with puntuar

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

✗ *Espero que él puntúa la redacción con cuidado

✓ Correct: Espero que él puntúe la redacción con cuidado

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él puntúe la redacción con cuidado — not the indicative Espero que él puntúa la redacción con cuidado.

✗ *Ayer, yo puntúo diez puntos en el concurso

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo puntué diez puntos en el concurso

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo puntué diez puntos en el concurso.

✗ *De niño, yo puntué los exámenes de sus alumnos todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo puntuaba los exámenes de sus alumnos todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo puntuaba los exámenes de sus alumnos todos los días.

✗ *Yo puntúo en alto en la competición.

✓ Correct: Yo puntúo alto en la competición.

puntuar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo puntúo alto en la competición.

✗ *Vosotros puntuais el texto con comas.

✓ Correct: Vosotros puntuáis el texto con comas.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: puntuáis, not puntuais.

Quiz: puntuar in use

Ten questions on puntuar — 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 ______ los exámenes de sus alumnos — "I score his pupils' exams" (present) A. puntuamos B. puntúo C. puntúas D. puntúa

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el texto con comas — "Yesterday, I scored the text with commas" (preterite) A. puntuó B. puntuamos C. puntué D. puntuaste

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ alto en la competición — "Before, we used to score high in the competition" (imperfect) A. puntuaba B. puntuabas C. puntuabais D. puntuábamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ la redacción con cuidado — "Tomorrow, you will score the essay carefully" (future) A. puntuaré B. puntuará C. puntuaremos D. puntuarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ diez puntos en el concurso — "I would score ten points in the contest" (conditional) A. puntuarías B. puntuaríamos C. puntuaríais D. puntuaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ los exámenes de sus alumnos — "He has scored his pupils' exams" (present perfect) A. he puntuado B. has puntuado C. hemos puntuado D. ha puntuado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el texto con comas — "I hope he scores the text with commas" (present subjunctive) A. puntúe B. puntúes C. puntuemos D. puntuéis

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ alto en la competición. — "Score high in the competition." (affirmative imperative) A. puntúe B. puntuemos C. puntuad D. puntúa

  9. Which is the gerund of puntuar, used with estar for the progressive? A. puntuado B. puntúo C. puntué D. puntuando

  10. What does puntuar mean in English? A. to cross B. to score C. to grade D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. puntúo — The present form for yo is puntúo.
  2. puntué — The preterite form for yo is puntué.
  3. puntuábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is puntuábamos.
  4. puntuarás — The future form for tú is puntuarás.
  5. puntuaría — The conditional form for yo is puntuaría.
  6. ha puntuado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha puntuado.
  7. puntúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is puntúe.
  8. puntúa — The affirmative imperative form is puntúa.
  9. puntuando — The gerund of puntuar is puntuando: estoy puntuando. The participle puntuado is used with haber instead.
  10. to score — puntuar means to score.

Frequently asked questions

What does puntuar mean in English?

puntuar means to score, to punctuate. For example: Yo puntúo los exámenes de sus alumnos — "I score his pupils' exams". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with puntuar?

puntuar takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is puntuar regular?

Yes. puntuar 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 puntuar?

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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