Tragar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb tragar means to swallow, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Tragar means to swallow, and it covers swallowing a pill with water, swallowing without chewing and, figuratively, swallowing your pride or swallowing dust on a road. It is a spelling-change verb: the g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is tragué. Like every Spanish verb, tragar 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 trago la pastilla con agua, and in the preterite you say tragué saliva antes de hablar. 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: tragar
  • English: to swallow
  • Verb type: irregular verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: tragando
  • Past participle: tragado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + tragado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for tragar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is tragué and the subjunctive is trague, never tragé.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for tragar. 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 trago
tú tragas
él/ella/Ud. traga
nosotros/as tragamos
vosotros/as tragáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tragan

Preterite

Person Form
yo tragué
tú tragaste
él/ella/Ud. tragó
nosotros/as tragamos
vosotros/as tragasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tragaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo tragaba
tú tragabas
él/ella/Ud. tragaba
nosotros/as tragábamos
vosotros/as tragabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. tragaban

Future

Person Form
yo tragaré
tú tragarás
él/ella/Ud. tragará
nosotros/as tragaremos
vosotros/as tragaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tragarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo tragaría
tú tragarías
él/ella/Ud. tragaría
nosotros/as tragaríamos
vosotros/as tragaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. tragarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he tragado
tú has tragado
él/ella/Ud. ha tragado
nosotros/as hemos tragado
vosotros/as habéis tragado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han tragado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había tragado
tú habías tragado
él/ella/Ud. había tragado
nosotros/as habíamos tragado
vosotros/as habíais tragado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían tragado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré tragado
tú habrás tragado
él/ella/Ud. habrá tragado
nosotros/as habremos tragado
vosotros/as habréis tragado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán tragado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría tragado
tú habrías tragado
él/ella/Ud. habría tragado
nosotros/as habríamos tragado
vosotros/as habríais tragado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían tragado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo trague
tú tragues
él/ella/Ud. trague
nosotros/as traguemos
vosotros/as traguéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. traguen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo tragara
tú tragaras
él/ella/Ud. tragara
nosotros/as tragáramos
vosotros/as tragarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. tragaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú traga
él/ella/Ud. trague
nosotros/as traguemos
vosotros/as tragad
ellos/ellas/Uds. traguen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú tragues
él/ella/Ud. trague
nosotros/as traguemos
vosotros/as traguéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. traguen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund tragando with estar for the progressive: estoy tragando
Past participle tragado with haber for the perfect tenses: he tragado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For tragar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Trago la pastilla con agua. 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 in the first person: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite first person is tragué. For tragar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, tragué sin masticar por las prisas. 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 tragar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, tragaba saliva antes de hablar. 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 tragar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, tragaré el polvo del camino. 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 tragar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Tragaría la pastilla con agua 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 tragar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he tragado sin masticar por las prisas. 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 tragar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había tragado saliva antes de hablar 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 tragar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré tragado el polvo del camino. 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 tragar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría tragado la pastilla con agua 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. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For tragar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él trague sin masticar por las prisas. 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 tragar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él tragara saliva antes de hablar, 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. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For tragar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Traga el polvo del camino! 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. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For tragar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No tragues la pastilla con agua. 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 tragar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Trago la pastilla con agua. — I swallow the pill with water.
  2. Traga sin masticar por las prisas. — He/she swallows without chewing because of the rush.
  3. Ayer, tragué saliva antes de hablar. — Yesterday, I swallowed before speaking.
  4. Antes, nosotros tragábamos el polvo del camino. — Before, we used to swallow the dust from the road.
  5. Mañana, tú tragarás la pastilla con agua. — Tomorrow, you will swallow the pill with water.
  6. Yo tragaría sin masticar por las prisas si tuviera más tiempo. — I would swallow without chewing because of the rush if I had more time.
  7. Él ha tragado saliva antes de hablar. — He has swallowed before speaking.
  8. Espero que él trague el polvo del camino. — I hope he swallows the dust from the road.
  9. Yo ya había tragado la pastilla con agua antes de salir. — I had already swallowed the pill with water before leaving.
  10. Ellos tragaban sin masticar por las prisas cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to swallow without chewing because of the rush when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo traga la pastilla con agua. — Right: Yo trago la pastilla con agua. — The person matters: traga is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is trago. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo tragé sin masticar por las prisas. — Right: Yo tragué sin masticar por las prisas. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is tragué, not tragé. tragar is a spelling-change verb: g becomes gu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating tragar and comer as identical in every context. — Right: Tragar means to swallow, while comer means to eat, the general verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: tragar fits sentences such as Trago la pastilla con agua, while comer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy tragado sin masticar por las prisas. — Right: Yo he tragado sin masticar por las prisas. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he tragado, has tragado, ha tragado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo tragué saliva antes de hablar todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo tragaba saliva antes de hablar todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (tragaba), not the preterite. The preterite (tragué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on tragar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la pastilla con agua. (present tense) A. trago B. tragas C. traga D. tragamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ sin masticar por las prisas. (preterite) A. tragué B. tragaste C. tragaron D. tragó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ saliva antes de hablar. (imperfect) A. tragabas B. tragaban C. tragábamos D. tragaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el polvo del camino. (future) A. tragaremos B. tragarás C. tragaré D. tragará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la pastilla con agua si pudiera. (conditional) A. tragaría B. tragarías C. tragarían D. trago

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ sin masticar por las prisas. (present subjunctive) A. tragues B. traguemos C. trago D. trague

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ saliva antes de hablar, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. tragáramos B. trago C. tragara D. tragaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el polvo del camino. (present perfect) A. han tragado B. hemos tragado C. he tragado D. has tragado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ la pastilla con agua! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. traga B. trague C. traguemos D. tragad

  10. Which is the gerund of tragar, used with estar for the progressive? A. tragado B. trago C. tragué D. tragando

Answer key

  1. trago — The first-person present of tragar is trago. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. tragó — The third-person preterite of tragar is tragó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. tragábamos — The nosotros imperfect of tragar is tragábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. tragarás — The second-person future of tragar is tragarás.
  5. tragaría — The first-person conditional of tragar is tragaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. trague — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of tragar is trague.
  7. tragara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of tragar is tragara.
  8. hemos tragado — The nosotros present perfect of tragar is hemos tragado: hemos + tragado.
  9. traga — The affirmative tú imperative of tragar is traga.
  10. tragando — The gerund of tragar is tragando: estoy tragando. The participle tragado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does tragar mean in English?

Tragar means to swallow. It is used in everyday situations such as Trago la pastilla con agua. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is tragar regular or irregular?

Tragar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including trago in the present and tragué in the preterite.

What is the difference between tragar and comer?

Tragar means to swallow, while comer means to eat, the general verb. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use tragar when you mean to swallow, as in Trago la pastilla con agua, and use comer for to eat, the general verb. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I swallow” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo tragué sin masticar por las prisas. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo tragaba saliva antes de hablar. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he tragado sin masticar por las prisas.

How do I practise tragar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the tragar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

Related links