Afligir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb afligir means to afflict, to distress, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Afligir means to afflict or to distress, and it describes grief, illness or trouble weighing on a person: la noticia aflige a la familia, la enfermedad aflige al pueblo. It is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so yo aflijo and the subjunctive aflija. Its reflexive partner afligirse means to grieve. Like every Spanish verb, afligir changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say aflijo a la familia con la noticia, and in the preterite you say afligí mucho a su madre. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: afligir
- English: to afflict, to distress
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: afligiendo
- Past participle: afligido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + afligido)
- Pattern to learn: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is aflijo and the present subjunctive is aflija.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for afligir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Afligir is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so yo aflijo and the subjunctive aflija.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for afligir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aflijo |
| tú | afliges |
| él/ella/Ud. | aflige |
| nosotros/as | afligimos |
| vosotros/as | afligís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afligen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afligí |
| tú | afligiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | afligió |
| nosotros/as | afligimos |
| vosotros/as | afligisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afligieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afligía |
| tú | afligías |
| él/ella/Ud. | afligía |
| nosotros/as | afligíamos |
| vosotros/as | afligíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afligían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afligiré |
| tú | afligirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | afligirá |
| nosotros/as | afligiremos |
| vosotros/as | afligiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afligirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afligiría |
| tú | afligirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | afligiría |
| nosotros/as | afligiríamos |
| vosotros/as | afligiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afligirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he afligido |
| tú | has afligido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha afligido |
| nosotros/as | hemos afligido |
| vosotros/as | habéis afligido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han afligido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había afligido |
| tú | habías afligido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había afligido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos afligido |
| vosotros/as | habíais afligido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían afligido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré afligido |
| tú | habrás afligido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá afligido |
| nosotros/as | habremos afligido |
| vosotros/as | habréis afligido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán afligido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría afligido |
| tú | habrías afligido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría afligido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos afligido |
| vosotros/as | habríais afligido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían afligido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aflija |
| tú | aflijas |
| él/ella/Ud. | aflija |
| nosotros/as | aflijamos |
| vosotros/as | afligáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aflijan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | afligiera |
| tú | afligieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | afligiera |
| nosotros/as | afligiéramos |
| vosotros/as | afligierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | afligieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | aflige |
| él/ella/Ud. | aflija |
| nosotros/as | aflijamos |
| vosotros/as | afligid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aflijan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | aflijas |
| él/ella/Ud. | aflija |
| nosotros/as | aflijamos |
| vosotros/as | afligáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aflijan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | afligiendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy afligiendo |
| Past participle | afligido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he afligido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the pattern here: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is aflijo and the present subjunctive is aflija. For afligir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Aflijo a la familia con la noticia. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is aflijo and the present subjunctive is aflija. For afligir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, afligí al pueblo con la sequía. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afligir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, afligía mucho a su madre. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afligir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, afligiré a los niños con el castigo. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afligir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Afligiría a la familia con la noticia si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afligir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he afligido al pueblo con la sequía. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afligir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había afligido mucho a su madre antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afligir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré afligido a los niños con el castigo. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afligir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría afligido a la familia con la noticia con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is aflijo and the present subjunctive is aflija. For afligir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él aflija al pueblo con la sequía. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For afligir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él afligiera mucho a su madre, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is aflijo and the present subjunctive is aflija. For afligir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Aflige a los niños con el castigo! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is aflijo and the present subjunctive is aflija. For afligir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No aflijas a la familia con la noticia. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with afligir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Aflijo a la familia con la noticia. — I afflict the family with the news.
- Aflige al pueblo con la sequía. — He/she afflicts the village with the drought.
- Ayer, afligí mucho a su madre. — Yesterday, I afflicted his mother a lot.
- Antes, nosotros afligíamos a los niños con el castigo. — Before, we used to afflict the children with the punishment.
- Mañana, tú afligirás a la familia con la noticia. — Tomorrow, you will afflict the family with the news.
- Yo afligiría al pueblo con la sequía si tuviera más tiempo. — I would afflict the village with the drought if I had more time.
- Él ha afligido mucho a su madre. — He has afflicted his mother a lot.
- Espero que él aflija a los niños con el castigo. — I hope he afflicts the children with the punishment.
- Yo ya había afligido a la familia con la noticia antes de salir. — I had already afflicted the family with the news before leaving.
- Ellos afligían al pueblo con la sequía cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to afflict the village with the drought when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo aflige a la familia con la noticia. — Right: Yo aflijo a la familia con la noticia. — The person matters: aflige is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aflijo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo afligo al pueblo con la sequía. — Right: Yo aflijo al pueblo con la sequía. — Afligir is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is aflijo and the present subjunctive is aflija. The form aflijo follows that pattern, not the plain stem plus -o.
- Wrong: Treating afligir and afligirse as identical in every context. — Right: Afligir means to afflict, to distress, while afligirse means to grieve. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: afligir fits sentences such as Aflijo a la familia con la noticia, while afligirse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy afligido al pueblo con la sequía. — Right: Yo he afligido al pueblo con la sequía. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he afligido, has afligido, ha afligido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo afligí mucho a su madre todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo afligía mucho a su madre todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (afligía), not the preterite. The preterite (afligí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on afligir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a la familia con la noticia. (present tense) A. aflijo B. afliges C. aflige D. afligimos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ al pueblo con la sequía. (preterite) A. afligí B. afligiste C. afligimos D. afligió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ mucho a su madre. (imperfect) A. afligías B. aflijo C. afligíamos D. afligía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a los niños con el castigo. (future) A. afligiremos B. afligirás C. afligiré D. afligirá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a la familia con la noticia si pudiera. (conditional) A. afligiría B. afligirías C. afligiríamos D. aflijo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ al pueblo con la sequía. (present subjunctive) A. aflijas B. aflijamos C. aflijo D. aflija
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ mucho a su madre, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. afligiéramos B. aflijo C. afligiera D. afligieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a los niños con el castigo. (present perfect) A. ha afligido B. hemos afligido C. he afligido D. has afligido
Complete the command: ¡___ a la familia con la noticia! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. aflige B. aflija C. aflijamos D. afligid
Which is the gerund of afligir, used with estar for the progressive? A. afligido B. aflijo C. afligí D. afligiendo
Answer key
- aflijo — The yo present tense of afligir is aflijo.
- afligió — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of afligir is afligió.
- afligíamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of afligir is afligíamos.
- afligirás — The tú future of afligir is afligirás.
- afligiría — The yo conditional of afligir is afligiría.
- aflija — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of afligir is aflija.
- afligiera — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of afligir is afligiera.
- hemos afligido — The nosotros/as present perfect of afligir is hemos afligido.
- aflige — The affirmative tú imperative of afligir is aflige.
- afligiendo — The gerund of afligir is afligiendo: estoy afligiendo. The participle afligido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does afligir mean in English?
Afligir means to afflict, to distress. It is used in everyday situations such as Aflijo a la familia con la noticia. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is afligir regular or irregular?
Afligir is a spelling-change verb: it is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is aflijo and the present subjunctive is aflija. The endings are regular, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page, including aflijo in the present and afligí in the preterite.
What is the difference between afligir and afligirse?
Afligir means to afflict, to distress, while afligirse means to grieve. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use afligir when you mean to afflict, to distress, as in Aflijo a la familia con la noticia, and use afligirse for to grieve. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I afflict” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo afligí al pueblo con la sequía. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo afligía mucho a su madre. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he afligido al pueblo con la sequía.
How do I practise afligir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the afligir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Afligir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for afligir.
- Afligir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for afligir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Asistir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with afligir.
- Atribuir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with afligir.
- Coexistir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with afligir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.