Agacharse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb agacharse means to crouch down, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Agacharse means to crouch down, to bend your own body low. It is the reflexive partner of agachar, and it is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, agacharse 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 me agacho para recoger la pelota, and in the preterite you say me agaché para mirar por la cerradura. 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: agacharse
  • English: to crouch down
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: agachando
  • Past participle: agachado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + agachado)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for agacharse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Agacharse is reflexive: me agacho. It is crouching, not sitting: you stay on your feet with bent knees.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for agacharse. 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 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

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me agaché
tú te agachaste
él/ella/Ud. se agachó
nosotros/as nos agachamos
vosotros/as os agachasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se agacharon

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me agachaba
tú te agachabas
él/ella/Ud. se agachaba
nosotros/as nos agachábamos
vosotros/as os agachabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se agachaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me agacharé
tú te agacharás
él/ella/Ud. se agachará
nosotros/as nos agacharemos
vosotros/as os agacharéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se agacharán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me agacharía
tú te agacharías
él/ella/Ud. se agacharía
nosotros/as nos agacharíamos
vosotros/as os agacharíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se agacharían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he agachado
tú te has agachado
él/ella/Ud. se ha agachado
nosotros/as nos hemos agachado
vosotros/as os habéis agachado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han agachado

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había agachado
tú te habías agachado
él/ella/Ud. se había agachado
nosotros/as nos habíamos agachado
vosotros/as os habíais agachado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían agachado

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré agachado
tú te habrás agachado
él/ella/Ud. se habrá agachado
nosotros/as nos habremos agachado
vosotros/as os habréis agachado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán agachado

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría agachado
tú te habrías agachado
él/ella/Ud. se habría agachado
nosotros/as nos habríamos agachado
vosotros/as os habríais agachado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían agachado

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me agache
tú te agaches
él/ella/Ud. se agache
nosotros/as nos agachemos
vosotros/as os agachéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se agachen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me agachara
tú te agacharas
él/ella/Ud. se agachara
nosotros/as nos agacháramos
vosotros/as os agacharais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se agacharan

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te agacha
él/ella/Ud. se agache
nosotros/as nos agachemos
vosotros/as os agachad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se agachen

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te agaches
él/ella/Ud. se agache
nosotros/as nos agachemos
vosotros/as os agachéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se agachen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund agachando with estar for the progressive: estoy agachando (or me estoy agachando for this reflexive verb)
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 agacharse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me agacho para recoger la pelota. 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 agacharse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me agaché detrás del arbusto para esconderse. 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 agacharse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me agachaba para mirar por la cerradura. 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 agacharse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me agacharé en el jardín a plantar flores. 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 agacharse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me agacharía para recoger la pelota 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 agacharse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he agachado detrás del arbusto para esconderse. 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 agacharse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había agachado para mirar por la cerradura 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 agacharse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré agachado en el jardín a plantar flores. 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 agacharse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría agachado para recoger la pelota 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 agacharse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se agache detrás del arbusto para esconderse. 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 agacharse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se agachara para mirar por la cerradura, 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 agacharse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se agache en el jardín a plantar flores. 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 agacharse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te agaches para recoger la pelota. 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 agacharse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me agacho para recoger la pelota. — I crouch down to pick up the ball.
  2. Se agacha detrás del arbusto para esconderse. — He/she crouches down behind the bush to hide.
  3. Ayer, me agaché para mirar por la cerradura. — Yesterday, I crouched down to look through the keyhole.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos agachábamos en el jardín a plantar flores. — Before, we used to crouch down in the garden to plant flowers.
  5. Mañana, tú te agacharás para recoger la pelota. — Tomorrow, you will crouch down to pick up the ball.
  6. Yo me agacharía detrás del arbusto para esconderse si tuviera más tiempo. — I would crouch down behind the bush to hide if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha agachado para mirar por la cerradura. — He has crouched down to look through the keyhole.
  8. Espero que él se agache en el jardín a plantar flores. — I hope he crouches down in the garden to plant flowers.
  9. Yo ya me había agachado para recoger la pelota antes de salir. — I had already crouched down to pick up the ball before leaving.
  10. Ellos se agachaban detrás del arbusto para esconderse cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to crouch down behind the bush to hide when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo agacho para recoger la pelota. — Right: 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.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo agacho detrás del arbusto para esconderse. — Right: Ayer yo agaché detrás del arbusto para esconderse. — 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 agacharse and sentarse as identical in every context. — Right: 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.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy agachado detrás del arbusto para esconderse. — Right: Yo he agachado detrás del arbusto para esconderse. — 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 mirar por la cerradura todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo agachaba para mirar por la cerradura 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 agacharse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ para recoger la pelota. (present tense) A. me agacho B. te agachas C. se agacha D. nos agachamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ detrás del arbusto para esconderse. (preterite) A. me agaché B. te agachaste C. se agacharon D. se agachó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ para mirar por la cerradura. (imperfect) A. te agachabas B. se agachaban C. nos agachábamos D. me agachaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ en el jardín a plantar flores. (future) A. nos agacharemos B. te agacharás C. me agacharé D. se agachará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ para recoger la pelota si pudiera. (conditional) A. me agacharía B. te agacharías C. se agacharía D. se agacharían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ detrás del arbusto para esconderse. (present subjunctive) A. me agache B. te agaches C. nos agachemos D. se agache

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ para mirar por la cerradura, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se agachara B. nos agacháramos C. me agachara D. te agacharas

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en el jardín a plantar flores. (present perfect) A. se han agachado B. nos hemos agachado C. me he agachado D. te has agachado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ para recoger la pelota. (negative imperative, tú) A. te agaches B. se agache C. nos agachemos D. os agachéis

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

Answer key

  1. me agacho — The first-person present of agacharse is me agacho. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se agachó — The third-person preterite of agacharse is se agachó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos agachábamos — The nosotros imperfect of agacharse is nos agachábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te agacharás — The second-person future of agacharse is te agacharás.
  5. me agacharía — The first-person conditional of agacharse is me agacharía, the form for what would happen.
  6. se agache — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of agacharse is se agache.
  7. me agachara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of agacharse is me agachara.
  8. nos hemos agachado — The nosotros present perfect of agacharse is nos hemos agachado: hemos + agachado.
  9. te agaches — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te agaches.
  10. agachando — The gerund of agacharse is agachando: estoy agachando. The participle agachado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does agacharse mean in English?

Agacharse means to crouch down. It is used in everyday situations such as Me agacho para recoger la pelota. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is agacharse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Agacharse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me agacho para recoger la pelota and él se agacha detrás del arbusto para esconderse. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between agacharse and sentarse?

Agacharse means to crouch down, while sentarse means to sit down. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use agacharse when you mean to crouch down, as in Me agacho para recoger la pelota, and use sentarse for to sit down. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I crouch down” in the past?

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

How do I practise agacharse?

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

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