How to Say "to quote" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “to quote” is “citar” — B2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
English → SpanishB2
verbB2formal
repeating someone's exact words

Examples
El estudiante citó a Shakespeare en su ensayo.
The student quoted Shakespeare in his essay.
Es importante citar todas las fuentes en la bibliografía.
It is important to cite all sources in the bibliography.
El político citó varios ejemplos de éxito.
The politician mentioned several examples of success.
Direct Quotation
When quoting 'textually' (exactly), use the word 'textualmente' after 'citar'.
False Cognate Confusion
Mistake: “Él cotizó a Neruda.”
Correction: Él citó a Neruda. 'Cotizar' means to quote a price, whereas 'citar' means to quote words.
Related Translations
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