Ahogar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of ahogar — “to drown, to suffocate” 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 ahogar 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. 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. Ahogar is a spelling-changing verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Ahogo al niño en la piscina.

Present tense conjugation table: ahogar

Every person of ahogar in the present tense. The gerund is ahogando and the past participle is ahogado.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo ahogo
tú ahogas
él/ella/Ud. ahoga
nosotros/as ahogamos
vosotros/as ahogáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. ahogan

How the present of ahogar is formed

The present of ahogar is built from the stem ahog- 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 ahogo
tú -as ahogas
él/ella/Ud. -a ahoga
nosotros/as -amos ahogamos
vosotros/as -áis ahogáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an ahogan

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

When to use the present tense with ahogar

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo ahogo al niño en la piscina. — I drown the child in the pool.

General facts

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

Él/Ella ahoga la planta con demasiada agua. — He drowns the plant with too much water.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as ahogamos la ciudad con el humo. — Right now, We drown the city with smoke.

Near-future plans

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

Mañana, Tú ahogas a mi hermano en broma en la playa. — Tomorrow, You drown my brother jokingly on the beach.

Instructions and timeless statements

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

Él/Ella ahoga al niño en la piscina. — He drowns the child in the pool.

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 ahogar.

  1. Yo ahogo al niño en la piscina. — I drown the child in the pool. / Ayer, Yo ahogué al niño en la piscina. — Yesterday, I drowned the child in the pool.
  2. Yo ahogo la planta con demasiada agua. — I drown the plant with too much water. / Ayer, Yo ahogué la planta con demasiada agua. — Yesterday, I drowned the plant with too much water.
  3. Yo ahogo la ciudad con el humo. — I drown the city with smoke. / Ayer, Yo ahogué la ciudad con el humo. — Yesterday, I drowned the city with smoke.

Example sentences in the present tense

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

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

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.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo ahogo la planta con demasiada agua. — Right: Ayer, yo ahogué la planta con demasiada agua. — With ayer, use the preterite (ahogué), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using ahogar where asfixiar belongs. — Right: Ahogar means to drown, to suffocate, while asfixiar means to suffocate someone. — Check the meaning before you choose: ahogar fits Ahogo al niño en la piscina.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él ahoga la planta con demasiada agua. — Right: Espero que él ahogue la planta con demasiada agua. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: ahogue, not the present indicative ahoga.

Quiz: the present tense of ahogar

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al niño en la piscina. (present tense, yo) A. ahogo B. ahogas C. ahoga D. ahogamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ la planta con demasiada agua. (present tense, tú) A. ahogo B. ahoga C. ahogamos D. ahogas

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ la ciudad con el humo. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. ahogas B. ahogamos C. ahoga D. ahogo

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ a mi hermano en broma en la playa. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. ahoga B. ahogamos C. ahogo D. ahogas

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ al niño en la piscina. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. ahogáis B. ahogo C. ahogas D. ahoga

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ la planta con demasiada agua. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. ahogo B. ahogas C. ahoga D. ahogan

  7. Which is the gerund of ahogar? A. ahogo B. ahogué C. ahogando D. ahogado

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

Answer key

  1. ahogo — The yo present form of ahogar is ahogo.
  2. ahogas — The tú present form of ahogar is ahogas.
  3. ahoga — The él/ella/Ud. present form of ahogar is ahoga.
  4. ahogamos — The nosotros/as present form of ahogar is ahogamos.
  5. ahogáis — The vosotros/as present form of ahogar is ahogáis.
  6. ahogan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of ahogar is ahogan.
  7. ahogando — The gerund of ahogar is ahogando: estoy ahogando.
  8. ahogado — The past participle of ahogar is ahogado: he ahogado, has ahogado, ha ahogado.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of ahogar formed?

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

When do I use the present tense of ahogar?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Ahogo al niño en la piscina.

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

The present (ahogo) and the preterite (ahogué) 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 ahogar?

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

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