Agitar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

agitar means “to shake, to stir” 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. Agitar means to shake or to stir, and it covers shaking a bottle before opening it, stirring a soup, shaking a rug and shaking someone to wake them. It also means to stir up a crowd or a debate, as in agitar a la gente, and it is a regular -ar verb. 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 agitar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the agitar present tense page.

agitar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with agitar in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo agito la botella antes de abrirla. — I shake the bottle before opening it.
  2. Él/Ella agita la sopa con una cuchara. — He shakes the soup with a spoon.
  3. Nosotros/as agitamos la alfombra en el balcón. — We shake the rug on the balcony.
  4. Ellos/as agitan a mi hermano para despertarlo. — They shake my brother to wake him up.

In the past

Four sentences with agitar in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo agité la alfombra en el balcón. — Yesterday, I shook the rug on the balcony.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as agitábamos a mi hermano para despertarlo. — Before, We used to shake my brother to wake him up.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella agitó la botella antes de abrirla. — Yesterday, He shook the bottle before opening it.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as agitaban la sopa con una cuchara. — As children, They used to shake the soup with a spoon.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with agitar in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú agitarás la botella antes de abrirla. — Tomorrow, You will shake the bottle before opening it.
  2. Yo agitaría la sopa con una cuchara. — I would shake the soup with a spoon.
  3. Espero que él agite la alfombra en el balcón. — I hope he shakes the rug on the balcony.
  4. Él/Ella ha agitado a mi hermano para despertarlo. — He has shaken my brother to wake him up.

agitar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú agitas la botella antes de abrirla mañana? — Are you going to shake the bottle before opening it tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo agito la botella antes de abrirla todos los días. — Yes, I shake the bottle before opening it every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana agitarás la sopa con una cuchara? — And tomorrow, will you shake the soup with a spoon? Luis: Claro, mañana agitaré la sopa con una cuchara sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will shake the soup with a spoon without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo agitaré la alfombra en el balcón también. — Perfect. I will shake the rug on the balcony too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer agité la alfombra en el balcón. — Yesterday, I shook the rug on the balcony. Ana: ¿Y antes agitabas a mi hermano para despertarlo? — And before, did you use to shake my brother to wake him up? Luis: Sí, antes agitaba a mi hermano para despertarlo todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to shake my brother to wake him up every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos agitaron la botella antes de abrirla? — And did your brothers shook the bottle before opening it? Luis: Sí, ellos agitaron la botella antes de abrirla por la tarde. — Yes, they shook the bottle before opening it in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo agita la botella antes de abrirla. — Right: Yo agito la botella antes de abrirla. — The person matters: agita is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is agito. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating agitar and sacudir as identical in every context. — Right: Agitar means to shake, to stir, while sacudir means to shake something violently. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: agitar fits sentences such as Agito la botella antes de abrirla, while sacudir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy agitado la sopa con una cuchara. — Right: Yo he agitado la sopa con una cuchara. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he agitado, has agitado, ha agitado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo agité la alfombra en el balcón todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo agitaba la alfombra en el balcón todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (agitaba), not the preterite. The preterite (agité) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on agitar in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ a mi hermano para despertarlo. (present tense) A. agitan B. agito C. agitas D. agita

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la botella antes de abrirla. (preterite tense) A. agité B. agitaste C. agitó D. agitamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ la sopa con una cuchara. (imperfect tense) A. agitábamos B. agitabais C. agitabas D. agitaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la alfombra en el balcón. (future tense) A. agitaremos B. agitará C. agitaré D. agitarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ a mi hermano para despertarlo. (conditional tense) A. agitaríamos B. agitaría C. agitarías D. agitaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la botella antes de abrirla. (present-perfect tense) A. has agitado B. ha agitado C. hemos agitado D. he agitado

  7. What does agitar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to shake, to stir D. to shake something violently

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo agité la alfombra en el balcón. B. Yo agita la botella antes de abrirla. C. Yo agito la botella antes de abrirla. D. Él/Ella agita la sopa con una cuchara.

  9. Which is the gerund of agitar, used with estar for the progressive? A. agitando B. agitado C. agito D. agité

  10. Which is the past participle of agitar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. agitando B. agito C. agité D. agitado

Answer key

  1. agitan — The correct form here is agitan.
  2. agitamos — The correct form here is agitamos.
  3. agitabas — The correct form here is agitabas.
  4. agitará — The correct form here is agitará.
  5. agitaríamos — The correct form here is agitaríamos.
  6. he agitado — The correct form here is he agitado.
  7. to shake, to stir — Agitar means to shake, to stir. Sacudir means to shake something violently, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo agita la botella antes de abrirla. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo agito la botella antes de abrirla.. The person matters: agita is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is agito. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. agitando — The gerund of agitar is agitando: estoy agitando.
  10. agitado — The past participle of agitar is agitado: he agitado, has agitado, ha agitado.

Frequently asked questions

What does agitar mean?

Agitar means to shake, to stir. Agitar means to shake or to stir, and it covers shaking a bottle before opening it, stirring a soup, shaking a rug and shaking someone to wake them. It also means to stir up a crowd or a debate, as in agitar a la gente, and it is a regular -ar verb.

When do people use agitar most?

People use agitar most in everyday situations such as Yo agito la botella antes de abrirla. and Ayer, Yo agité la alfombra en el balcón.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between agitar and sacudir?

Agitar means to shake, to stir, while sacudir means to shake something violently. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of agitar?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of agitar as your reference, the agitar present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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