Por poco el testador olvidó la cita en la notaría.

Here por poco means almost or very nearly. The idea is that the testator was close to forgetting the appointment, but in the end did not forget it.

It is very similar to casi, and in many cases you could translate both as almost. But por poco often feels a bit more vivid or dramatic, as if the speaker is stressing how close the situation was.

So:

• Por poco el testador olvidó la cita... = He almost forgot the appointment.
• Casi el testador olvidó la cita... = also possible in meaning, though casi is more common and neutral.

Olvidó is the pretérito indefinido (simple past), third person singular of olvidar.

It is used because the sentence refers to a single completed situation in the past: one specific moment when he nearly forgot the appointment.

Spanish uses the preterite for events seen as whole, completed facts:

• olvidó = he forgot / he nearly forgot in that particular instance

If you used the imperfect, olvidaba, it would sound like an ongoing or habitual action, which does not fit well here:

• Por poco olvidaba la cita... is not the natural choice for this meaning in standard narration.

Yes. Spanish has two very common ways to express to forget:

• olvidar algo
• olvidarse de algo

So both of these are possible:

• Por poco el testador olvidó la cita en la notaría.
• Por poco el testador se olvidó de la cita en la notaría.

The difference is small:

• olvidar algo is a straightforward transitive structure
• olvidarse de algo is very common in everyday speech and can sound a little more personal or accidental

In a formal or legal-sounding sentence like this, olvidó la cita sounds concise and appropriate.

Here cita means appointment.

The context makes that clear: en la notaría suggests a professional or legal meeting, not a romantic date.

So in this sentence:

• la cita = the appointment

Spanish cita can mean either appointment or date, so context is very important.

Because Spanish normally uses an article with a specific, identifiable noun much more often than English does.

Here la cita means the appointment, a particular appointment that both speaker and listener can identify from context.

So:

• olvidó la cita = he forgot the appointment

Without the article, olvidó cita, the phrase would be ungrammatical in standard Spanish.

Because en la notaría gives the location of the appointment: it was at the notary’s office.

• en = in / at
• a = to

So:

• la cita en la notaría = the appointment at the notary’s office

If you used a la notaría, that would suggest movement toward the place, not the location of the appointment itself.

For example:

• Olvidó ir a la notaría = He forgot to go to the notary’s office.
• Olvidó la cita en la notaría = He forgot the appointment at the notary’s office.

Also, in Spain, notaría usually means the office of the notary, while notario/notaria is the person.

Not in everyday conversation. Testador is a formal legal term.

It means the person who makes a will — in English, testator.

In ordinary speech, many people would avoid it unless they were talking in a legal context. They might say something more general, like:

• la persona que hizo el testamento
• quien otorgó el testamento

So this sentence has a noticeably legal/formal flavour.

It does not have to come first, but putting por poco at the beginning is very natural because it highlights the near miss idea right away.

This version is very natural:

• Por poco el testador olvidó la cita en la notaría.

You could also say:

• El testador por poco olvidó la cita en la notaría.

That is still understandable and grammatical, but the original order sounds smoother and more typical.

Since Spanish often omits subjects when they are clear, you could also hear:

• Por poco olvidó la cita en la notaría.

Because el testador is the subject, not a direct object.

The personal a is used before a specific human direct object, for example:

• Vio al testador. = He saw the testator.

But in your sentence:

• el testador is the person doing the action
• la cita is the direct object of olvidó

So no personal a is needed.

They help show pronunciation and, in the case of olvidó, also distinguish the verb form.

• olvidó has an accent because it is the third person singular preterite: he/she forgot
• Without the accent, olvido is a different form or even a noun:
  • olvido = forgetfulness / oblivion, or I forget in some contexts

For notaría, the accent on í shows that the i is pronounced separately from the following a:

• no-ta-rí-a

That prevents it from being read as a diphthong and makes the pronunciation clear.