Inklingo
Dictionary

apagar

ah-pah-GAHRa.paˈɣaɾ

“apagar” means “turn off” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:

turn offA1Verb

devices, lights, engines

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put outB1Verb

fire, flame, cigarette

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quenchB2Verb

thirst, desire

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turn off, switch offAlso: shut down

VerbA1regular (-ar conjugation, but changes 'g' to 'gu' in certain forms to keep the hard 'g' sound) ar
A close-up of a cartoon hand pressing a white light switch down into the 'off' position, symbolizing turning a device off.
infinitiveapagar
gerundapagando
past Participleapagado

📝 In Action

Por favor, apaga la luz antes de salir.

A1

Please turn off the light before leaving.

Tienes que apagar el móvil en el cine.

A2

You have to turn off your cell phone in the movie theater.

Apagué la computadora y me fui a casa.

A2

I turned off the computer and went home.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • apagar el motor – to turn off the engine
  • apagar la alarma – to turn off the alarm

put out, extinguishAlso: douse

VerbB1regular ar
A small campfire that has just been extinguished. Water is hitting the embers, causing white smoke to rise instead of flames.
infinitiveapagar
gerundapagando
past Participleapagado

📝 In Action

Los bomberos tardaron horas en apagar el incendio.

B1

The firefighters took hours to put out the fire.

Apaga las velas antes de irte a dormir.

A2

Extinguish the candles before going to sleep.

Usaron arena para apagar el fuego pequeño.

B1

They used sand to put out the small fire.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • sofocar (to smother)
  • extinguir (to extinguish)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • apagar un cigarrillo – to put out a cigarette

quench, dampenAlso: satisfy

VerbB2regular arformal
A simple cartoon character smiling contentedly while drinking a tall glass of clear water, illustrating the act of quenching thirst.
infinitiveapagar
gerundapagando
past Participleapagado

📝 In Action

Este jugo frío es perfecto para apagar la sed.

B2

This cold juice is perfect for quenching your thirst.

La lluvia no logró apagar el ruido de la fiesta.

C1

The rain didn't manage to dampen the noise of the party.

Su tristeza apagó su deseo de viajar.

C1

His sadness extinguished his desire to travel.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • mitigar (to mitigate)
  • saciar (to satisfy/quench)

Antonyms

  • avivar (to fuel, to intensify)

Common Collocations

  • apagar la sed – to quench thirst

Indicative

Present

yoapago
túapagas
él/ella/ustedapaga
nosotrosapagamos
vosotrosapagáis
ellos/ellas/ustedesapagan

Imperfect

yoapagaba
túapagabas
él/ella/ustedapagaba
nosotrosapagábamos
vosotrosapagabais
ellos/ellas/ustedesapagaban

Preterite

yoapagué
túapagaste
él/ella/ustedapagó
nosotrosapagamos
vosotrosapagasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedesapagaron

Subjunctive

Present Subjunctive

yoapague
túapagues
él/ella/ustedapague
nosotrosapaguemos
vosotrosapaguéis
ellos/ellas/ustedesapaguen

Imperfect Subjunctive

yoapagara
túapagaras
él/ella/ustedapagara
nosotrosapagáramos
vosotrosapagarais
ellos/ellas/ustedesapagaran
View All Tenses & Moods →

🔀 Commonly Confused With

Often confused with extinguirnear-synonyms

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "apagar" in Spanish:

dampendouseextinguishput outquenchsatisfyshut downswitch off

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: apagar

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence uses 'apagar' in its metaphorical sense?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
apagón(blackout (power outage)) — Noun
apagado(off, dull, quiet) — Adjective
apagador(switch, extinguisher) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes
lugarllegar
📚 Etymology

The word comes from the Latin verb *pacare*, meaning 'to pacify' or 'to make peaceful.' Over time, with the prefix 'a-', it evolved in Spanish to mean 'to stop' or 'to cease movement or light,' literally bringing something to a peaceful, inactive state.

First recorded: Medieval Spanish (around 13th century)

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: apagarCatalan: apagar

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'apagar' and 'cerrar'?

'Apagar' means to turn off power (lights, electronics, fire). 'Cerrar' means to close something physically (a door, a window, a book). You 'apagas' the TV, but you 'cierras' the door.

How do I say 'to turn myself off' or 'to calm down'?

You can use the reflexive form 'apagarse' to mean 'to go out' (like a flame) or, metaphorically, 'to fade away' or 'to become quiet.' For calming down, 'calmarse' or 'tranquilizarse' are better choices.