Agachar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb agachar means to crouch, to lower, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, agachar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say agacho la cabeza para pasar por la puerta, and in the preterite you say agaché para esconderse detrás del muro. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: agachar
  • English: to crouch, to lower
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: agachando
  • Past participle: agachado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + agachado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for agachar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Agachar is fully regular: agacho, agacha. It is bending the body down; bajar is going down or lowering something in general.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for agachar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo agacho
tú agachas
él/ella/Ud. agacha
nosotros/as agachamos
vosotros/as agacháis
ellos/ellas/Uds. agachan

Preterite

Person Form
yo agaché
tú agachaste
él/ella/Ud. agachó
nosotros/as agachamos
vosotros/as agachasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. agacharon

Imperfect

Person Form
yo agachaba
tú agachabas
él/ella/Ud. agachaba
nosotros/as agachábamos
vosotros/as agachabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. agachaban

Future

Person Form
yo agacharé
tú agacharás
él/ella/Ud. agachará
nosotros/as agacharemos
vosotros/as agacharéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. agacharán

Conditional

Person Form
yo agacharía
tú agacharías
él/ella/Ud. agacharía
nosotros/as agacharíamos
vosotros/as agacharíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. agacharían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he agachado
tú has agachado
él/ella/Ud. ha agachado
nosotros/as hemos agachado
vosotros/as habéis agachado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han agachado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había agachado
tú habías agachado
él/ella/Ud. había agachado
nosotros/as habíamos agachado
vosotros/as habíais agachado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían agachado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré agachado
tú habrás agachado
él/ella/Ud. habrá agachado
nosotros/as habremos agachado
vosotros/as habréis agachado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán agachado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría agachado
tú habrías agachado
él/ella/Ud. habría agachado
nosotros/as habríamos agachado
vosotros/as habríais agachado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían agachado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo agache
tú agaches
él/ella/Ud. agache
nosotros/as agachemos
vosotros/as agachéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. agachen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo agachara
tú agacharas
él/ella/Ud. agachara
nosotros/as agacháramos
vosotros/as agacharais
ellos/ellas/Uds. agacharan

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú agacha
él/ella/Ud. agache
nosotros/as agachemos
vosotros/as agachad
ellos/ellas/Uds. agachen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú agaches
él/ella/Ud. agache
nosotros/as agachemos
vosotros/as agachéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. agachen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund agachando with estar for the progressive: estoy agachando
Past participle agachado with haber for the perfect tenses: he agachado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For agachar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Agacho la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For agachar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, agaché el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For agachar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, agachaba para esconderse detrás del muro. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For agachar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, agacharé la mirada ante el jefe. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For agachar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Agacharía la cabeza para pasar por la puerta si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For agachar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he agachado el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For agachar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había agachado para esconderse detrás del muro antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For agachar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré agachado la mirada ante el jefe. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For agachar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría agachado la cabeza para pasar por la puerta con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For agachar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él agache el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For agachar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él agachara para esconderse detrás del muro, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For agachar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Agacha la mirada ante el jefe! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For agachar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No agaches la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with agachar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Agacho la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. — I crouch my head to go through the door.
  2. Agacha el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. — He/she crouches my body to pick up the coin.
  3. Ayer, agaché para esconderse detrás del muro. — Yesterday, I crouched to hide behind the wall.
  4. Antes, nosotros agachábamos la mirada ante el jefe. — Before, we used to crouch my gaze before the boss.
  5. Mañana, tú agacharás la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. — Tomorrow, you will crouch my head to go through the door.
  6. 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.
  7. Él ha agachado para esconderse detrás del muro. — He has crouched to hide behind the wall.
  8. Espero que él agache la mirada ante el jefe. — I hope he crouches my gaze before the boss.
  9. 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.
  10. Ellos agachaban el cuerpo para recoger la moneda cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to crouch my body to pick up the coin when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo agacha la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. — Right: 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.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo agacho el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. — Right: 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.
  3. Wrong: Treating agachar and bajar as identical in every context. — Right: 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.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy agachado el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. — Right: 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.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo agaché para esconderse detrás del muro todos los días. — Right: 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: test yourself

Ten questions on agachar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. (present tense) A. agacho B. agachas C. agacha D. agachamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. (preterite) A. agaché B. agachaste C. agacharon D. agachó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ para esconderse detrás del muro. (imperfect) A. agachabas B. agachaban C. agachábamos D. agachaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la mirada ante el jefe. (future) A. agacharemos B. agacharás C. agacharé D. agachará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la cabeza para pasar por la puerta si pudiera. (conditional) A. agacharía B. agacharías C. agacharían D. agacho

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. (present subjunctive) A. agaches B. agachemos C. agacho D. agache

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ para esconderse detrás del muro, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. agacháramos B. agacho C. agachara D. agacharas

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la mirada ante el jefe. (present perfect) A. han agachado B. hemos agachado C. he agachado D. has agachado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ la cabeza para pasar por la puerta! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. agacha B. agache C. agachemos D. agachad

  10. Which is the gerund of agachar, used with estar for the progressive? A. agachado B. agacho C. agaché D. agachando

Answer key

  1. agacho — The first-person present of agachar is agacho. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. agachó — The third-person preterite of agachar is agachó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. agachábamos — The nosotros imperfect of agachar is agachábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. agacharás — The second-person future of agachar is agacharás.
  5. agacharía — The first-person conditional of agachar is agacharía, the form for what would happen.
  6. agache — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of agachar is agache.
  7. agachara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of agachar is agachara.
  8. hemos agachado — The nosotros present perfect of agachar is hemos agachado: hemos + agachado.
  9. agacha — The affirmative tú imperative of agachar is agacha.
  10. agachando — The gerund of agachar is agachando: estoy agachando. The participle agachado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does agachar mean in English?

Agachar means to crouch, to lower. It is used in everyday situations such as Agacho la cabeza para pasar por la puerta. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is agachar regular or irregular?

Agachar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including agacho in the present and agaché in the preterite.

What is the difference between agachar and bajar?

Agachar means to crouch, to lower, while bajar means to lower or go down. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use agachar when you mean to crouch, to lower, as in Agacho la cabeza para pasar por la puerta, and use bajar for to lower or go down. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I crouch” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo agaché el cuerpo para recoger la moneda. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo agachaba para esconderse detrás del muro. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he agachado el cuerpo para recoger la moneda.

How do I practise agachar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the agachar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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