tragar Present Subjunctive Conjugation
tragar — to swallow
The present subjunctive of tragar uses a 'gu' spelling in all forms: trague, tragues, trague, traguemos, traguéis, traguen.
tragar Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use this after expressions of doubt, desire, or commands, such as 'I hope he swallows the pill' or 'It's important that you swallow.'
Notes on tragar in the Present Subjunctive
Because the stem ends in 'g', we must use 'gu' before the subjunctive 'e' endings to maintain the hard 'g' sound.
Example Sentences
Espero que el bebé no se trague ninguna pieza pequeña.
I hope the baby doesn't swallow any small pieces.
él/ella/usted
El médico quiere que tragues con cuidado.
The doctor wants you to swallow carefully.
tú
Dudo que ellos se traguen esa mentira.
I doubt they will swallow (believe) that lie.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'trage' instead of 'trague'.
Correct: trague
Why: In Spanish, 'ge' sounds like 'he'. To get the 'geh' sound, you must add the silent 'u'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: trago
The present tense of tragar is regular in all forms: trago, tragas, traga, tragamos, tragáis, tragan.
Preterite
yo: tragué
The preterite of tragar features a spelling change in the 'yo' form (tragué) to keep the hard 'g' sound.
Imperfect
yo: tragaba
The imperfect of tragar is fully regular: tragaba, tragabas, tragaba, tragábamos, tragabais, tragaban.
Future
yo: tragaré
The future of tragar is regular: tragaré, tragarás, tragará, tragaremos, tragaréis, tragarán.
Conditional
yo: tragaría
The conditional of tragar is regular: tragaría, tragarías, tragaría, tragaríamos, tragaríais, tragarían.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: tragara
The imperfect subjunctive of tragar is regular based on the preterite stem: tragara, tragaras, tragara, tragáramos, tragarais, tragaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: traga
The imperative of tragar gives commands: traga (tú), tragad (vosotros), trague (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no tragues
The negative imperative of tragar uses the 'gu' spelling: no tragues, no trague, no traguemos, no traguéis, no traguen.