Agravar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

agravar means “to aggravate, to worsen” 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. Agravar means to aggravate or to worsen, to make a problem, an illness or a situation worse. It is a formal verb used in health, law and news, and it is fully regular. 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 agravar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the agravar present tense page.

agravar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo agravo la situación con sus palabras. — “I aggravate the situation with his words.”
  2. Él agrava la enfermedad del paciente. — “He aggravates the patient's illness.”
  3. Nosotros agravamos el problema con cada retraso. — “We aggravate the problem with every delay.”
  4. Ellos agravan la crisis económica. — “They aggravate the economic crisis.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo agravé la enfermedad del paciente. — “Yesterday, I aggravated the patient's illness.”
  2. Antes, nosotros agravábamos el problema con cada retraso. — “Before, we used to aggravate the problem with every delay.”
  3. Él agravó la crisis económica. — “He aggravated the economic crisis.”
  4. Yo ya había agravado la situación con sus palabras antes de salir. — “I had already aggravated the situation with his words before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú agravarás la situación con sus palabras. — “Tomorrow, you will aggravate the situation with his words.”
  2. Yo agravaría la enfermedad del paciente si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would aggravate the patient's illness if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha agravado el problema con cada retraso. — “He has aggravated the problem with every delay.”
  4. Espero que él agrave la crisis económica. — “I hope he aggravates the economic crisis.”

agravar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use agravar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo agravo la situación con sus palabras. — “I aggravate the situation with his words.”
  • Bea: Él agrava la enfermedad del paciente. — “He aggravates the patient's illness.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo agravé la enfermedad del paciente. — “Yesterday, I aggravated the patient's illness.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú agravarás la situación con sus palabras. — “Tomorrow, you will aggravate the situation with his words.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros agravamos el problema con cada retraso. — “We aggravate the problem with every delay.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros agravábamos el problema con cada retraso. — “Before, we used to aggravate the problem with every delay.”
  • Luis: Yo agravaría la enfermedad del paciente si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would aggravate the patient's illness if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él agrave la crisis económica. — “I hope he aggravates the economic crisis.”

A short scene with agravar

A short scene shows how agravar works across the day. In the morning: Agravo la situación con sus palabras. In the afternoon: Agrava la enfermedad del paciente. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, agravé el problema con cada retraso. And tomorrow: Mañana, agravaré la crisis económica. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how agravar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with agravar

The errors learners actually make with agravar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo agrava la situación con sus palabras.

✓ Correct: Yo agravo la situación con sus palabras.

The person matters: agrava is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is agravo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo agravo la enfermedad del paciente.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo agravé la enfermedad del paciente.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: agravo is happening now, while agravé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating agravar and empeorar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Agravar means to aggravate, to worsen, while empeorar means to get worse.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: agravar fits sentences such as Agravo la situación con sus palabras, while empeorar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy agravado la enfermedad del paciente.

✓ Correct: Yo he agravado la enfermedad del paciente.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he agravado, has agravado, ha agravado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo agravé el problema con cada retraso todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo agravaba el problema con cada retraso todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (agravaba), not the preterite. The preterite (agravé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: agravar in use

Ten questions on agravar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la enfermedad del paciente. — “He/she aggravates the patient's illness.”

  • a) agrava
  • b) agravo
  • c) agravas
  • d) agravamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el problema con cada retraso. — “Yesterday, I aggravated the problem with every delay.”

  • a) agravaste
  • b) agravó
  • c) agravaron
  • d) agravé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la crisis económica cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to aggravate the economic crisis when they were young.”

  • a) agravabas
  • b) agravábamos
  • c) agravaban
  • d) agravaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ la situación con sus palabras. — “Tomorrow, we will aggravate the situation with his words.”

  • a) agravarán
  • b) agravaremos
  • c) agravaré
  • d) agravarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la enfermedad del paciente si pudiera. — “He would aggravate the patient's illness if he could.”

  • a) agravaría
  • b) agravarías
  • c) agravaríamos
  • d) agravo

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el problema con cada retraso. — “I have aggravated the problem with every delay.”

  • a) has agravado
  • b) ha agravado
  • c) han agravado
  • d) he agravado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ la crisis económica. — “I hope you aggravate the economic crisis.”

  • a) agravemos
  • b) agravo
  • c) agraves
  • d) agrave

8. Which is the past participle of agravar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) agravé
  • b) agravado
  • c) agravando
  • d) agravo

9. What does agravar mean in English?

  • a) to aggravate, to worsen
  • b) to get worse
  • c) to scare away
  • d) to isolate

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él agrava la enfermedad del paciente.
  • b) Él agravo la enfermedad del paciente.
  • c) Nosotros agrava el problema con cada retraso.
  • d) Yo agrava la situación con sus palabras.

Answer key

  1. a) agrava — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: agrava.

  2. d) agravé — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: agravé, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) agravaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: agravaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) agravaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: agravaremos.

  5. a) agravaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: agravaría.

  6. d) he agravado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he agravado, haber + agravado.

  7. c) agraves — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is agraves.

  8. b) agravado — The past participle is agravado: he agravado, has agravado, ha agravado. The gerund agravando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to aggravate, to worsen — agravar means to aggravate, to worsen. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él agrava la enfermedad del paciente. — Él agrava la enfermedad del paciente. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use agravar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Agravo la situación con sus palabras and Agrava la enfermedad del paciente. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between agravar and empeorar?

Agravar means “to aggravate, to worsen”, while empeorar means “to get worse”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use agravar when you mean “to aggravate, to worsen” and empeorar when you mean “to get worse”.

Which tense do I need most with agravar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use agravar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is agravar formal or informal?

Agravar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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