Ahogar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb ahogar means to drown, to suffocate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, ahogar 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 ahogo al niño en la piscina, and in the preterite you say ahogué la ciudad con el humo. 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: ahogar
- English: to drown, to suffocate
- Verb type: spelling-changing verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: ahogando
- Past participle: ahogado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + ahogado)
- Spelling change: the stem spelling changes in some forms so the pronunciation stays the same — see the notes under each tense.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for ahogar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is ahogué and the subjunctive is ahogue — never ahogé.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for ahogar. 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 | ahogo |
| tú | ahogas |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahoga |
| nosotros/as | ahogamos |
| vosotros/as | ahogáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahogan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ahogué |
| tú | ahogaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahogó |
| nosotros/as | ahogamos |
| vosotros/as | ahogasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahogaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ahogaba |
| tú | ahogabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahogaba |
| nosotros/as | ahogábamos |
| vosotros/as | ahogabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahogaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ahogaré |
| tú | ahogarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahogará |
| nosotros/as | ahogaremos |
| vosotros/as | ahogaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahogarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ahogaría |
| tú | ahogarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahogaría |
| nosotros/as | ahogaríamos |
| vosotros/as | ahogaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahogarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he ahogado |
| tú | has ahogado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha ahogado |
| nosotros/as | hemos ahogado |
| vosotros/as | habéis ahogado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han ahogado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había ahogado |
| tú | habías ahogado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había ahogado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos ahogado |
| vosotros/as | habíais ahogado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían ahogado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré ahogado |
| tú | habrás ahogado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá ahogado |
| nosotros/as | habremos ahogado |
| vosotros/as | habréis ahogado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán ahogado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría ahogado |
| tú | habrías ahogado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría ahogado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos ahogado |
| vosotros/as | habríais ahogado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían ahogado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ahogue |
| tú | ahogues |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahogue |
| nosotros/as | ahoguemos |
| vosotros/as | ahoguéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahoguen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ahogara |
| tú | ahogaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahogara |
| nosotros/as | ahogáramos |
| vosotros/as | ahogarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahogaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | ahoga |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahogue |
| nosotros/as | ahoguemos |
| vosotros/as | ahogad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahoguen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | ahogues |
| él/ella/Ud. | ahogue |
| nosotros/as | ahoguemos |
| vosotros/as | ahoguéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ahoguen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | ahogando | with estar for the progressive: estoy ahogando |
| Past participle | ahogado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he ahogado |
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 ahogar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Ahogo al niño en la piscina. 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. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is ahogué, never ahogé. For ahogar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, ahogué la planta con demasiada agua. 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 ahogar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, ahogaba la ciudad con el humo. 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 ahogar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, ahogaré a mi hermano en broma en la playa. 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 ahogar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Ahogaría al niño en la piscina 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 ahogar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he ahogado la planta con demasiada agua. 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 ahogar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había ahogado la ciudad con el humo 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 ahogar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré ahogado a mi hermano en broma en la playa. 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 ahogar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría ahogado al niño en la piscina 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 ahogar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él ahogue la planta con demasiada agua. 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 ahogar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él ahogara la ciudad con el humo, 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 ahogar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡ahoga a mi hermano en broma en la playa! 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 ahogar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No ahogues al niño en la piscina. 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 ahogar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Ahogo al niño en la piscina. — I drown the child in the pool.
- Ahoga la planta con demasiada agua. — He/she drowns the plant with too much water.
- Ayer, ahogué la ciudad con el humo. — Yesterday, I drowned the city with smoke.
- Antes, nosotros ahogábamos a mi hermano en broma en la playa. — Before, we used to drown my brother jokingly on the beach.
- Mañana, tú ahogarás al niño en la piscina. — Tomorrow, you will drown the child in the pool.
- Yo ahogaría la planta con demasiada agua si tuviera más tiempo. — I would drown the plant with too much water if I had more time.
- Él ha ahogado la ciudad con el humo. — He has drowned the city with smoke.
- Espero que él ahogue a mi hermano en broma en la playa. — I hope he drowns my brother jokingly on the beach.
- Yo ya había ahogado al niño en la piscina antes de salir. — I had already drowned the child in the pool before leaving.
- Ellos ahogaban la planta con demasiada agua cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to drown the plant with too much water when they were young.
Common mistakes
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al niño en la piscina. (present tense) A. ahogo B. ahogas C. ahoga D. ahogamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la planta con demasiada agua. (preterite) A. ahogué B. ahogaste C. ahogaron D. ahogó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la ciudad con el humo. (imperfect) A. ahogabas B. ahogaban C. ahogábamos D. ahogaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a mi hermano en broma en la playa. (future) A. ahogaremos B. ahogarás C. ahogaré D. ahogará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al niño en la piscina si pudiera. (conditional) A. ahogaría B. ahogarías C. ahogarían D. ahogo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la planta con demasiada agua. (present subjunctive) A. ahogues B. ahoguemos C. ahogo D. ahogue
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la ciudad con el humo, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. ahogáramos B. ahogo C. ahogara D. ahogaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a mi hermano en broma en la playa. (present perfect) A. han ahogado B. hemos ahogado C. he ahogado D. has ahogado
Complete the command: ¡___ al niño en la piscina! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. ahoga B. ahogue C. ahoguemos D. ahogad
Which is the gerund of ahogar, used with estar for the progressive? A. ahogado B. ahogo C. ahogué D. ahogando
Answer key
- ahogo — The first-person present of ahogar is ahogo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- ahogó — The third-person preterite of ahogar is ahogó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- ahogábamos — The nosotros imperfect of ahogar is ahogábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- ahogarás — The second-person future of ahogar is ahogarás.
- ahogaría — The first-person conditional of ahogar is ahogaría, the form for what would happen.
- ahogue — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of ahogar is ahogue.
- ahogara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of ahogar is ahogara.
- hemos ahogado — The nosotros present perfect of ahogar is hemos ahogado: hemos + ahogado.
- ahoga — The affirmative tú imperative of ahogar is ahoga.
- ahogando — The gerund of ahogar is ahogando: estoy ahogando. The participle ahogado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does ahogar mean in English?
Ahogar means to drown, to suffocate. It is used in everyday situations such as Ahogo al niño en la piscina. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is ahogar regular or irregular?
Ahogar is a spelling-changing verb: the endings are regular, but the spelling of the stem changes in some forms so the pronunciation stays the same. For example, the preterite first person is ahogué. The other tenses follow the regular pattern for -ar verbs.
What is the difference between ahogar and asfixiar?
Ahogar means to drown, to suffocate, while asfixiar means to suffocate someone. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use ahogar when you mean to drown, to suffocate, as in Ahogo al niño en la piscina, and use asfixiar for to suffocate someone. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I drown” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo ahogué la planta con demasiada agua. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo ahogaba la ciudad con el humo. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he ahogado la planta con demasiada agua.
How do I practise ahogar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the ahogar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Ahogar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for ahogar.
- Ahogar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for ahogar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Aguantar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with ahogar.
- Agrupar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with ahogar.
- Alejar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with ahogar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.