Esforzar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

esforzar means "to make an effort" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Esforzar without a pronoun is transitive: you strain or push something to its limit, as in esforzar la voz or esforzar el motor. For making an effort yourself, Spanish normally uses the reflexive form esforzarse. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of esforzar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the esforzar present tense page.

esforzar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo esfuerzo la voz en la reunión — "I strain his voice in the meeting"
  2. Mi amigo esfuerza la vista para leer — "My friend strains his eyesight to read"
  3. Mañana, tú esforzarás el motor del coche — "Tomorrow, you will strain the car engine"
  4. Yo esforzaría al máximo el equipo si pudiera — "I would strain the team to the utmost if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo esforcé la voz en la reunión — "Yesterday, I strained his voice in the meeting"
  2. Antes, nosotros esforzábamos la vista para leer — "Before, we used to strain his eyesight to read"
  3. Él ha esforzado el motor del coche — "He has strained the car engine"
  4. Yo ya había esforzado al máximo el equipo antes de salir — "I already had strained the team to the utmost before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él esfuerce la voz en la reunión — "I hope he strains his voice in the meeting"
  2. Si yo esforzara la vista para leer, todo cambiaría — "If I strained his eyesight to read, everything would change"
  3. Esfuerza el motor del coche. — "Strain the car engine."
  4. Yo habría esforzado al máximo el equipo con más tiempo — "I would have strained the team to the utmost with more time"

esforzar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use esforzar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo esfuerzo la voz en la reunión — "I strain his voice in the meeting"
  • Marcos: Él esfuerza la vista para leer — "He strains his eyesight to read"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo esforcé el motor del coche — "Yesterday, I strained the car engine"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú esforzarás al máximo el equipo — "Tomorrow, you will strain the team to the utmost"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Esfuerza la memoria para recordar. — "Strain his memory to remember."
  • Lucía: Él ha esforzado la voz en la reunión — "He has strained his voice in the meeting"
  • Marcos: Espero que él esfuerce la vista para leer — "I hope he strains his eyesight to read"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo esforzaba el motor del coche — "Before, I used to strain the car engine"

Common mistakes with esforzar

The errors learners actually make with esforzar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo esforzo al máximo el equipo.

✓ Correct: Yo esfuerzo al máximo el equipo.

esforzar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is esfuerzo, not esforzo.

✗ *Ayer, yo esforzé la memoria para recordar.

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo esforcé la memoria para recordar.

The z of esforzar becomes c before e, so the preterite yo form is esforcé, never esforzé.

✗ *Espero que él esfuerza al máximo el equipo

✓ Correct: Espero que él esfuerce al máximo el equipo

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él esfuerce al máximo el equipo — not the indicative Espero que él esfuerza al máximo el equipo.

✗ *Ayer, yo esfuerzo la memoria para recordar

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo esforcé la memoria para recordar

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo esforcé la memoria para recordar.

✗ *De niño, yo esforcé la voz en la reunión todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo esforzaba la voz en la reunión todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo esforzaba la voz en la reunión todos los días.

Quiz: esforzar in use

Ten questions on esforzar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la voz en la reunión — "I strain his voice in the meeting" (present) A. esfuerza B. esforzamos C. esfuerzo D. esfuerzas

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la vista para leer — "Yesterday, I strained his eyesight to read" (preterite) A. esforzamos B. esforcé C. esforzaste D. esforzó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ el motor del coche — "Before, we used to strain the car engine" (imperfect) A. esforzabais B. esforzábamos C. esforzaba D. esforzabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ al máximo el equipo — "Tomorrow, you will strain the team to the utmost" (future) A. esforzaremos B. esforzarás C. esforzaré D. esforzará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la memoria para recordar — "I would strain his memory to remember" (conditional) A. esforzarías B. esforzaríamos C. esforzaríais D. esforzaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la voz en la reunión — "He has strained his voice in the meeting" (present perfect) A. he esforzado B. has esforzado C. hemos esforzado D. ha esforzado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la vista para leer — "I hope he strains his eyesight to read" (present subjunctive) A. esfuerce B. esfuerces C. esforcemos D. esforcéis

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ el motor del coche. — "Strain the car engine." (affirmative imperative) A. esforzad B. esfuerza C. esfuerce D. esforcemos

  9. Which is the gerund of esforzar, used with estar for the progressive? A. esfuerzo B. esforcé C. esforzando D. esforzado

  10. What does esforzar mean in English? A. to make an effort B. to enjoy C. to cross D. to draw

Answer key

  1. esfuerzo — The present form for yo is esfuerzo.
  2. esforcé — The preterite form for yo is esforcé.
  3. esforzábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is esforzábamos.
  4. esforzarás — The future form for tú is esforzarás.
  5. esforzaría — The conditional form for yo is esforzaría.
  6. ha esforzado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha esforzado.
  7. esfuerce — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is esfuerce.
  8. esfuerza — The affirmative imperative form is esfuerza.
  9. esforzando — The gerund of esforzar is esforzando: estoy esforzando. The participle esforzado is used with haber instead.
  10. to make an effort — esforzar means to make an effort.

Frequently asked questions

What does esforzar mean in English?

esforzar means to make an effort. For example: Yo esfuerzo la voz en la reunión — "I strain his voice in the meeting". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with esforzar?

esforzar takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is esforzar regular?

No. esforzar is a stem-changing -ar verb (o → ue). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: esfuerzo, esfuerzas, esfuerza and esfuerzan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: esforzamos, esforzáis.

How do I practise esforzar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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