Aguantar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of aguantar — “to put up with, to endure” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for aguantar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. Aguantar is a regular -ar verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Aguanto el calor del verano.

Present tense conjugation table: aguantar

Every person of aguantar in the present tense. The gerund is aguantando and the past participle is aguantado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo aguanto
tú aguantas
él/ella/Ud. aguanta
nosotros/as aguantamos
vosotros/as aguantáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aguantan

How the present of aguantar is formed

The present of aguantar is built from the stem aguant- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.

Person Ending Form
yo -o aguanto
tú -as aguantas
él/ella/Ud. -a aguanta
nosotros/as -amos aguantamos
vosotros/as -áis aguantáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an aguantan

For aguantar there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem aguant- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.

When to use the present tense with aguantar

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo aguanto el calor del verano. — I endure the summer heat.

General facts

Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.

Él/Ella aguanta la reunión aburrida. — He endures the boring meeting.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as aguantamos a mi jefe difícil. — Right now, We endure my difficult boss.

Near-future plans

Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.

Mañana, Tú aguantas el dolor de la pierna. — Tomorrow, You endure the pain in my leg.

Instructions and timeless statements

Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.

Él/Ella aguanta el calor del verano. — He endures the summer heat.

The present vs the preterite

The present and the preterite answer different questions: the present says what happens regularly or right now, while the preterite says what happened once and finished. Compare the same idea in both tenses with aguantar.

  1. Yo aguanto el calor del verano. — I endure the summer heat. / Ayer, Yo aguanté el calor del verano. — Yesterday, I endured the summer heat.
  2. Yo aguanto la reunión aburrida. — I endure the boring meeting. / Ayer, Yo aguanté la reunión aburrida. — Yesterday, I endured the boring meeting.
  3. Yo aguanto a mi jefe difícil. — I endure my difficult boss. / Ayer, Yo aguanté a mi jefe difícil. — Yesterday, I endured my difficult boss.

Example sentences in the present tense

Seven sentences with aguantar in the present tense only, covering all six persons.

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

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.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo aguanto la reunión aburrida. — Right: Ayer, yo aguanté la reunión aburrida. — With ayer, use the preterite (aguanté), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using aguantar where soportar belongs. — Right: Aguantar means to put up with, to endure, while soportar means to bear or endure something. — Check the meaning before you choose: aguantar fits Aguanto el calor del verano.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él aguanta la reunión aburrida. — Right: Espero que él aguante la reunión aburrida. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: aguante, not the present indicative aguanta.

Quiz: the present tense of aguantar

Eight questions on the present tense of aguantar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el calor del verano. (present tense, yo) A. aguanto B. aguantas C. aguanta D. aguantamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ la reunión aburrida. (present tense, tú) A. aguanto B. aguanta C. aguantamos D. aguantas

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ a mi jefe difícil. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. aguantas B. aguantamos C. aguanta D. aguanto

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el dolor de la pierna. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. aguanta B. aguantamos C. aguanto D. aguantas

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ el calor del verano. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. aguantáis B. aguanto C. aguantas D. aguanta

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ la reunión aburrida. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. aguanto B. aguantas C. aguanta D. aguantan

  7. Which is the gerund of aguantar? A. aguanto B. aguanté C. aguantando D. aguantado

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

Answer key

  1. aguanto — The yo present form of aguantar is aguanto.
  2. aguantas — The tú present form of aguantar is aguantas.
  3. aguanta — The él/ella/Ud. present form of aguantar is aguanta.
  4. aguantamos — The nosotros/as present form of aguantar is aguantamos.
  5. aguantáis — The vosotros/as present form of aguantar is aguantáis.
  6. aguantan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of aguantar is aguantan.
  7. aguantando — The gerund of aguantar is aguantando: estoy aguantando.
  8. aguantado — The past participle of aguantar is aguantado: he aguantado, has aguantado, ha aguantado.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of aguantar formed?

Take the infinitive aguantar, drop the -ar ending to get the stem aguant-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of aguantar is fully regular: the stem aguant- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.

When do I use the present tense of aguantar?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Aguanto el calor del verano.

What is the difference between the present and the preterite of aguantar?

The present (aguanto) and the preterite (aguanté) answer different questions: the present is for habits and for right now, while the preterite is for one finished action. Compare them in the contrast section above.

How do I practise the present of aguantar?

Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of aguantar to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the aguantar examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.

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