Apagar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb apagar means to turn off, and this page covers it in the present tense — the tense for habits, facts and what is happening now. If you want the whole picture, start with the full apagar conjugation, which has every tense on one page. Here we go deep on one tense only: the full table, how it is formed, when to use it, how it differs from the closest tense, examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the questions people ask most. One example to start: Yo apago la luz. — "I switch off the light."

No pronunciation is given on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for apagar, so no pronunciation is shown rather than an invented one. All the forms below come from the verified conjugation tables, so you can trust every form you see here.

The apagar present tense table

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for apagar. The gerund is apagando and the past participle is apagado.

Person Form
yo apago
tú apagas
él/ella/Ud. apaga
nosotros/as apagamos
vosotros/as apagáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. apagan

The gerund apagando is used with estar for the progressive (estoy apagando, I am switching off), and the past participle apagado is used with haber for the perfect tenses (he apagado, I have switched off).

How the present tense of apagar is formed

Start with the infinitive apagar. Take off the -ar ending and you are left with the stem apag-. Then add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o (yo), -as (tú), -a (él/ella/Ud.), -amos (nosotros/as), -áis (vosotros/as) and -an (ellos/ellas/Uds.). That gives you the six forms in the table above, and for most verbs in this group that is the whole story.

apagar is regular in the present: every form is exactly the stem plus the ending above, with no stem change and no spelling change. If you know the stem and the six endings, you can build the whole tense without memorising anything extra.

Two details are worth fixing early. First, the vosotros form carries a written accent on the ending: apagáis. Second, the present tense in Spanish has no auxiliary verb: apago on its own means both "I switch off" and "I am switching off" in English, so you do not need a separate word for the progressive unless you want to stress that something is happening right now.

When to use the present tense of apagar

Habits and routines

The present is the tense of what you do regularly. Talking about switching off lights, the television or the computer at night or when leaving.

  • Yo apago la luz. — "I switch off the light."
  • Tú apagas la televisión. — "you switch off the television."

Facts and general truths

The present also states facts that are true in general, not just today. Talking about putting out a candle or a fire.

  • Él apaga el ordenador. — "he/she switches off the computer."
  • Nosotros apagamos las luces del árbol. — "we switch off the lights on the tree."

What is happening now

The present describes what is happening at this moment. Talking about saving electricity: apagar la luz is a daily habit.

  • Vosotros apagáis antes de dormir. — "you (all) switch off before sleeping."
  • Ellos apagan al salir de casa. — "they switch off when leaving the house."

Plans in the near future

Spanish also uses the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with a time expression. A plan you have already decided on can be stated in the present, and it sounds more certain than the future tense.

  • Él apaga el ordenador. — "he/she switches off the computer."
  • Nosotros apagamos las luces del árbol. — "we switch off the lights on the tree."

Apagar present vs present progressive

The present tense and the present progressive (estar + gerund) are close neighbours, and learners mix them up. The present describes a habit, a fact or a routine. The progressive describes something in progress right now, at this very moment. Compare the three pairs below: the first sentence in each pair is a habit, the second is happening now.

  • Present (habit): Yo apago la luz. — "I switch off the light."

  • Progressive (right now): Yo estoy apagando la luz. — "I am switching off the light."

  • Present (habit): Tú apagas la televisión. — "you switch off the television."

  • Progressive (right now): Tú estás apagando la televisión. — "you are switching off the television."

  • Present (habit): Él apaga el ordenador. — "he/she switches off the computer."

  • Progressive (right now): Él está apagando el ordenador. — "he/she is switching off the computer."

Use the present when you talk about what you usually do, and the progressive when you want to stress that it is happening as you speak. If you say apago every day, that is a routine. If you say Estoy apagando, you are doing it at this moment.

Examples of apagar in the present

Eight sentences in the present tense, so you can see the forms in real use. Read the Spanish first, guess the meaning, then check the translation.

  1. Apago la luz antes de dormir. — "I switch off the light before sleeping."
  2. Mi padre apaga la televisión al salir de casa. — "My father switches off the television when leaving the house."
  3. Ayer apagué una vela en el salón. — "Yesterday I put out a candle in the living room."
  4. De niña, apagaba la luz de mi habitación cada noche. — "As a girl, I used to switch off my bedroom light every night."
  5. Mañana apagaré el ordenador después de trabajar. — "Tomorrow I will switch off the computer after working."
  6. Si no tuviera prisa, apagaría la luz con calma. — "If I were not in a hurry, I would switch off the light calmly."
  7. Él apaga antes de dormir. — "he/she switches off before sleeping."
  8. Nosotros apagamos al salir de casa. — "we switch off when leaving the house."

Common mistakes with apagar in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why it is wrong.

1. Yo apaga la luz.

Wrong: Yo apaga la luz.

Right: Yo apago la luz.

The yo form ends in -o: apago. Apaga is the él/ella form.

2. Ayer yo apago una vela.

Wrong: Ayer yo apago una vela.

Right: Ayer yo apagué una vela.

A finished action yesterday needs the preterite, and the yo preterite changes g to gu: apagué, to keep the hard g sound.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

Wrong: Ayer yo apago la luz.

Right: Ayer yo apagué la luz.

Ayer (yesterday) signals a finished action, so it needs the preterite: apagué. The present apago describes what you do now or usually, not what you did yesterday.

4. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros apagais la luz.

Right: Vosotros apagáis la luz.

The vosotros ending carries a written accent: apagáis. Without it, the spelling is wrong, even though the pronunciation is close.

Quiz: test yourself on apagar in the present

Choose the right form for each sentence. The answers are at the end of this section, with an explanation for every question.

  1. Yo ___ la luz
    • a) apago
    • b) apagas
    • c) apaga
    • d) apagamos
  2. Tú ___ la televisión
    • a) apago
    • b) apaga
    • c) apagamos
    • d) apagas
  3. Él ___ el ordenador
    • a) apagas
    • b) apagamos
    • c) apaga
    • d) apago
  4. Nosotros ___ las luces del árbol
    • a) apaga
    • b) apagamos
    • c) apago
    • d) apagas
  5. Vosotros ___ antes de dormir
    • a) apagáis
    • b) apago
    • c) apagas
    • d) apaga
  6. Ellos ___ al salir de casa
    • a) apago
    • b) apagas
    • c) apaga
    • d) apagan
  7. Yo ___ la luz
    • a) apaga
    • b) apagamos
    • c) apago
    • d) apagas
  8. Tú ___ la televisión
    • a) apagamos
    • b) apagas
    • c) apago
    • d) apaga

Answers

  1. a) apago — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
  2. d) apagas — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.
  3. c) apaga — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form, because the subject is él/ella/Ud..
  4. b) apagamos — The sentence needs the nosotros/as form, because the subject is nosotros/as.
  5. a) apagáis — The sentence needs the vosotros/as form, because the subject is vosotros/as.
  6. d) apagan — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, because the subject is ellos/ellas/Uds..
  7. c) apago — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
  8. b) apagas — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.

Frequently asked questions about apagar in the present

Why is the yo preterite apagué and not apagé?

Verbs ending in -gar change g to gu before e, to keep the hard g sound: yo apagué, but tú apagaste, él apagó. The present is not affected: yo apago.

Is apagar regular?

Almost. It is regular except for the -gar spelling change in the yo preterite (apagué). The present is fully regular: apago, apagas, apaga, apagamos, apagáis, apagan.

Is apagar regular in the present?

Yes. apagar is regular in the present: the six forms are the stem apag- plus the regular endings, with no stem change. The only thing to watch is the written accent on the stressed endings, for example apago.

What are the gerund and the past participle of apagar?

The gerund is apagando, used with estar for the progressive (estoy apagando), and the past participle is apagado, used with haber for the perfect tenses (he apagado).

How to remember apagar

Four small habits will fix apagar in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: apago, apagas, apaga, apagamos, apagáis, apagan. Saying the forms is far more effective than reading them silently, because you hear the endings and the stem at the same time. Second, write three sentences about your own life: one about today with the present (apago), one about yesterday with the preterite (apagué), and one about tomorrow with the future (apagaré). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from encender: Apagar is switching off or putting out; encender is switching on or lighting. They are opposites: enciendes la luz al entrar y la apagas al salir. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund apagando and the past participle apagado. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy apagando) and the present perfect (he apagado), which covers most everyday conversation.

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