ahogarse
verbCEFR B2
What does “ahogarse” mean in English?
to drown, to die by immersion
to drown, to die by immersion (literal — reflexive; ahogarse en el río / en el mar)
Example sentences
Dos niños estuvieron a punto de ahogarse en la playa antes de que los socorristas llegasen a rescatarlos.
Two children nearly drowned at the beach before the lifeguards arrived to rescue them.
Se ahogó intentando cruzar el río a nado en condiciones meteorológicas adversas.
He drowned trying to cross the river by swimming in adverse weather conditions.
El niño aprendió a nadar tras el susto de casi ahogarse en la piscina de unos familiares.
The child learnt to swim after the fright of nearly drowning in relatives' swimming pool.
How to use it
Ahogarse (reflexive) means 'to drown' in the literal physical sense — to die by submersion in water. Key frame: estar a punto de ahogarse (nearly drown) / ahogarse en el río / en el mar. Distinct from the transitive ahogar (stifle, figurative) — the reflexive is always literal physical drowning at B2.
Common mistake
Ahogarse (reflexive) is always literal drowning. The figurative 'drown in work' is ahogarse de trabajo, but this is colloquial. The transitive ahogar (without se) is the figurative sense (stifle). Estar a punto de ahogarse is the high-frequency 'near-drowning' formula at B2.