Puntuar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb puntuar means to score, to punctuate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, puntuar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo puntúo los exámenes de sus alumnos — "I score his pupils' exams". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: puntuar
  • English: to score, to punctuate
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: puntuando
  • Past participle: puntuado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + puntuado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for puntuar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for puntuar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | puntúo | | tú | puntúas | | él/ella/Ud. | puntúa | | nosotros/as | puntuamos | | vosotros/as | puntuáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | puntúan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | puntué | | tú | puntuaste | | él/ella/Ud. | puntuó | | nosotros/as | puntuamos | | vosotros/as | puntuasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | puntuaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | puntuaba | | tú | puntuabas | | él/ella/Ud. | puntuaba | | nosotros/as | puntuábamos | | vosotros/as | puntuabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | puntuaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | puntuaré | | tú | puntuarás | | él/ella/Ud. | puntuará | | nosotros/as | puntuaremos | | vosotros/as | puntuaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | puntuarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | puntuaría | | tú | puntuarías | | él/ella/Ud. | puntuaría | | nosotros/as | puntuaríamos | | vosotros/as | puntuaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | puntuarían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he puntuado | | tú | has puntuado | | él/ella/Ud. | ha puntuado | | nosotros/as | hemos puntuado | | vosotros/as | habéis puntuado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han puntuado |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había puntuado | | tú | habías puntuado | | él/ella/Ud. | había puntuado | | nosotros/as | habíamos puntuado | | vosotros/as | habíais puntuado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían puntuado |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré puntuado | | tú | habrás puntuado | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá puntuado | | nosotros/as | habremos puntuado | | vosotros/as | habréis puntuado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán puntuado |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría puntuado | | tú | habrías puntuado | | él/ella/Ud. | habría puntuado | | nosotros/as | habríamos puntuado | | vosotros/as | habríais puntuado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían puntuado |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | puntúe | | tú | puntúes | | él/ella/Ud. | puntúe | | nosotros/as | puntuemos | | vosotros/as | puntuéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | puntúen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | puntuara | | tú | puntuaras | | él/ella/Ud. | puntuara | | nosotros/as | puntuáramos | | vosotros/as | puntuarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | puntuaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | puntúa | | él/ella/Ud. | puntúe | | nosotros/as | puntuemos | | vosotros/as | puntuad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | puntúen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | puntúes | | él/ella/Ud. | puntúe | | nosotros/as | puntuemos | | vosotros/as | puntuéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | puntúen |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund puntuando with estar for the progressive: está puntuando
Past participle puntuado with haber for the perfect tenses: he puntuado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For puntuar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo puntúo los exámenes de sus alumnos — "I score his pupils' exams".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For puntuar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo puntué el texto con comas — "Yesterday, I scored the text with commas".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For puntuar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo puntuaba alto en la competición — "As a child, I used to score high in the competition".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For puntuar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo puntuaré la redacción con cuidado — "Tomorrow, I will score the essay carefully".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For puntuar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo puntuaría los exámenes de sus alumnos si pudiera — "I would score his pupils' exams if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For puntuar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he puntuado el texto con comas — "Today, I have scored the text with commas".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For puntuar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había puntuado alto en la competición antes de salir — "I already had scored high in the competition before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For puntuar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré puntuado la redacción con cuidado — "By tomorrow, I will have scored the essay carefully".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For puntuar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría puntuado los exámenes de sus alumnos con más tiempo — "I would have scored his pupils' exams with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For puntuar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él puntúe el texto con comas — "I hope he scores the text with commas".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For puntuar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo puntuara alto en la competición, todo cambiaría — "If I scored high in the competition, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For puntuar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Puntúa la redacción con cuidado. — "Score the essay carefully.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For puntuar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No puntúes los exámenes de sus alumnos. — "Do not score his pupils' exams.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with puntuar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  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. Ayer, yo puntué alto en la competición — "Yesterday, I scored high in the competition"
  4. Antes, nosotros puntuábamos la redacción con cuidado — "Before, we used to score the essay carefully"
  5. Mañana, tú puntuarás diez puntos en el concurso — "Tomorrow, you will score ten points in the contest"
  6. Yo puntuaría los exámenes de sus alumnos si tuviera más tiempo — "I would score his pupils' exams if I had more time"
  7. Él ha puntuado el texto con comas — "He has scored the text with commas"
  8. Espero que él puntúe alto en la competición — "I hope he scores high in the competition"
  9. Yo ya había puntuado la redacción con cuidado antes de salir — "I already had scored the essay carefully before leaving"
  10. Ellos puntuaban diez puntos en el concurso cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to score ten points in the contest when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él puntúa el texto con comas — Right: Espero que él puntúe el texto con comas — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él puntúe el texto con comas — not the indicative Espero que él puntúa el texto con comas.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo puntúo alto en la competición — Right: Ayer, yo puntué alto en la competición — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo puntué alto en la competición.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo puntué la redacción con cuidado todos los días — Right: De niño, yo puntuaba la redacción con cuidado todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo puntuaba la redacción con cuidado todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo puntúo en los exámenes de sus alumnos. — Right: Yo puntúo los exámenes de sus alumnos. — puntuar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo puntúo los exámenes de sus alumnos.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros puntuais diez puntos en el concurso. — Right: Vosotros puntuáis diez puntos en el concurso. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: puntuáis, not puntuais.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on puntuar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  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: Él ______ el texto con comas — "He scored the text with commas" (preterite) A. puntuó B. puntué C. puntuaste D. puntuamos

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ la redacción con cuidado — "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: Espero que él ______ los exámenes de sus alumnos — "I hope he scores his pupils' exams" (present subjunctive) A. puntuéis B. puntúe C. puntúes D. puntuemos

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ el texto con comas, todo cambiaría — "If I scored the text with commas, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. puntuara B. puntuaras C. puntuáramos D. puntuarais

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ alto en la competición — "We have scored high in the competition" (present perfect) A. has puntuado B. ha puntuado C. hemos puntuado D. he puntuado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ la redacción con cuidado. — "Do not score the essay carefully." (negative imperative) A. puntúe B. puntuemos C. puntuéis D. puntúes

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

Answer key

  1. puntúo — The present form for yo is puntúo.
  2. puntuó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is puntuó.
  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. puntúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is puntúe.
  7. puntuara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is puntuara.
  8. hemos puntuado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos puntuado.
  9. puntúes — The negative imperative form is puntúes.
  10. puntuando — The gerund of puntuar is puntuando: estoy puntuando. The participle puntuado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does puntuar mean in English?

puntuar means to score, to punctuate. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. The only thing to watch is the written accent on some forms, such as puntuáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of puntuar?

The gerund is puntuando and the past participle is puntuado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo puntué el texto con comas — "Yesterday, I scored the text with commas". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo puntuaba alto en la competición — "As a child, I used to score high in the competition". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he puntuado el texto con comas — "Today, I have scored the text with commas".

What is the difference between puntuar and calificar?

Calificar is to grade or mark an exam. Puntuar is to give points, and also to punctuate a text. 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.

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