ahogar Preterite Conjugation
ahogar — to drown
The preterite of ahogar has a spelling change only in the 'yo' form: ahogué.
ahogar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for specific, completed instances of drowning or suffocating in the past, such as a one-time event.
Notes on ahogar in the Preterite
Only the 'yo' form is irregular (ahogué) to preserve the hard 'g' sound. All other forms (ahogaste, ahogó) are regular.
Example Sentences
Ayer me ahogué con un trozo de pan.
Yesterday I choked on a piece of bread.
yo
El equipo ahogó al rival con su presión.
The team overwhelmed the rival with their pressure.
él/ella/usted
Casi se ahogaron en el río.
They almost drowned in the river.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'ahogé' for the first person.
Correct: ahogué
Why: Without the 'u', it would be pronounced 'aho-hé'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: ahogo
The present tense of ahogar is regular: ahogo, ahogas, ahoga, ahogamos, ahogáis, ahogan.
Imperfect
yo: ahogaba
The imperfect of ahogar is regular: ahogaba, ahogabas, ahogaba, etc.
Future
yo: ahogaré
The future tense of ahogar is regular: ahogaré, ahogarás, ahogará, etc.
Conditional
yo: ahogaría
The conditional of ahogar is regular: ahogaría, ahogarías, ahogaría, etc.
Present Subjunctive
yo: ahogue
The present subjunctive of ahogar requires a spelling change to 'ahogue' to keep the hard 'g' sound.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: ahogara
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'ahogara' stem and is used for hypothetical past situations.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ahoga
The imperative of ahogar uses 'ahoga' (tú) and 'ahogue' (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no ahogues
The negative imperative always uses the spelling change: no ahogues, no ahogue.