Aguantar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

aguantar means “to put up with, to endure” 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. Aguantar means to put up with or to endure, and it is one of the most expressive verbs in everyday Spanish: you put up with the heat, with a boring meeting, with a difficult boss, with pain. It also means to hold on physically, as in aguantar el peso, to bear the weight. 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 aguantar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the aguantar present tense page.

aguantar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo aguanto el calor del verano. — I endure the summer heat.
  2. Él/Ella aguanta la reunión aburrida. — He endures the boring meeting.
  3. Nosotros/as aguantamos a mi jefe difícil. — We endure my difficult boss.
  4. Ellos/as aguantan el dolor de la pierna. — They endure the pain in my leg.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo aguanté a mi jefe difícil. — Yesterday, I endured my difficult boss.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as aguantábamos el dolor de la pierna. — Before, We used to endure the pain in my leg.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella aguantó el calor del verano. — Yesterday, He endured the summer heat.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as aguantaban la reunión aburrida. — As children, They used to endure the boring meeting.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú aguantarás el calor del verano. — Tomorrow, You will endure the summer heat.
  2. Yo aguantaría la reunión aburrida. — I would endure the boring meeting.
  3. Espero que él aguante a mi jefe difícil. — I hope he endures my difficult boss.
  4. Él/Ella ha aguantado el dolor de la pierna. — He has endured the pain in my leg.

aguantar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú aguantas el calor del verano mañana? — Are you going to endure the summer heat tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo aguanto el calor del verano todos los días. — Yes, I endure the summer heat every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana aguantarás la reunión aburrida? — And tomorrow, will you endure the boring meeting? Luis: Claro, mañana aguantaré la reunión aburrida sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will endure the boring meeting without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo aguantaré a mi jefe difícil también. — Perfect. I will endure my difficult boss too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer aguanté a mi jefe difícil. — Yesterday, I endured my difficult boss. Ana: ¿Y antes aguantabas el dolor de la pierna? — And before, did you use to endure the pain in my leg? Luis: Sí, antes aguantaba el dolor de la pierna todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to endure the pain in my leg every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos aguantaron el calor del verano? — And did your brothers endured the summer heat? Luis: Sí, ellos aguantaron el calor del verano por la tarde. — Yes, they endured the summer heat in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo aguanta el calor del verano. — Right: Yo aguanto el calor del verano. — The person matters: aguanta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aguanto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating aguantar and soportar as identical in every context. — Right: Aguantar means to put up with, to endure, while soportar means to bear or endure something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: aguantar fits sentences such as Aguanto el calor del verano, while soportar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy aguantado la reunión aburrida. — Right: Yo he aguantado la reunión aburrida. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he aguantado, has aguantado, ha aguantado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo aguanté a mi jefe difícil todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo aguantaba a mi jefe difícil todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (aguantaba), not the preterite. The preterite (aguanté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el dolor de la pierna. (present tense) A. aguantan B. aguanto C. aguantas D. aguanta

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ el calor del verano. (preterite tense) A. aguanté B. aguantaste C. aguantó D. aguantamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ la reunión aburrida. (imperfect tense) A. aguantábamos B. aguantabais C. aguantabas D. aguantaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ a mi jefe difícil. (future tense) A. aguantaremos B. aguantará C. aguantaré D. aguantarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el dolor de la pierna. (conditional tense) A. aguantaríamos B. aguantaría C. aguantarías D. aguantaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ el calor del verano. (present-perfect tense) A. has aguantado B. ha aguantado C. hemos aguantado D. he aguantado

  7. What does aguantar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to put up with, to endure D. to bear or endure something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo aguanté a mi jefe difícil. B. Yo aguanta el calor del verano. C. Yo aguanto el calor del verano. D. Él/Ella aguanta la reunión aburrida.

  9. Which is the gerund of aguantar, used with estar for the progressive? A. aguantando B. aguantado C. aguanto D. aguanté

  10. Which is the past participle of aguantar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. aguantando B. aguanto C. aguanté D. aguantado

Answer key

  1. aguantan — The correct form here is aguantan.
  2. aguantamos — The correct form here is aguantamos.
  3. aguantabas — The correct form here is aguantabas.
  4. aguantará — The correct form here is aguantará.
  5. aguantaríamos — The correct form here is aguantaríamos.
  6. he aguantado — The correct form here is he aguantado.
  7. to put up with, to endure — Aguantar means to put up with, to endure. Soportar means to bear or endure something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo aguanta el calor del verano. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo aguanto el calor del verano.. The person matters: aguanta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aguanto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. aguantando — The gerund of aguantar is aguantando: estoy aguantando.
  10. aguantado — The past participle of aguantar is aguantado: he aguantado, has aguantado, ha aguantado.

Frequently asked questions

What does aguantar mean?

Aguantar means to put up with, to endure. Aguantar means to put up with or to endure, and it is one of the most expressive verbs in everyday Spanish: you put up with the heat, with a boring meeting, with a difficult boss, with pain. It also means to hold on physically, as in aguantar el peso, to bear the weight.

When do people use aguantar most?

People use aguantar most in everyday situations such as Yo aguanto el calor del verano. and Ayer, Yo aguanté a mi jefe difícil.. 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 aguantar and soportar?

Aguantar means to put up with, to endure, while soportar means to bear or endure something. 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 aguantar?

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

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