Agachar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

agachar means “to crouch, to lower” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Agachar means to crouch or to lower, to bend your body down or to lower your head. It is used for picking things up, hiding and avoiding something, and it is fully regular. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of agachar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the agachar present tense page.

agachar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo agacho la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. — “I crouch my head to go through the door.”
  2. Él agacha el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. — “He crouches my body to pick up the coin.”
  3. Nosotros agachamos para esconderse detrás del muro. — “We crouch to hide behind the wall.”
  4. Ellos agachan la mirada ante el jefe. — “They crouch my gaze before the boss.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo agaché el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. — “Yesterday, I crouched my body to pick up the coin.”
  2. Antes, nosotros agachábamos para esconderse detrás del muro. — “Before, we used to crouch to hide behind the wall.”
  3. Él agachó la mirada ante el jefe. — “He crouched my gaze before the boss.”
  4. Yo ya había agachado la cabeza para pasar por la puerta antes de salir. — “I had already crouched my head to go through the door before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú agacharás la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. — “Tomorrow, you will crouch my head to go through the door.”
  2. Yo agacharía el cuerpo para recoger la moneda si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would crouch my body to pick up the coin if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha agachado para esconderse detrás del muro. — “He has crouched to hide behind the wall.”
  4. Espero que él agache la mirada ante el jefe. — “I hope he crouches my gaze before the boss.”

agachar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use agachar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo agacho la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. — “I crouch my head to go through the door.”
  • Bea: Él agacha el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. — “He crouches my body to pick up the coin.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo agaché el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. — “Yesterday, I crouched my body to pick up the coin.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú agacharás la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. — “Tomorrow, you will crouch my head to go through the door.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros agachamos para esconderse detrás del muro. — “We crouch to hide behind the wall.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros agachábamos para esconderse detrás del muro. — “Before, we used to crouch to hide behind the wall.”
  • Luis: Yo agacharía el cuerpo para recoger la moneda si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would crouch my body to pick up the coin if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él agache la mirada ante el jefe. — “I hope he crouches my gaze before the boss.”

A short scene with agachar

A short scene shows how agachar works across the day. In the morning: Agacho la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. In the afternoon: Agacha el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, agaché para esconderse detrás del muro. And tomorrow: Mañana, agacharé la mirada ante el jefe. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how agachar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with agachar

The errors learners actually make with agachar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo agacha la cabeza para pasar por la puerta.

✓ Correct: Yo agacho la cabeza para pasar por la puerta.

The person matters: agacha is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is agacho. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo agacho el cuerpo para recoger la moneda.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo agaché el cuerpo para recoger la moneda.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: agacho is happening now, while agaché is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating agachar and bajar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Agachar means to crouch, to lower, while bajar means to lower or go down.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: agachar fits sentences such as Agacho la cabeza para pasar por la puerta, while bajar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy agachado el cuerpo para recoger la moneda.

✓ Correct: Yo he agachado el cuerpo para recoger la moneda.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he agachado, has agachado, ha agachado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo agaché para esconderse detrás del muro todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo agachaba para esconderse detrás del muro todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (agachaba), not the preterite. The preterite (agaché) is for one finished action.

Quiz: agachar in use

Ten questions on agachar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. — “He/she crouches my body to pick up the coin.”

  • a) agacha
  • b) agacho
  • c) agachas
  • d) agachamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ para esconderse detrás del muro. — “Yesterday, I crouched to hide behind the wall.”

  • a) agachaste
  • b) agachó
  • c) agacharon
  • d) agaché

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la mirada ante el jefe cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to crouch my gaze before the boss when they were young.”

  • a) agachabas
  • b) agachábamos
  • c) agachaban
  • d) agachaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. — “Tomorrow, we will crouch my head to go through the door.”

  • a) agacharán
  • b) agacharemos
  • c) agacharé
  • d) agacharás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el cuerpo para recoger la moneda si pudiera. — “He would crouch my body to pick up the coin if he could.”

  • a) agacharía
  • b) agacharías
  • c) agacharíamos
  • d) agacho

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ para esconderse detrás del muro. — “I have crouched to hide behind the wall.”

  • a) has agachado
  • b) ha agachado
  • c) han agachado
  • d) he agachado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ la mirada ante el jefe. — “I hope you crouch my gaze before the boss.”

  • a) agachemos
  • b) agacho
  • c) agaches
  • d) agache

8. Which is the past participle of agachar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) agaché
  • b) agachado
  • c) agachando
  • d) agacho

9. What does agachar mean in English?

  • a) to crouch, to lower
  • b) to lower or go down
  • c) to crouch down
  • d) to pile up, to crowd together

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él agacha el cuerpo para recoger la moneda.
  • b) Él agacho el cuerpo para recoger la moneda.
  • c) Nosotros agacha para esconderse detrás del muro.
  • d) Yo agacha la cabeza para pasar por la puerta.

Answer key

  1. a) agacha — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: agacha.

  2. d) agaché — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: agaché, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) agachaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: agachaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) agacharemos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: agacharemos.

  5. a) agacharía — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: agacharía.

  6. d) he agachado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he agachado, haber + agachado.

  7. c) agaches — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is agaches.

  8. b) agachado — The past participle is agachado: he agachado, has agachado, ha agachado. The gerund agachando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to crouch, to lower — agachar means to crouch, to lower. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él agacha el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. — Él agacha el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use agachar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Agacho la cabeza para pasar por la puerta and Agacha el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between agachar and bajar?

Agachar means “to crouch, to lower”, while bajar means “to lower or go down”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use agachar when you mean “to crouch, to lower” and bajar when you mean “to lower or go down”.

Which tense do I need most with agachar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use agachar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is agachar formal or informal?

Agachar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

Related links