Enflaquecer Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
enflaquecer means "to lose weight, to become thin" 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 enflaquecer with the doctor's diet, the illness in hospital, work in the fields and the summer — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo enflaquezco con la dieta del médico. — "Every day, I lose weight on the doctor's diet." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
enflaquecer in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with enflaquecer, 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 enflaquezco con la dieta del médico. — "Every day, I lose weight on the doctor's diet." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo enflaquecí por la enfermedad en el hospital. — "Yesterday, I lost weight from the illness in hospital." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo enflaquecía con el trabajo en el campo. — "In the past, I used to lose weight with work in the fields." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros enflaqueceremos después del verano. — "Tomorrow, we will lose weight after the summer." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú enflaquecerías con la dieta del médico. — "If you could, you would lose weight on the doctor's diet." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he enflaquecido por la enfermedad en el hospital. — "I have lost weight from the illness in hospital." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él enflaquece con el trabajo en el campo. — "Normally, he/she loses weight with work in the fields." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él enflaqueció después del verano. — "Yesterday, he/she lost weight after the summer." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros enflaquecíamos con la dieta del médico. — "In the past, we used to lose weight on the doctor's diet." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo enflaqueceré por la enfermedad en el hospital. — "Tomorrow, I will lose weight from the illness in hospital." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él enflaquezca con el trabajo en el campo. — "I hope that he/she loses weight with work in the fields." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Enflaquece después del verano! — "Lose weight after the summer!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using enflaquecer naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the doctor's diet, the illness in hospital, work in the fields and the summer.
Dialogue 1: talking about the doctor's diet
Sofía: ¿Tú enflaqueces con la dieta del médico? — "Do you lose weight on the doctor's diet?" Diego: Sí, yo enflaquezco con la dieta del médico. — "I lose weight on the doctor's diet." Sofía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Diego: Ayer, yo enflaquecí por la enfermedad en el hospital. — "Yesterday, I lost weight from the illness in hospital." Sofía: Mañana, nosotros enflaqueceremos con el trabajo en el campo. — "Tomorrow, we will lose weight with work in the fields." Diego: Si pudiera, yo enflaquecería después del verano. — "If I could, I would lose weight after the summer." Sofía: Antes, yo enflaquecía por la enfermedad en el hospital. — "In the past, I used to lose weight from the illness in hospital." Diego: Yo he enflaquecido con la dieta del médico. — "I have lost weight on the doctor's diet." Sofía: ¡Enflaquece con el trabajo en el campo! — "Lose weight with work in the fields!"
In this dialogue enflaquecer 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 work in the fields
Sofía: Él enflaquece con el trabajo en el campo. — "he/she loses weight with work in the fields." Diego: ¿De verdad? ¿Él enflaquece con el trabajo en el campo todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she loses weight with work in the fields every day?" Sofía: Sí, y ellos enflaquecen después del verano. — "they lose weight after the summer." Diego: Ayer, ellos enflaquecieron con el trabajo en el campo. — "Yesterday, they lost weight with work in the fields." Sofía: Espero que él enflaquezca después del verano. — "I hope that he/she loses weight after the summer." Diego: Mañana, él enflaquecerá con el trabajo en el campo. — "Tomorrow, he/she will lose weight with work in the fields." Sofía: Antes, nosotros enflaquecíamos después del verano. — "In the past, we used to lose weight after the summer." Diego: Nosotros enflaquecemos con la dieta del médico también. — "we lose weight on the doctor's diet too."
This dialogue shows enflaquecer 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 enflaquecer
The errors learners actually make with enflaquecer in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me enflaquezco con la dieta del médico.
- Right: Yo enflaquezco con la dieta del médico.
- Why: enflaquecer is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo enflaquezco con la dieta del médico. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo enflaquecer con la dieta del médico.
- Right: Yo enflaquezco con la dieta del médico.
- Why: The infinitive enflaquecer is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form enflaquezco.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo enflaquezco por la enfermedad en el hospital.
- Right: Ayer, yo enflaquecí por la enfermedad en el hospital.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo enflaquecí por la enfermedad en el hospital. — "Yesterday, I lost weight from the illness in hospital."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy enflaquecido con el trabajo en el campo.
- Right: Estoy enflaqueciendo con el trabajo en el campo.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund enflaqueciendo for the progressive. The participle enflaquecido goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he enflaquecido), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros enflaquece con la dieta del médico.
- Right: Nosotros enflaquecemos con la dieta del médico.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes enflaquecemos, while enflaquece belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: enflaquecer in use
Test yourself with ten questions on enflaquecer. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of enflaquecer in the present tense?
- (a) enflaquezco
- (b) enflaqueces
- (c) enflaquece
- (d) enflaquecemos
Answer: (a) enflaquezco. The yo form is enflaquezco.
2. What is the tú form of enflaquecer in the present tense?
- (a) enflaquezco
- (b) enflaquece
- (c) enflaquecemos
- (d) enflaqueces
Answer: (d) enflaqueces. The tú form is enflaqueces.
3. What is the él/ella form of enflaquecer in the present tense?
- (a) enflaqueces
- (b) enflaquecemos
- (c) enflaquece
- (d) enflaquezco
Answer: (c) enflaquece. The él/ella form is enflaquece.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ con la dieta del médico.
- (a) enflaquecemos
- (b) enflaquezco
- (c) enflaqueces
- (d) enflaquece
Answer: (b) enflaquezco. The sentence needs the yo form enflaquezco.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ por la enfermedad en el hospital.
- (a) enflaquecí
- (b) enflaqueciste
- (c) enflaqueció
- (d) enflaquecimos
Answer: (a) enflaquecí. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is enflaquecí.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ con el trabajo en el campo.
- (a) enflaquecías
- (b) enflaquecíamos
- (c) enflaquecíais
- (d) enflaquecía
Answer: (d) enflaquecía. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is enflaquecía.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ después del verano.
- (a) enflaquecerá
- (b) enflaqueceremos
- (c) enflaqueceré
- (d) enflaquecerás
Answer: (c) enflaqueceré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is enflaqueceré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con la dieta del médico.
- (a) ha enflaquecido
- (b) hemos enflaquecido
- (c) he enflaquecido
- (d) has enflaquecido
Answer: (c) he enflaquecido. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he enflaquecido.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ con el trabajo en el campo.
- (a) enflaquezca
- (b) enflaquezcas
- (c) enflaquezcamos
- (d) enflaquecáis
Answer: (a) enflaquezca. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is enflaquezca.
10. What does enflaquecer mean in English?
- (a) to lose weight, to become thin
- (b) to settle in, to make oneself comfortable
- (c) to cling to
- (d) to become fond of
Answer: (a) to lose weight, to become thin. enflaquecer means "to lose weight, to become thin" in English.
Frequently asked questions about enflaquecer
What does enflaquecer mean?
enflaquecer means "to lose weight, to become thin" in English. Use it when you talk about the doctor's diet, the illness in hospital, work in the fields and the summer — for example: Cada día, yo enflaquezco con la dieta del médico. — "Every day, I lose weight on the doctor's diet."
Is there a reflexive form of enflaquecer?
No. enflaquecer is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo enflaquezco con la dieta del médico. — "Every day, I lose weight on the doctor's diet."
What is the most common mistake with enflaquecer?
The spelling change. Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is enflaquezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example enflaquezca. Practise the yo form and the subjunctive forms until they feel automatic, and check them against the table on the conjugation page.
How can I practise enflaquecer?
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.