Agobiar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb agobiar means to overwhelm, to burden, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Agobiar means to overwhelm or to burden, to make someone feel they have too much to do or to bear. It is used for work, heat, noise and worries, and it is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, agobiar 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 agobio con tanto trabajo, and in the preterite you say agobié con el calor del verano. 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: agobiar
  • English: to overwhelm, to burden
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: agobiando
  • Past participle: agobiado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + agobiado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for agobiar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Agobiar is fully regular: agobio, agobia. It is overwhelming someone with too much; estresar is the close synonym for stress.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for agobiar. 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 agobio
tú agobias
él/ella/Ud. agobia
nosotros/as agobiamos
vosotros/as agobiáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. agobian

Preterite

Person Form
yo agobié
tú agobiaste
él/ella/Ud. agobió
nosotros/as agobiamos
vosotros/as agobiasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. agobiaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo agobiaba
tú agobiabas
él/ella/Ud. agobiaba
nosotros/as agobiábamos
vosotros/as agobiabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. agobiaban

Future

Person Form
yo agobiaré
tú agobiarás
él/ella/Ud. agobiará
nosotros/as agobiaremos
vosotros/as agobiaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. agobiarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo agobiaría
tú agobiarías
él/ella/Ud. agobiaría
nosotros/as agobiaríamos
vosotros/as agobiaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. agobiarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo agobie
tú agobies
él/ella/Ud. agobie
nosotros/as agobiemos
vosotros/as agobiéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. agobien

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo agobiara
tú agobiaras
él/ella/Ud. agobiara
nosotros/as agobiáramos
vosotros/as agobiarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. agobiaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú agobia
él/ella/Ud. agobie
nosotros/as agobiemos
vosotros/as agobiad
ellos/ellas/Uds. agobien

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú agobies
él/ella/Ud. agobie
nosotros/as agobiemos
vosotros/as agobiéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. agobien

Gerund and past participle

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

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 agobiar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Agobio con tanto trabajo. 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 agobiar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, agobié a su madre con preguntas. 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 agobiar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, agobiaba con el calor del verano. 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 agobiar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, agobiaré a los estudiantes con exámenes. 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 agobiar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Agobiaría con tanto trabajo 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 agobiar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he agobiado a su madre con preguntas. 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 agobiar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había agobiado con el calor del verano 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 agobiar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré agobiado a los estudiantes con exámenes. 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 agobiar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría agobiado con tanto trabajo 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 agobiar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él agobie a su madre con preguntas. 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 agobiar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él agobiara con el calor del verano, 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 agobiar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Agobia a los estudiantes con exámenes! 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 agobiar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No agobies con tanto trabajo. 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 agobiar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Agobio con tanto trabajo. — I overwhelm with so much work.
  2. Agobia a su madre con preguntas. — He/she overwhelms his mother with questions.
  3. Ayer, agobié con el calor del verano. — Yesterday, I overwhelmed with the summer heat.
  4. Antes, nosotros agobiábamos a los estudiantes con exámenes. — Before, we used to overwhelm the students with exams.
  5. Mañana, tú agobiarás con tanto trabajo. — Tomorrow, you will overwhelm with so much work.
  6. Yo agobiaría a su madre con preguntas si tuviera más tiempo. — I would overwhelm his mother with questions if I had more time.
  7. Él ha agobiado con el calor del verano. — He has overwhelmed with the summer heat.
  8. Espero que él agobie a los estudiantes con exámenes. — I hope he overwhelms the students with exams.
  9. Yo ya había agobiado con tanto trabajo antes de salir. — I had already overwhelmed with so much work before leaving.
  10. Ellos agobiaban a su madre con preguntas cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to overwhelm his mother with questions when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo agobia con tanto trabajo. — Right: Yo agobio con tanto trabajo. — The person matters: agobia is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is agobio. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo agobio a su madre con preguntas. — Right: Ayer yo agobié a su madre con preguntas. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: agobio is happening now, while agobié is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating agobiar and estresar as identical in every context. — Right: Agobiar means to overwhelm, to burden, while estresar means to stress someone. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: agobiar fits sentences such as Agobio con tanto trabajo, while estresar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy agobiado a su madre con preguntas. — Right: Yo he agobiado a su madre con preguntas. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he agobiado, has agobiado, ha agobiado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo agobié con el calor del verano todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo agobiaba con el calor del verano todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (agobiaba), not the preterite. The preterite (agobié) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con tanto trabajo. (present tense) A. agobio B. agobias C. agobia D. agobiamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a su madre con preguntas. (preterite) A. agobié B. agobiaste C. agobiaron D. agobió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ con el calor del verano. (imperfect) A. agobiabas B. agobiaban C. agobiábamos D. agobiaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a los estudiantes con exámenes. (future) A. agobiaremos B. agobiarás C. agobiaré D. agobiará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con tanto trabajo si pudiera. (conditional) A. agobiaría B. agobiarías C. agobiarían D. agobio

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a su madre con preguntas. (present subjunctive) A. agobies B. agobiemos C. agobio D. agobie

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ con el calor del verano, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. agobiáramos B. agobio C. agobiara D. agobiaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a los estudiantes con exámenes. (present perfect) A. han agobiado B. hemos agobiado C. he agobiado D. has agobiado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ con tanto trabajo! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. agobia B. agobie C. agobiemos D. agobiad

  10. Which is the gerund of agobiar, used with estar for the progressive? A. agobiado B. agobio C. agobié D. agobiando

Answer key

  1. agobio — The first-person present of agobiar is agobio. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. agobió — The third-person preterite of agobiar is agobió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. agobiábamos — The nosotros imperfect of agobiar is agobiábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. agobiarás — The second-person future of agobiar is agobiarás.
  5. agobiaría — The first-person conditional of agobiar is agobiaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. agobie — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of agobiar is agobie.
  7. agobiara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of agobiar is agobiara.
  8. hemos agobiado — The nosotros present perfect of agobiar is hemos agobiado: hemos + agobiado.
  9. agobia — The affirmative tú imperative of agobiar is agobia.
  10. agobiando — The gerund of agobiar is agobiando: estoy agobiando. The participle agobiado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does agobiar mean in English?

Agobiar means to overwhelm, to burden. It is used in everyday situations such as Agobio con tanto trabajo. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is agobiar regular or irregular?

Agobiar 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 agobio in the present and agobié in the preterite.

What is the difference between agobiar and estresar?

Agobiar means to overwhelm, to burden, while estresar means to stress someone. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use agobiar when you mean to overwhelm, to burden, as in Agobio con tanto trabajo, and use estresar for to stress someone. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I overwhelm” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo agobié a su madre con preguntas. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo agobiaba con el calor del verano. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he agobiado a su madre con preguntas.

How do I practise agobiar?

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

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