Agachar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of agachar — “to crouch, to lower” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for agachar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Agacho la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. — “I crouch my head to go through the door.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of agachar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: agachar
Every person of agachar in the present tense. The gerund is agachando and the past participle is agachado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | agacho |
| tú | agachas |
| él/ella/Ud. | agacha |
| nosotros/as | agachamos |
| vosotros/as | agacháis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agachan |
How the present indicative of agachar is formed
The present indicative of agachar is built from the stem plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | agacho |
| tú | -as | agachas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | agacha |
| nosotros/as | -amos | agachamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | agacháis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | agachan |
Agachar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is agach- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of agachar is agachando and the past participle is agachado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of agachar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and agachar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and agachar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo agacho la cabeza para pasar por la puerta todos los días.” — “I crouch my head to go through the door every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él agacha el cuerpo para recoger la moneda.” — “He/she crouches my body to pick up the coin.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so agacho can mean both “I crouch” and “I am crouching”.
“Ahora mismo, yo agacho para esconderse detrás del muro.” — “Right now, I crouch to hide behind the wall.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo agacho la mirada ante el jefe.” — “Tomorrow, I will crouch my gaze before the boss.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú agachas la cabeza para pasar por la puerta?” — “Do you crouch my head to go through the door?”
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Agacha el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. — “He/she crouches my body to pick up the coin.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Agachó el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add “used to” in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Agachan para esconderse detrás del muro. — “They crouch to hide behind the wall.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Agachaban para esconderse detrás del muro. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Agachas la mirada ante el jefe. — “You crouch my gaze before the boss.”
- Future — what will happen: Agacharás la mirada ante el jefe. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: agachar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show agachar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo agacho la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. — “I crouch my head to go through the door.”
- Tú agachas el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. — “You crouch my body to pick up the coin.”
- Él agacha para esconderse detrás del muro. — “He crouches to hide behind the wall.”
- Nosotros agachamos la mirada ante el jefe. — “We crouch my gaze before the boss.”
- Vosotros agacháis la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. — “You (plural) crouch my head to go through the door.”
- Ellos agachan el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. — “They crouch my body to pick up the coin.”
- ¿Tú agachas para esconderse detrás del muro? — “Do you crouch to hide behind the wall?”
Common mistakes with agachar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with agachar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo agachar la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo agacho la cabeza para pasar por la puerta.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of agachar is agacho, not the infinitive agachar.
✗ Vosotros agachais la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros agacháis la cabeza para pasar por la puerta.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: agacháis, not agachais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo agacho el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ 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. (confusing agachar with bajar).
✓ 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.
Quiz: agachar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of agachar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of agachar for tú?
- a) agachas
- b) agacho
- c) agacha
- d) agachan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. — “I crouch my head to go through the door.”
- a) agacha
- b) agachamos
- c) agachas
- d) agacho
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. — “He/she crouches my body to pick up the coin.” (present tense)
- a) agachaba
- b) agachará
- c) agacha
- d) agachó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of agachar for nosotros?
- a) agachan
- b) agachamos
- c) agacho
- d) agacha
5. Which sentence uses agachar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él agachó el cuerpo para recoger la moneda.
- b) Él agacha el cuerpo para recoger la moneda.
- c) Él agachará el cuerpo para recoger la moneda.
- d) Ellos agacha el cuerpo para recoger la moneda.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ para esconderse detrás del muro. — “They crouch to hide behind the wall.”
- a) agacho
- b) agacha
- c) agachamos
- d) agachan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ la mirada ante el jefe? — “Do you crouch my gaze before the boss?”
- a) agacha
- b) agacharás
- c) agachas
- d) agacho
8. What is the gerund of agachar?
- a) agaché
- b) agachando
- c) agachado
- d) agacho
Answer key
a) agachas — The tú form is agachas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; agacho is yo, agacha is él/ella and agachan is ellos/ellas.
d) agacho — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: agacho. The other options are the wrong person.
c) agacha — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: agacha. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) agachamos — Nosotros takes agachamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) 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 use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) agachan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is agachan.
c) agachas — The question needs the tú form in the present: agachas.
b) agachando — The gerund is agachando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle agachado.
Frequently asked questions
Is agachar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Agachar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: agacho, agachas, agacha, agachamos, agacháis and agachan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of agachar?
The gerund is agachando and the past participle is agachado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I crouch” in Spanish?
Say agacho. For example: Agacho la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. — “I crouch my head to go through the door.”
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”. The full conjugation of agachar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of agachar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- agachar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Afrontar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with agachar.
- Afilar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with agachar.
- Aglomerar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with agachar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.