Anoto las fechas importantes en mi calendario.

I write down the important dates in my calendar.

Breakdown of Anoto las fechas importantes en mi calendario.

• yo: I
• en: in
• importante: important
• mi: my
• la fecha: the date
• anotar: to write down
• el calendario: the calendar

Questions & Answers about Anoto las fechas importantes en mi calendario.

What does anoto literally mean here, and which verb form is it?

Anoto comes from the verb anotar, which means to write down / to note / to jot down.

Grammatically, anoto is:

• 1st person singular
• present indicative

So anoto means I write down / I note / I jot down.
Spanish usually omits the subject pronoun, so (Yo) anoto = I write down.

Why is there no yo before anoto? Would Yo anoto las fechas importantes en mi calendario also be correct?

Spanish normally drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• Anoto already tells us it’s I.
• So Yo anoto… is grammatically correct but not necessary.

You’d normally only add yo:

• for emphasis: Yo anoto las fechas… (not someone else)
• or for contrast: Yo anoto las fechas, pero él nunca lo hace.

What is the difference between anotar and escribir in this context?

Both can involve writing, but the nuance is different:

• Anotar = to write something down briefly, to note/jot information.
  
  • Anoto las fechas importantes en mi calendario.
    → I jot down / note the important dates in my calendar.
• Escribir = to write more generally (letters, essays, sentences, etc.).
  
  • Escribo una carta. → I write a letter.

You could say:

• Escribo las fechas importantes en mi calendario, but it sounds more neutral.
• Anoto feels more natural when talking about calendars, agendas, lists, notes, etc.

Why is it las fechas importantes and not los fechas importantes?

Because fecha (date) is feminine in Spanish:

• singular: la fecha
• plural: las fechas

So you need the feminine article and adjective agreement:

• la fecha importante (singular)
• las fechas importantes (plural)

Importante ends in -e, so its form is the same for masculine and feminine, but it does change for number:

• singular: importante
• plural: importantes

Why is the adjective placed after the noun: fechas importantes instead of importantes fechas?

In Spanish, adjectives usually follow the noun:

• fechas importantes = important dates

Putting importantes before the noun (importantes fechas) is possible but sounds literary, emphatic, or poetic, not neutral everyday speech.

In normal, everyday Spanish, you say:

• las fechas importantes, un libro interesante, un día especial.

Why is it en mi calendario and not en el calendario?

You use mi to show possession, just like my in English:

• mi calendario = my calendar
• el calendario = the calendar (in general, not necessarily yours)

So:

• Anoto las fechas importantes en mi calendario.
  → I write the important dates down in my calendar.

You could say en el calendario if you’re talking about a specific calendar everyone shares, for example in an office:

• Anoto las fechas importantes en el calendario de la oficina.

Could you also say en el calendario to mean “on the calendar” in a general sense, or would that change the meaning too much?

Yes, en el calendario is grammatically fine and understandable. The nuance changes:

• en mi calendario → clearly your personal calendar.
• en el calendario → a specific calendar that is understood from context (maybe shared, maybe just “the calendar we’re talking about”).

If the context makes it obvious it’s your own, people might still understand it as “your calendar”, but mi is the natural choice if you literally mean “my calendar”.

Why is the preposition en used here? Could I say a mi calendario?

Here en corresponds to in / on:

• en mi calendario = in my calendar / on my calendar

You cannot use a here; a mi calendario would sound wrong in this context.
The normal preposition with writing on a surface/container (paper, notebook, calendar, wall) is en:

• Escribo en mi cuaderno. → I write in my notebook.
• Anoto cosas en mi agenda. → I jot things down in my planner.
• Pinto en la pared. → I paint on the wall.

Could I say Escribo las fechas importantes en mi calendario instead of Anoto…? Would it sound natural in Spain?

Yes, Escribo las fechas importantes en mi calendario is grammatically correct and understandable in Spain.

Nuance:

• Anoto sounds more natural for short, practical notes (dates, numbers, brief pieces of information).
• Escribo is more general; it doesn’t sound wrong, just slightly less specific.

For “putting dates into a calendar”, anotar or apuntar are very common in Spain:

• Anoto las fechas importantes en mi calendario.
• Apunto las fechas importantes en mi calendario.

What is the difference between anotar and apuntar in Spain?

In Spain, anotar and apuntar are very close in meaning in this context, and both are common:

• anotar: to note down, to record (slightly more “neutral” or formal).
• apuntar: to jot down, to write down (very everyday, colloquial and frequent).

Examples (Spain):

• Voy a apuntar tu número. / Voy a anotar tu número.
  → I’m going to write down your number.

In your sentence:

• Anoto las fechas importantes en mi calendario.
• Apunto las fechas importantes en mi calendario.
  Both sound natural. Apuntar might be even more frequent in casual speech.

How would I say “I’m writing down the important dates in my calendar (right now)” in Spanish?

You’d use the present progressive:

• Estoy anotando las fechas importantes en mi calendario.

Structure:

• estoy (1st person singular of estar)
• • anotando (gerund of anotar)

This emphasizes that the action is happening right now, at this moment.
The simple present Anoto las fechas importantes… is more about a habit or a general fact.

How would I replace las fechas importantes with a pronoun? For example, “I write them down in my calendar.”

You’d use a direct object pronoun for las fechas → las.

• Anoto las fechas importantes en mi calendario.
  → Las anoto en mi calendario. = I write them down in my calendar.

Position:

• With a simple conjugated verb, pronouns go before the verb:
  • Las anoto en mi calendario.
• With an infinitive or gerund, they can attach to the end:
  • Voy a anotarlas en mi calendario. / Las voy a anotar en mi calendario.
  • Estoy anotándolas en mi calendario. / Las estoy anotando en mi calendario.

Is calendario masculine or feminine, and how does that affect the sentence?

Calendario is masculine:

• el calendario (singular)
• los calendarios (plural)

So:

• mi calendario (my calendar) uses the possessive for a masculine singular noun.
• If it were plural: mis calendarios (my calendars).

The rest of the sentence doesn’t change because of that; only the article/possessive and any adjectives referring to calendario would need to match its gender and number.