Ahogarse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of ahogarse — “to drown” 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 ahogarse 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. Ahogarse means to drown, and it is the reflexive partner of ahogar: a person drowns by accident, in the sea, in a pool or in a river. It is used in news, warnings and safety advice, and it always describes the person drowning rather than someone drowning them. Ahogarse is a reflexive 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: Me ahogo en el mar durante la tormenta.
Present tense conjugation table: ahogarse
Every person of ahogarse in the present tense, with the reflexive pronoun. The gerund is ahogándose with the pronoun attached, and the past participle is ahogado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me ahogo |
| tú | te ahogas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se ahoga |
| nosotros/as | nos ahogamos |
| vosotros/as | os ahogáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se ahogan |
How the present of ahogarse is formed
The present of ahogarse is built from the stem ahog- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending and the reflexive -se, 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 | me ahogo |
| tú | -as | te ahogas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | se ahoga |
| nosotros/as | -amos | nos ahogamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | os ahogáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | se ahogan |
For ahogarse 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.
Because ahogarse is reflexive, the pronoun goes before the verb in every form: me, te, se, nos, os, se. In the gerund the pronoun attaches to the end: ahogándose.
When to use the present tense with ahogarse
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo me ahogo en el mar durante la tormenta. — I drown in the sea during the storm.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella se ahoga en la piscina sin saber nadar. — He drowns in the pool without knowing how to swim.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as nos ahogamos en el río de niño. — Right now, We drown in the river as a child.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú te ahogas con el agua hasta el cuello. — Tomorrow, You drown with the water up to my neck.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella se ahoga en el mar durante la tormenta. — He drowns in the sea during the storm.
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 ahogarse.
- Yo me ahogo en el mar durante la tormenta. — I drown in the sea during the storm. / Ayer, Yo me ahogué en el mar durante la tormenta. — Yesterday, I drowned in the sea during the storm.
- Yo me ahogo en la piscina sin saber nadar. — I drown in the pool without knowing how to swim. / Ayer, Yo me ahogué en la piscina sin saber nadar. — Yesterday, I drowned in the pool without knowing how to swim.
- Yo me ahogo en el río de niño. — I drown in the river as a child. / Ayer, Yo me ahogué en el río de niño. — Yesterday, I drowned in the river as a child.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with ahogarse in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo me ahogo en el mar durante la tormenta. — I drown in the sea during the storm.
- Tú te ahogas en la piscina sin saber nadar. — You drown in the pool without knowing how to swim.
- Él/Ella se ahoga en el río de niño. — He drowns in the river as a child.
- Nosotros/as nos ahogamos con el agua hasta el cuello. — We drown with the water up to my neck.
- Vosotros/as os ahogáis en el mar durante la tormenta. — You drown in the sea during the storm.
- Ellos/as se ahogan en la piscina sin saber nadar. — They drown in the pool without knowing how to swim.
- Yo me ahogo en el río de niño. — I drown in the river as a child.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo ahoga en el mar durante la tormenta. — Right: Yo ahogo en el mar durante la tormenta. — The person matters: ahoga is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is ahogo.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo ahogo en la piscina sin saber nadar. — Right: Ayer, yo ahogué en la piscina sin saber nadar. — With ayer, use the preterite (ahogué), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Yo ahogo en el mar durante la tormenta. — Right: Yo me ahogo en el mar durante la tormenta. — Ahogarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required in the present tense too.
- Wrong: Espero que él ahoga en la piscina sin saber nadar. — Right: Espero que él ahogue en la piscina sin saber nadar. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: ahogue, not the present indicative ahoga.
Quiz: the present tense of ahogarse
Eight questions on the present tense of ahogarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el mar durante la tormenta. (present tense, yo) A. me ahogo B. te ahogas C. se ahoga D. nos ahogamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ en la piscina sin saber nadar. (present tense, tú) A. me ahogo B. se ahoga C. nos ahogamos D. te ahogas
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ en el río de niño. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. te ahogas B. nos ahogamos C. se ahoga D. me ahogo
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ con el agua hasta el cuello. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. se ahoga B. nos ahogamos C. me ahogo D. te ahogas
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ en el mar durante la tormenta. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. os ahogáis B. me ahogo C. te ahogas D. se ahoga
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ en la piscina sin saber nadar. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. me ahogo B. te ahogas C. se ahoga D. se ahogan
Which is the gerund of ahogarse? A. ahogo B. ahogué C. ahogando D. ahogado
Which is the past participle of ahogarse, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. ahogué B. ahogado C. ahogando D. ahogo
Answer key
- me ahogo — The yo present form of ahogarse is me ahogo.
- te ahogas — The tú present form of ahogarse is te ahogas.
- se ahoga — The él/ella/Ud. present form of ahogarse is se ahoga.
- nos ahogamos — The nosotros/as present form of ahogarse is nos ahogamos.
- os ahogáis — The vosotros/as present form of ahogarse is os ahogáis.
- se ahogan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of ahogarse is se ahogan.
- ahogando — The gerund of ahogarse is ahogando: estoy ahogando.
- ahogado — The past participle of ahogarse is ahogado: he ahogado, has ahogado, ha ahogado.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of ahogarse formed?
Take the infinitive ahogarse, drop the -ar ending and the reflexive -se 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 ahogarse is fully regular: the stem ahog- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of ahogarse?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Me ahogo en el mar durante la tormenta.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of ahogarse?
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 ahogarse?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of ahogarse to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the ahogarse examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Ahogarse conjugation — the full conjugation tables for ahogarse.
- Ahogarse examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for ahogarse.
- Spanish present tense guide — when and how to use the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Reflexive Verb Conjugator — practise reflexive verbs with the right pronoun for every person.
- Present-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.