ahorcamos

Ahorcar is a Spanish verb meaning to hang someone by the neck, typically as an execution or punishment, or to suspend a person by a rope in contexts such as a gallows. In everyday Spanish, colgar is more common for non-lethal hanging or suspending objects, while ahorcar remains more specialized, historical, or literary.

The form ahorcamos is the first-person plural of the verb in two main senses: present indicative (we hang / we are hanging) and simple past or preterite (we hanged), depending on context. The present tense forms include yo ahorco, tú ahorcas, él ahorca, nosotros ahorcamos, vosotros ahoracéis, ellos ahorcan. The preterite forms include yo ahorqué, tú ahorcaste, él ahorcó, nosotros ahorcamos, vosotros ahorcastéis, ellos ahorcaron. The imperfect forms are ahorcábamos, and the present subjunctive is ahorquemos. This overlap means context is needed to determine the tense when the specific form ahorcamos is used.

Etymologically, ahorcar derives from horca, meaning gallows, with a prefixed a-, reflecting the action of placing someone on a gallows. The term has a long historical footprint and appears in legal, historical, and literary Italianate or archaic registers, especially when describing executions or punitive acts.

Usage notes: in modern usage, ahorcar is largely confined to formal, historical, or literary descriptions of hanging. For everyday meaning of “to hang” in non-lethal or non-punitive contexts, colgar is preferred. Ahorcarse is the reflexive form meaning to hang oneself, a topic treated with sensitivity in many contexts.