Agravar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb agravar means to aggravate, to worsen, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, agravar 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 agravo la situación con sus palabras, and in the preterite you say agravé el problema con cada retraso. 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: agravar
- English: to aggravate, to worsen
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: agravando
- Past participle: agravado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + agravado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for agravar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Agravar is fully regular: agravo, agrava. It makes something worse; empeorar is the common word for getting worse.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for agravar. 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 | agravo |
| tú | agravas |
| él/ella/Ud. | agrava |
| nosotros/as | agravamos |
| vosotros/as | agraváis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agravan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | agravé |
| tú | agravaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | agravó |
| nosotros/as | agravamos |
| vosotros/as | agravasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agravaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | agravaba |
| tú | agravabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | agravaba |
| nosotros/as | agravábamos |
| vosotros/as | agravabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agravaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | agravaré |
| tú | agravarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | agravará |
| nosotros/as | agravaremos |
| vosotros/as | agravaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agravarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | agravaría |
| tú | agravarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | agravaría |
| nosotros/as | agravaríamos |
| vosotros/as | agravaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agravarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he agravado |
| tú | has agravado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha agravado |
| nosotros/as | hemos agravado |
| vosotros/as | habéis agravado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han agravado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había agravado |
| tú | habías agravado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había agravado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos agravado |
| vosotros/as | habíais agravado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían agravado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré agravado |
| tú | habrás agravado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá agravado |
| nosotros/as | habremos agravado |
| vosotros/as | habréis agravado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán agravado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría agravado |
| tú | habrías agravado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría agravado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos agravado |
| vosotros/as | habríais agravado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían agravado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | agrave |
| tú | agraves |
| él/ella/Ud. | agrave |
| nosotros/as | agravemos |
| vosotros/as | agravéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agraven |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | agravara |
| tú | agravaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | agravara |
| nosotros/as | agraváramos |
| vosotros/as | agravarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agravaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | agrava |
| él/ella/Ud. | agrave |
| nosotros/as | agravemos |
| vosotros/as | agravad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agraven |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | agraves |
| él/ella/Ud. | agrave |
| nosotros/as | agravemos |
| vosotros/as | agravéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | agraven |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | agravando | with estar for the progressive: estoy agravando |
| Past participle | agravado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he agravado |
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 agravar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Agravo la situación con sus palabras. 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 agravar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, agravé la enfermedad del paciente. 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 agravar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, agravaba el problema con cada retraso. 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 agravar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, agravaré la crisis económica. 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 agravar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Agravaría la situación con sus palabras 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 agravar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he agravado la enfermedad del paciente. 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 agravar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había agravado el problema con cada retraso 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 agravar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré agravado la crisis económica. 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 agravar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría agravado la situación con sus palabras 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 agravar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él agrave la enfermedad del paciente. 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 agravar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él agravara el problema con cada retraso, 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 agravar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Agrava la crisis económica! 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 agravar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No agraves la situación con sus palabras. 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 agravar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Agravo la situación con sus palabras. — I aggravate the situation with his words.
- Agrava la enfermedad del paciente. — He/she aggravates the patient's illness.
- Ayer, agravé el problema con cada retraso. — Yesterday, I aggravated the problem with every delay.
- Antes, nosotros agravábamos la crisis económica. — Before, we used to aggravate the economic crisis.
- Mañana, tú agravarás la situación con sus palabras. — Tomorrow, you will aggravate the situation with his words.
- Yo agravaría la enfermedad del paciente si tuviera más tiempo. — I would aggravate the patient's illness if I had more time.
- Él ha agravado el problema con cada retraso. — He has aggravated the problem with every delay.
- Espero que él agrave la crisis económica. — I hope he aggravates the economic crisis.
- Yo ya había agravado la situación con sus palabras antes de salir. — I had already aggravated the situation with his words before leaving.
- Ellos agravaban la enfermedad del paciente cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to aggravate the patient's illness when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo agrava la situación con sus palabras. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Ayer yo agravo la enfermedad del paciente. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Treating agravar and empeorar as identical in every context. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Yo soy agravado la enfermedad del paciente. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: De niño, yo agravé el problema con cada retraso todos los días. — Right: 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: test yourself
Ten questions on agravar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la situación con sus palabras. (present tense) A. agravo B. agravas C. agrava D. agravamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la enfermedad del paciente. (preterite) A. agravé B. agravaste C. agravaron D. agravó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el problema con cada retraso. (imperfect) A. agravabas B. agravaban C. agravábamos D. agravaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la crisis económica. (future) A. agravaremos B. agravarás C. agravaré D. agravará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la situación con sus palabras si pudiera. (conditional) A. agravaría B. agravarías C. agravarían D. agravo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la enfermedad del paciente. (present subjunctive) A. agraves B. agravemos C. agravo D. agrave
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el problema con cada retraso, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. agraváramos B. agravo C. agravara D. agravaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la crisis económica. (present perfect) A. han agravado B. hemos agravado C. he agravado D. has agravado
Complete the command: ¡___ la situación con sus palabras! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. agrava B. agrave C. agravemos D. agravad
Which is the gerund of agravar, used with estar for the progressive? A. agravado B. agravo C. agravé D. agravando
Answer key
- agravo — The first-person present of agravar is agravo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- agravó — The third-person preterite of agravar is agravó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- agravábamos — The nosotros imperfect of agravar is agravábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- agravarás — The second-person future of agravar is agravarás.
- agravaría — The first-person conditional of agravar is agravaría, the form for what would happen.
- agrave — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of agravar is agrave.
- agravara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of agravar is agravara.
- hemos agravado — The nosotros present perfect of agravar is hemos agravado: hemos + agravado.
- agrava — The affirmative tú imperative of agravar is agrava.
- agravando — The gerund of agravar is agravando: estoy agravando. The participle agravado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does agravar mean in English?
Agravar means to aggravate, to worsen. It is used in everyday situations such as Agravo la situación con sus palabras. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is agravar regular or irregular?
Agravar 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 agravo in the present and agravé in the preterite.
What is the difference between agravar and empeorar?
Agravar means to aggravate, to worsen, while empeorar means to get worse. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use agravar when you mean to aggravate, to worsen, as in Agravo la situación con sus palabras, and use empeorar for to get worse. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I aggravate” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo agravé la enfermedad del paciente. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo agravaba el problema con cada retraso. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he agravado la enfermedad del paciente.
How do I practise agravar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the agravar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Agravar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for agravar.
- Agravar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for agravar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Agobiar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with agravar.
- Ahuyentar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with agravar.
- Aglomerar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with agravar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.