A brightly colored storybook illustration showing a child in a yellow raincoat standing next to a green bush. The child is pointing and looking intently at a strikingly bright red mushroom, capturing a moment of specific observation.

noté

noh-TAY

VerbA2regular ar

I noticed?A specific, completed observation,I observed?Paying attention to something specific

Also:I marked?To make a note or score, e.g., on a test,I pointed out?To call attention to something

Quick Reference

infinitivenotar

gerundnotando

past Participlenotado

📝 In Action

Noté tu nueva chaqueta apenas entraste.

I noticed your new jacket as soon as you came in.

Noté que el ambiente estaba tenso durante la reunión.

I observed that the atmosphere was tense during the meeting.

Noté un pequeño error en el cálculo, pero lo corregí.

I spotted a small error in the calculation, but I corrected it.

Word Connections

Synonyms

advertí (I noticed / I warned)
observé (I observed)

Common Collocations

noté la diferencia – I noticed the difference
noté un cambio – I noticed a change

💡 Grammar Points

Tense Focus: Preterite

This form ('noté') is the simple past tense, used for actions that started and finished at a specific time in the past, like 'I noticed that one thing.'

❌ Common Pitfalls

Preterite vs. Imperfect

Mistake: "Using 'notaba' (I used to notice/I was noticing) when you mean 'I noticed' (one time)."

Correction: Use 'noté' for a single event: 'Noté que llovía' (I noticed it was raining). Use 'notaba' for descriptions or repeated actions in the past.

⭐ Usage Tips

Use with 'que'

Most often, you will use 'noté que...' followed by the thing you observed: 'Noté que estabas cansado' (I noticed that you were tired).

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

preterite

él/ella/ustednotó

ellos/ellas/ustedesnotaron

vosotrosnotasteis

nosotrosnotamos

yonoté

túnotaste

present

él/ella/ustednota

ellos/ellas/ustedesnotan

vosotrosnotáis

nosotrosnotamos

yonoto

túnotas

imperfect

él/ella/ustednotaba

ellos/ellas/ustedesnotaban

vosotrosnotabais

nosotrosnotábamos

yonotaba

túnotabas

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustednote

ellos/ellas/ustedesnoten

vosotrosnotéis

nosotrosnotemos

yonote

túnotes

imperfect

él/ella/ustednotara / notase

ellos/ellas/ustedesnotaran / notasen

vosotrosnotarais / notaseis

nosotrosnotáramos / notásemos

yonotara / notase

túnotaras / notases

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: noté

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'noté'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

notar(to notice, to observe) - verb

nota(note, grade, mark) - noun

notable(noticeable, remarkable) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'noté' the same as 'me di cuenta'?

They are very similar! 'Noté' means 'I noticed' (often through the senses or simple observation). 'Me di cuenta' (from 'darse cuenta') means 'I realized' or 'I became aware' (often involving a deeper mental process or sudden understanding). They are often interchangeable in everyday speech.