Condolerse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
condolerse means "to sympathise" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see condolerse with his sick neighbour, the neighbourhood children, his friend in hospital and the village family — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo me conduelo de su vecina enferma. — "Every day, I sympathise for his sick neighbour." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
condolerse in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with condolerse, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo me conduelo de su vecina enferma. — "Every day, I sympathise for his sick neighbour." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo me condolí de los niños del barrio. — "Yesterday, I sympathised for the neighbourhood children." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo me condolía de su amigo en el hospital. — "In the past, I used to sympathise for his friend in hospital." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros nos condoleremos de la familia del pueblo. — "Tomorrow, we will sympathise for the village family." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú te condolerías de su vecina enferma. — "If you could, you would sympathise for his sick neighbour." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo me he condolido de los niños del barrio. — "I have sympathised for the neighbourhood children." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él se conduele de su amigo en el hospital. — "Normally, he/she sympathises for his friend in hospital." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él se condolió de la familia del pueblo. — "Yesterday, he/she sympathised for the village family." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros nos condolíamos de su vecina enferma. — "In the past, we used to sympathise for his sick neighbour." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo me condoleré de los niños del barrio. — "Tomorrow, I will sympathise for the neighbourhood children." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él se conduela de su amigo en el hospital. — "I hope that he/she sympathises for his friend in hospital." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡No te conduelas de la familia del pueblo! — "Do not sympathise for the village family!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using condolerse naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: his sick neighbour, the neighbourhood children, his friend in hospital and the village family.
Dialogue 1: talking about his sick neighbour
Lucía: ¿Tú te condueles de su vecina enferma? — "Do you sympathise for his sick neighbour?" Pedro: Sí, yo me conduelo de su vecina enferma. — "I sympathise for his sick neighbour." Lucía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Pedro: Ayer, yo me condolí de los niños del barrio. — "Yesterday, I sympathised for the neighbourhood children." Lucía: Mañana, nosotros nos condoleremos de su amigo en el hospital. — "Tomorrow, we will sympathise for his friend in hospital." Pedro: Si pudiera, yo me condolería de la familia del pueblo. — "If I could, I would sympathise for the village family." Lucía: Antes, yo me condolía de los niños del barrio. — "In the past, I used to sympathise for the neighbourhood children." Pedro: Yo me he condolido de su vecina enferma. — "I have sympathised for his sick neighbour." Lucía: ¡No te conduelas de su amigo en el hospital! — "Do not sympathise for his friend in hospital!"
In this dialogue condolerse appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about his friend in hospital
Lucía: Él se conduele de su amigo en el hospital. — "he/she sympathises for his friend in hospital." Pedro: ¿De verdad? ¿Él se conduele de su amigo en el hospital todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she sympathises for his friend in hospital every day?" Lucía: Sí, y ellos se conduelen de la familia del pueblo. — "they sympathise for the village family." Pedro: Ayer, ellos se condolieron de su amigo en el hospital. — "Yesterday, they sympathised for his friend in hospital." Lucía: Espero que él se conduela de la familia del pueblo. — "I hope that he/she sympathises for the village family." Pedro: Mañana, él se condolerá de su amigo en el hospital. — "Tomorrow, he/she will sympathise for his friend in hospital." Lucía: Antes, nosotros nos condolíamos de la familia del pueblo. — "In the past, we used to sympathise for the village family." Pedro: Nosotros nos condolemos de su vecina enferma también. — "we sympathise for his sick neighbour too."
This dialogue shows condolerse in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with condolerse
The errors learners actually make with condolerse in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo conduelo de su vecina enferma.
- Right: Yo me conduelo de su vecina enferma.
- Why: condolerse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me conduelo de su vecina enferma.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo condolerse de su vecina enferma.
- Right: Yo me conduelo de su vecina enferma.
- Why: The infinitive condolerse is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form conduelo.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me conduelo de los niños del barrio.
- Right: Ayer, yo me condolí de los niños del barrio.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me condolí de los niños del barrio. — "Yesterday, I sympathised for the neighbourhood children."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Me estoy condolido de su amigo en el hospital.
- Right: Me estoy condoliendo de su amigo en el hospital.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund condoliendo for the progressive. The participle condolido goes with haber in the perfect tenses (me he condolido), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos conduele de su vecina enferma.
- Right: Nosotros nos condolemos de su vecina enferma.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes condolemos, while conduele belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: condolerse in use
Test yourself with ten questions on condolerse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of condolerse in the present tense?
- (a) condolemos
- (b) conduelo
- (c) condueles
- (d) conduele
Answer: (b) conduelo. The yo form is conduelo.
2. What is the tú form of condolerse in the present tense?
- (a) condueles
- (b) conduelo
- (c) conduele
- (d) condolemos
Answer: (a) condueles. The tú form is condueles.
3. What is the él/ella form of condolerse in the present tense?
- (a) conduelo
- (b) condueles
- (c) condolemos
- (d) conduele
Answer: (d) conduele. The él/ella form is conduele.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ de su vecina enferma.
- (a) conduele
- (b) condolemos
- (c) conduelo
- (d) condueles
Answer: (c) conduelo. The sentence needs the yo form conduelo.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ de los niños del barrio.
- (a) condolimos
- (b) condolí
- (c) condoliste
- (d) condolió
Answer: (b) condolí. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is condolí.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ de su amigo en el hospital.
- (a) condolía
- (b) condolías
- (c) condolíamos
- (d) condolíais
Answer: (a) condolía. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is condolía.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ de la familia del pueblo.
- (a) condolerás
- (b) condolerá
- (c) condoleremos
- (d) condoleré
Answer: (d) condoleré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is condoleré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de su vecina enferma.
- (a) te has condolido
- (b) se ha condolido
- (c) nos hemos condolido
- (d) me he condolido
Answer: (d) me he condolido. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: me he condolido.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ de su amigo en el hospital.
- (a) condoláis
- (b) conduela
- (c) conduelas
- (d) condolamos
Answer: (b) conduela. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is conduela.
10. What does condolerse mean in English?
- (a) to glorify
- (b) to sympathise
- (c) to exemplify
- (d) to fortify
Answer: (b) to sympathise. condolerse means "to sympathise" in English.
Frequently asked questions about condolerse
What does condolerse mean?
condolerse means "to sympathise" in English. Use it when you talk about his sick neighbour, the neighbourhood children, his friend in hospital and the village family — for example: Cada día, yo me conduelo de su vecina enferma. — "Every day, I sympathise for his sick neighbour."
Is condolerse reflexive?
Yes. condolerse is reflexive, so it always travels with a pronoun: me, te, se, nos, os, se. Cada día, yo me conduelo de su vecina enferma. — "Every day, I sympathise for his sick neighbour." If you drop the pronoun, the sentence is incomplete.
What is the most common mistake with condolerse?
Forgetting the reflexive pronoun. Learners write the bare form — for example, Yo conduelo de su vecina enferma — when the verb needs its pronoun: Cada día, yo me conduelo de su vecina enferma. — "Every day, I sympathise for his sick neighbour." Keep the pronoun with the verb and the mistake disappears.
How can I practise condolerse?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.