Inklingo

How to Say "to quote" in Spanish

The Spanish word forto quoteis citarB2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishB2

citar

verbB2formal
repeating someone's exact words
A public speaker at a podium with a speech bubble showing a small icon of a book to represent quoting a source.

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.

Learn Spanish with Inklingo

Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.