Agotar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

agotar means “to exhaust, to use up” 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. Agotar means to exhaust or to use up, and it covers using up money, time, patience and stock: you exhaust your savings, you use up the tickets, a shop sells out of bread. It also means to tire someone out completely, as in el trabajo me agota. 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 agotar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the agotar present tense page.

agotar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo agoto mis ahorros en un mes. — I exhaust my savings in a month.
  2. Él/Ella agota las entradas del concierto. — He exhausts the concert tickets.
  3. Nosotros/as agotamos la paciencia de mi madre. — We exhaust my mother's patience.
  4. Ellos/as agotan el pan de la tienda. — They exhaust the bread in the shop.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo agoté la paciencia de mi madre. — Yesterday, I exhausted my mother's patience.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as agotábamos el pan de la tienda. — Before, We used to exhaust the bread in the shop.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella agotó mis ahorros en un mes. — Yesterday, He exhausted my savings in a month.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as agotaban las entradas del concierto. — As children, They used to exhaust the concert tickets.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú agotarás mis ahorros en un mes. — Tomorrow, You will exhaust my savings in a month.
  2. Yo agotaría las entradas del concierto. — I would exhaust the concert tickets.
  3. Espero que él agote la paciencia de mi madre. — I hope he exhausts my mother's patience.
  4. Él/Ella ha agotado el pan de la tienda. — He has exhausted the bread in the shop.

agotar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú agotas mis ahorros en un mes mañana? — Are you going to exhaust my savings in a month tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo agoto mis ahorros en un mes todos los días. — Yes, I exhaust my savings in a month every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana agotarás las entradas del concierto? — And tomorrow, will you exhaust the concert tickets? Luis: Claro, mañana agotaré las entradas del concierto sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will exhaust the concert tickets without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo agotaré la paciencia de mi madre también. — Perfect. I will exhaust my mother's patience too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer agoté la paciencia de mi madre. — Yesterday, I exhausted my mother's patience. Ana: ¿Y antes agotabas el pan de la tienda? — And before, did you use to exhaust the bread in the shop? Luis: Sí, antes agotaba el pan de la tienda todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to exhaust the bread in the shop every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos agotaron mis ahorros en un mes? — And did your brothers exhausted my savings in a month? Luis: Sí, ellos agotaron mis ahorros en un mes por la tarde. — Yes, they exhausted my savings in a month in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo agota mis ahorros en un mes. — Right: Yo agoto mis ahorros en un mes. — The person matters: agota is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is agoto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating agotar and gastar as identical in every context. — Right: Agotar means to exhaust, to use up, while gastar means to spend money or resources. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: agotar fits sentences such as Agoto mis ahorros en un mes, while gastar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy agotado las entradas del concierto. — Right: Yo he agotado las entradas del concierto. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he agotado, has agotado, ha agotado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo agoté la paciencia de mi madre todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo agotaba la paciencia de mi madre todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (agotaba), not the preterite. The preterite (agoté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el pan de la tienda. (present tense) A. agotan B. agoto C. agotas D. agota

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ mis ahorros en un mes. (preterite tense) A. agoté B. agotaste C. agotó D. agotamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ las entradas del concierto. (imperfect tense) A. agotábamos B. agotabais C. agotabas D. agotaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la paciencia de mi madre. (future tense) A. agotaremos B. agotará C. agotaré D. agotarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el pan de la tienda. (conditional tense) A. agotaríamos B. agotaría C. agotarías D. agotaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ mis ahorros en un mes. (present-perfect tense) A. has agotado B. ha agotado C. hemos agotado D. he agotado

  7. What does agotar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to exhaust, to use up D. to spend money or resources

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo agoté la paciencia de mi madre. B. Yo agota mis ahorros en un mes. C. Yo agoto mis ahorros en un mes. D. Él/Ella agota las entradas del concierto.

  9. Which is the gerund of agotar, used with estar for the progressive? A. agotando B. agotado C. agoto D. agoté

  10. Which is the past participle of agotar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. agotando B. agoto C. agoté D. agotado

Answer key

  1. agotan — The correct form here is agotan.
  2. agotamos — The correct form here is agotamos.
  3. agotabas — The correct form here is agotabas.
  4. agotará — The correct form here is agotará.
  5. agotaríamos — The correct form here is agotaríamos.
  6. he agotado — The correct form here is he agotado.
  7. to exhaust, to use up — Agotar means to exhaust, to use up. Gastar means to spend money or resources, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo agota mis ahorros en un mes. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo agoto mis ahorros en un mes.. The person matters: agota is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is agoto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. agotando — The gerund of agotar is agotando: estoy agotando.
  10. agotado — The past participle of agotar is agotado: he agotado, has agotado, ha agotado.

Frequently asked questions

What does agotar mean?

Agotar means to exhaust, to use up. Agotar means to exhaust or to use up, and it covers using up money, time, patience and stock: you exhaust your savings, you use up the tickets, a shop sells out of bread. It also means to tire someone out completely, as in el trabajo me agota.

When do people use agotar most?

People use agotar most in everyday situations such as Yo agoto mis ahorros en un mes. and Ayer, Yo agoté la paciencia de mi madre.. 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 agotar and gastar?

Agotar means to exhaust, to use up, while gastar means to spend money or resources. 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 agotar?

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

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