Ahogar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

ahogar means “to drown, to suffocate” 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. Ahogar means to drown or to suffocate, and it covers drowning in water and suffocating from smoke, heat or a tight feeling in the chest. It is also used figuratively, as in las deudas me ahogan, the debts are suffocating me. Its reflexive partner ahogarse means to drown by accident. 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 ahogar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the ahogar present tense page.

ahogar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo ahogo al niño en la piscina. — I drown the child in the pool.
  2. Él/Ella ahoga la planta con demasiada agua. — He drowns the plant with too much water.
  3. Nosotros/as ahogamos la ciudad con el humo. — We drown the city with smoke.
  4. Ellos/as ahogan a mi hermano en broma en la playa. — They drown my brother jokingly on the beach.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo ahogué la ciudad con el humo. — Yesterday, I drowned the city with smoke.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as ahogábamos a mi hermano en broma en la playa. — Before, We used to drown my brother jokingly on the beach.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella ahogó al niño en la piscina. — Yesterday, He drowned the child in the pool.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as ahogaban la planta con demasiada agua. — As children, They used to drown the plant with too much water.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú ahogarás al niño en la piscina. — Tomorrow, You will drown the child in the pool.
  2. Yo ahogaría la planta con demasiada agua. — I would drown the plant with too much water.
  3. Espero que él ahogue la ciudad con el humo. — I hope he drowns the city with smoke.
  4. Él/Ella ha ahogado a mi hermano en broma en la playa. — He has drowned my brother jokingly on the beach.

ahogar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú ahogas al niño en la piscina mañana? — Are you going to drown the child in the pool tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo ahogo al niño en la piscina todos los días. — Yes, I drown the child in the pool every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana ahogarás la planta con demasiada agua? — And tomorrow, will you drown the plant with too much water? Luis: Claro, mañana ahogaré la planta con demasiada agua sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will drown the plant with too much water without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo ahogaré la ciudad con el humo también. — Perfect. I will drown the city with smoke too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer ahogué la ciudad con el humo. — Yesterday, I drowned the city with smoke. Ana: ¿Y antes ahogabas a mi hermano en broma en la playa? — And before, did you use to drown my brother jokingly on the beach? Luis: Sí, antes ahogaba a mi hermano en broma en la playa todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to drown my brother jokingly on the beach every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos ahogaron al niño en la piscina? — And did your brothers drowned the child in the pool? Luis: Sí, ellos ahogaron al niño en la piscina por la tarde. — Yes, they drowned the child in the pool in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo ahoga al niño en la piscina. — Right: Yo ahogo al niño en la piscina. — The person matters: ahoga is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is ahogo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo ahogé la ciudad con el humo. — Right: Ayer, yo ahogué la ciudad con el humo. — Spelling change: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is ahogué, never ahogé.
  3. Wrong: Treating ahogar and asfixiar as identical in every context. — Right: Ahogar means to drown, to suffocate, while asfixiar means to suffocate someone. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: ahogar fits sentences such as Ahogo al niño en la piscina, while asfixiar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy ahogado la planta con demasiada agua. — Right: Yo he ahogado la planta con demasiada agua. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he ahogado, has ahogado, ha ahogado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo ahogué la ciudad con el humo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo ahogaba la ciudad con el humo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (ahogaba), not the preterite. The preterite (ahogué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ a mi hermano en broma en la playa. (present tense) A. ahogan B. ahogo C. ahogas D. ahoga

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ al niño en la piscina. (preterite tense) A. ahogué B. ahogaste C. ahogó D. ahogamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ la planta con demasiada agua. (imperfect tense) A. ahogábamos B. ahogabais C. ahogabas D. ahogaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la ciudad con el humo. (future tense) A. ahogaremos B. ahogará C. ahogaré D. ahogarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ a mi hermano en broma en la playa. (conditional tense) A. ahogaríamos B. ahogaría C. ahogarías D. ahogaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ al niño en la piscina. (present-perfect tense) A. has ahogado B. ha ahogado C. hemos ahogado D. he ahogado

  7. What does ahogar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to drown, to suffocate D. to suffocate someone

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo ahogué la ciudad con el humo. B. Yo ahoga al niño en la piscina. C. Yo ahogo al niño en la piscina. D. Él/Ella ahoga la planta con demasiada agua.

  9. Which is the gerund of ahogar, used with estar for the progressive? A. ahogando B. ahogado C. ahogo D. ahogué

  10. Which is the past participle of ahogar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. ahogando B. ahogo C. ahogué D. ahogado

Answer key

  1. ahogan — The correct form here is ahogan.
  2. ahogamos — The correct form here is ahogamos.
  3. ahogabas — The correct form here is ahogabas.
  4. ahogará — The correct form here is ahogará.
  5. ahogaríamos — The correct form here is ahogaríamos.
  6. he ahogado — The correct form here is he ahogado.
  7. to drown, to suffocate — Ahogar means to drown, to suffocate. Asfixiar means to suffocate someone, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo ahoga al niño en la piscina. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo ahogo al niño en la piscina.. The person matters: ahoga is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is ahogo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. ahogando — The gerund of ahogar is ahogando: estoy ahogando.
  10. ahogado — The past participle of ahogar is ahogado: he ahogado, has ahogado, ha ahogado.

Frequently asked questions

What does ahogar mean?

Ahogar means to drown, to suffocate. Ahogar means to drown or to suffocate, and it covers drowning in water and suffocating from smoke, heat or a tight feeling in the chest. It is also used figuratively, as in las deudas me ahogan, the debts are suffocating me. Its reflexive partner ahogarse means to drown by accident.

When do people use ahogar most?

People use ahogar most in everyday situations such as Yo ahogo al niño en la piscina. and Ayer, Yo ahogué la ciudad con el humo.. 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 ahogar and asfixiar?

Ahogar means to drown, to suffocate, while asfixiar means to suffocate someone. 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 ahogar?

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

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