Agacharse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of agacharse — “to crouch down” 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 agacharse 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. Agacharse means to crouch down, to bend your own body low. It is the reflexive partner of agachar, and it is fully regular. It is reflexive, so every form takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. To see it in a real sentence: Me agacho para recoger la pelota. — “I crouch down to pick up the ball.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of agacharse will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: agacharse
Every person of agacharse in the present tense. The gerund is agachando and the past participle is agachado.
Present indicative
| Person | Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | me | agacho |
| tú | te | agachas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se | agacha |
| nosotros/as | nos | agachamos |
| vosotros/as | os | agacháis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | agachan |
How the present indicative of agacharse is formed
The present indicative of agacharse 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 | Pronoun | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | me | -o | agacho |
| tú | te | -as | agachas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se | -a | agacha |
| nosotros/as | nos | -amos | agachamos |
| vosotros/as | os | -áis | agacháis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | -an | agachan |
Agacharse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of every form: me agacho, te agachas, se agacha. The pronoun always comes before the conjugated verb, and it changes with the person. Without it, the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
The gerund of agacharse 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 agacharse
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and agacharse 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 agacharse fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo me agacho para recoger la pelota todos los días.” — “I crouch down to pick up the ball 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 se agacha detrás del arbusto para esconderse.” — “He/she crouches down behind the bush to hide.”
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 me agacho can mean both “I crouch down” and “I am crouch downing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo me agacho para mirar por la cerradura.” — “Right now, I crouch down to look through the keyhole.”
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 me agacho en el jardín a plantar flores.” — “Tomorrow, I will crouch down in the garden to plant flowers.”
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 te agachas para recoger la pelota?” — “Do you crouch down to pick up the ball?”
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: Se agacha detrás del arbusto para esconderse. — “He/she crouches down behind the bush to hide.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Se agachó detrás del arbusto para esconderse. — 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: Se agachan para mirar por la cerradura. — “They crouch down to look through the keyhole.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Se agachaban para mirar por la cerradura. — 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: Te agachas en el jardín a plantar flores. — “You crouch down in the garden to plant flowers.”
- Future — what will happen: Te agacharás en el jardín a plantar flores. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: agacharse in the present tense
Seven sentences that show agacharse in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo me agacho para recoger la pelota. — “I crouch down to pick up the ball.”
- Tú te agachas detrás del arbusto para esconderse. — “You crouch down behind the bush to hide.”
- Él se agacha para mirar por la cerradura. — “He crouches down to look through the keyhole.”
- Nosotros nos agachamos en el jardín a plantar flores. — “We crouch down in the garden to plant flowers.”
- Vosotros os agacháis para recoger la pelota. — “You (plural) crouch down to pick up the ball.”
- Ellos se agachan detrás del arbusto para esconderse. — “They crouch down behind the bush to hide.”
- ¿Tú te agachas para mirar por la cerradura? — “Do you crouch down to look through the keyhole?”
Common mistakes with agacharse in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with agacharse in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo agacharse para recoger la pelota. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo me agacho para recoger la pelota.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of agacharse is me agacho, not the infinitive agacharse.
✗ Vosotros agachais para recoger la pelota. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros agacháis para recoger la pelota.
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.
✗ Yo agacho para recoger la pelota. (leaving out the reflexive pronoun).
✓ Correct: Yo me agacho para recoger la pelota.
Agacharse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
✗ Treating agacharse and sentarse as identical in every context. (confusing agacharse with sentarse).
✓ Correct: Agacharse means to crouch down, while sentarse means to sit down.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: agacharse fits sentences such as Me agacho para recoger la pelota, while sentarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: agacharse in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of agacharse. 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 agacharse for tú?
- a) agachas
- b) agacho
- c) agacha
- d) agachan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ para recoger la pelota. — “I crouch down to pick up the ball.”
- a) agacha
- b) agachamos
- c) agachas
- d) agacho
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ detrás del arbusto para esconderse. — “He/she crouches down behind the bush to hide.” (present tense)
- a) agachaba
- b) agachará
- c) agacha
- d) agachó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of agacharse for nosotros?
- a) agachan
- b) agachamos
- c) agacho
- d) agacha
5. Which sentence uses agacharse correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él se agachó detrás del arbusto para esconderse.
- b) Él se agacha detrás del arbusto para esconderse.
- c) Él se agachará detrás del arbusto para esconderse.
- d) Ellos se agacha detrás del arbusto para esconderse.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ para mirar por la cerradura. — “They crouch down to look through the keyhole.”
- a) agacho
- b) agacha
- c) agachamos
- d) agachan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ en el jardín a plantar flores? — “Do you crouch down in the garden to plant flowers?”
- a) agacha
- b) agacharás
- c) agachas
- d) agacho
8. What is the gerund of agacharse?
- 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 se agacha detrás del arbusto para esconderse. — Él se agacha detrás del arbusto para esconderse. 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 agacharse regular in the present tense?
Yes, the forms are regular — the only thing to watch is the reflexive pronoun. Agacharse takes me, te, se, nos, os or se before every form: me agacho, te agachas, se agacha. Without the pronoun, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.
What is the gerund and the past participle of agacharse?
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 down” in Spanish?
Say me agacho. For example: Me agacho para recoger la pelota. — “I crouch down to pick up the ball.”
What is the difference between agacharse and sentarse?
Agacharse means “to crouch down”, while sentarse means “to sit down”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use agacharse when you mean “to crouch down” and sentarse when you mean “to sit down”. The full conjugation of agacharse is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of agacharse — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- agacharse 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.
- Aislarse conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with agacharse.
- Ajustarse conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with agacharse.
- Adentrarse conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with agacharse.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.