agarró

/ah-gah-RROH/

grabbed

A cartoon hand firmly grasping a single bright red apple.

Visualizing "agarró" (grabbed) as a physical action.

agarró(verb)

A2regular ar

grabbed

physical action

seized

taking hold quickly

Also:

took hold of

holding something tightly

📝 In Action

Ella agarró el paraguas justo antes de que cayera al suelo.

She grabbed the umbrella just before it fell to the ground.

El bebé agarró mi dedo con su pequeña mano.

The baby grabbed my finger with its tiny hand.

Usted agarró la oportunidad de hablar con el jefe.

You (formal) seized the opportunity to speak with the boss.

Word Connections

Synonyms

coger (to take/grab (Watch regional use!))
sujetar (to hold)

Common Collocations

agarró fuerte – he/she grabbed tightly
agarró el volante – he/she grabbed the steering wheel

Idioms & Expressions

agarró la onda – he/she finally understood (Latin America)

💡 Grammar Points

Past Action Completed

Since 'agarró' is the simple past (preterite) form, it describes a single action that started and finished completely in the past, like 'She grabbed the key.'

⭐ Usage Tips

Using 'Agarrar' vs. 'Coger'

In many parts of Latin America, 'agarrar' is preferred for 'to grab/take' because 'coger' can be vulgar slang.

A sick, cartoon child character sitting in bed, looking miserable with a red nose, holding a crumpled tissue.

Visualizing "agarró" (caught) in the context of catching an illness.

agarró(verb)

B1regular ar

caught

caught a cold/illness

Also:

picked up

acquired a bad habit

📝 In Action

Parece que agarró la gripe en el viaje.

It seems he caught the flu on the trip.

Ella agarró un mal hábito de morderse las uñas.

She picked up a bad habit of biting her nails.

Word Connections

Synonyms

contraer (to contract (a disease))
adquirir (to acquire (a habit))

❌ Common Pitfalls

Catching a Cold

Mistake: "Usar 'capturó' para un resfriado (Él capturó un resfriado)."

Correction: Use 'agarró' or 'cogió' (Él agarró un resfriado). 'Capturar' is only for physically catching animals or people.

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

imperfect

él/ella/ustedagarraba

túagarrabas

vosotrosagarrabais

yoagarraba

ellos/ellas/ustedesagarraban

nosotrosagarrábamos

present

él/ella/ustedagarra

túagarras

vosotrosagarráis

yoagarro

ellos/ellas/ustedesagarran

nosotrosagarramos

preterite

él/ella/ustedagarró

túagarraste

vosotrosagarrasteis

yoagarré

ellos/ellas/ustedesagarraron

nosotrosagarramos

subjunctive

imperfect

él/ella/ustedagarrara/agarrase

túagarraras/agarrases

vosotrosagarrarais/agarraseis

yoagarrara/agarrase

ellos/ellas/ustedesagarraran/agarrasen

nosotrosagarráramos/agarrásemos

present

él/ella/ustedagarre

túagarres

vosotrosagarréis

yoagarre

ellos/ellas/ustedesagarren

nosotrosagarremos

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: agarró

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'agarró' in its figurative meaning (to catch an illness or habit)?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

agarrar(to grab/to seize) - verb

agarre(grip/hold) - noun

agarradero(handle/handhold) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'agarró' the present tense?

No, 'agarró' is the simple past tense (preterite) and means 'he, she, or you (formal) grabbed.' The present tense form is 'agarra' (he/she/you formal grabs).

How is 'agarró' different from 'agarraba'?

'Agarró' (simple past) describes an action that happened once and finished: 'He grabbed the key.' 'Agarraba' (imperfect past) describes ongoing, repeated, or background actions: 'He used to grab the key' or 'He was grabbing the key.'