Aguantar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb aguantar means to put up with, to endure, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, aguantar 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 aguanto el calor del verano, and in the preterite you say aguanté a mi jefe difícil. 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: aguantar
  • English: to put up with, to endure
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: aguantando
  • Past participle: aguantado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + aguantado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for aguantar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Aguantar is fully regular: aguanté, aguantaba, aguantaré. The phrase no aguanto más means I cannot take any more.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for aguantar. 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 aguanto
tú aguantas
él/ella/Ud. aguanta
nosotros/as aguantamos
vosotros/as aguantáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aguantan

Preterite

Person Form
yo aguanté
tú aguantaste
él/ella/Ud. aguantó
nosotros/as aguantamos
vosotros/as aguantasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aguantaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo aguantaba
tú aguantabas
él/ella/Ud. aguantaba
nosotros/as aguantábamos
vosotros/as aguantabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. aguantaban

Future

Person Form
yo aguantaré
tú aguantarás
él/ella/Ud. aguantará
nosotros/as aguantaremos
vosotros/as aguantaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aguantarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo aguantaría
tú aguantarías
él/ella/Ud. aguantaría
nosotros/as aguantaríamos
vosotros/as aguantaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. aguantarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he aguantado
tú has aguantado
él/ella/Ud. ha aguantado
nosotros/as hemos aguantado
vosotros/as habéis aguantado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han aguantado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había aguantado
tú habías aguantado
él/ella/Ud. había aguantado
nosotros/as habíamos aguantado
vosotros/as habíais aguantado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían aguantado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré aguantado
tú habrás aguantado
él/ella/Ud. habrá aguantado
nosotros/as habremos aguantado
vosotros/as habréis aguantado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán aguantado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría aguantado
tú habrías aguantado
él/ella/Ud. habría aguantado
nosotros/as habríamos aguantado
vosotros/as habríais aguantado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían aguantado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo aguante
tú aguantes
él/ella/Ud. aguante
nosotros/as aguantemos
vosotros/as aguantéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aguanten

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo aguantara
tú aguantaras
él/ella/Ud. aguantara
nosotros/as aguantáramos
vosotros/as aguantarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. aguantaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú aguanta
él/ella/Ud. aguante
nosotros/as aguantemos
vosotros/as aguantad
ellos/ellas/Uds. aguanten

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú aguantes
él/ella/Ud. aguante
nosotros/as aguantemos
vosotros/as aguantéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aguanten

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund aguantando with estar for the progressive: estoy aguantando
Past participle aguantado with haber for the perfect tenses: he aguantado

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 aguantar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Aguanto el calor del verano. 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 aguantar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, aguanté la reunión aburrida. 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 aguantar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, aguantaba a mi jefe difícil. 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 aguantar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, aguantaré el dolor de la pierna. 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 aguantar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Aguantaría el calor del verano 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 aguantar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he aguantado la reunión aburrida. 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 aguantar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había aguantado a mi jefe difícil 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 aguantar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré aguantado el dolor de la pierna. 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 aguantar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría aguantado el calor del verano 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 aguantar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él aguante la reunión aburrida. 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 aguantar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él aguantara a mi jefe difícil, 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 aguantar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡aguanta el dolor de la pierna! 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 aguantar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No aguantes el calor del verano. 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 aguantar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Aguanto el calor del verano. — I endure the summer heat.
  2. Aguanta la reunión aburrida. — He/she endures the boring meeting.
  3. Ayer, aguanté a mi jefe difícil. — Yesterday, I endured my difficult boss.
  4. Antes, nosotros aguantábamos el dolor de la pierna. — Before, we used to endure the pain in my leg.
  5. Mañana, tú aguantarás el calor del verano. — Tomorrow, you will endure the summer heat.
  6. Yo aguantaría la reunión aburrida si tuviera más tiempo. — I would endure the boring meeting if I had more time.
  7. Él ha aguantado a mi jefe difícil. — He has endured my difficult boss.
  8. Espero que él aguante el dolor de la pierna. — I hope he endures the pain in my leg.
  9. Yo ya había aguantado el calor del verano antes de salir. — I had already endured the summer heat before leaving.
  10. Ellos aguantaban la reunión aburrida cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to endure the boring meeting when they were young.

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. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

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

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la reunión aburrida. (preterite) A. aguanté B. aguantaste C. aguantaron D. aguantó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ a mi jefe difícil. (imperfect) A. aguantabas B. aguantaban C. aguantábamos D. aguantaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el dolor de la pierna. (future) A. aguantaremos B. aguantarás C. aguantaré D. aguantará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el calor del verano si pudiera. (conditional) A. aguantaría B. aguantarías C. aguantarían D. aguanto

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la reunión aburrida. (present subjunctive) A. aguantes B. aguantemos C. aguanto D. aguante

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a mi jefe difícil, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. aguantáramos B. aguanto C. aguantara D. aguantaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el dolor de la pierna. (present perfect) A. han aguantado B. hemos aguantado C. he aguantado D. has aguantado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ el calor del verano! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. aguanta B. aguante C. aguantemos D. aguantad

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

Answer key

  1. aguanto — The first-person present of aguantar is aguanto. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. aguantó — The third-person preterite of aguantar is aguantó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. aguantábamos — The nosotros imperfect of aguantar is aguantábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. aguantarás — The second-person future of aguantar is aguantarás.
  5. aguantaría — The first-person conditional of aguantar is aguantaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. aguante — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of aguantar is aguante.
  7. aguantara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of aguantar is aguantara.
  8. hemos aguantado — The nosotros present perfect of aguantar is hemos aguantado: hemos + aguantado.
  9. aguanta — The affirmative tú imperative of aguantar is aguanta.
  10. aguantando — The gerund of aguantar is aguantando: estoy aguantando. The participle aguantado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does aguantar mean in English?

Aguantar means to put up with, to endure. It is used in everyday situations such as Aguanto el calor del verano. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is aguantar regular or irregular?

Aguantar 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 aguanto in the present and aguanté in the preterite.

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 are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use aguantar when you mean to put up with, to endure, as in Aguanto el calor del verano, and use soportar for to bear or endure something. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I put up with” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo aguanté la reunión aburrida. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo aguantaba a mi jefe difícil. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he aguantado la reunión aburrida.

How do I practise aguantar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the aguantar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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